Beijing, October 21 (Xinhua) — Title: Providing ‘Southern Answers’ for the Century long Changes in the World
The 16th BRICS Leaders’ Meeting will be held in Kazan, Russia from October 22nd to 24th. The leaders of BRICS countries have gathered offline for the first time after the historic expansion of the “BRICS family”, ushering in a world-renowned “BRICS moment”. At the beginning of the “Greater BRICS Cooperation”, the international community expects BRICS countries to further strengthen the solidarity and cooperation of the “Global South”, make “BRICS contributions” to promoting an equal and orderly world multipolarity and inclusive economic globalization, and provide “Southern answers” to cope with unprecedented changes.
This is the scene of the “BRICS Opportunities” Youth Exchange and Dialogue event filmed in Kazan, Russia on September 25, 2024. Photo by Cao Yang, Xinhua News Agency reporter
The world is currently undergoing a great transformation unseen in a century, with various new and old problems and complex contradictions overlapping, colliding, interweaving, and fermenting. Instability, uncertainty, and unpredictability have become the norm. The regional situation remains tense, hot issues are emerging one after another, global economic recovery is weak, unilateralism and protectionism are rampant, economic globalization is facing setbacks, and issues such as the North South gap and development gaps are becoming more prominent. Faced with the intertwined international situation of turmoil, the ‘Global South’ is no longer the ‘silent majority’, but has become a key force for the transformation of the international order and a hope for a century of change. The BRICS cooperation mechanism, as an important platform for emerging market countries and developing countries to strengthen solidarity and cooperation, safeguard common interests, and play a constructive role in maintaining world peace, promoting common development, and improving global governance.
The BRICS countries unite the vast number of developing countries to jointly safeguard the security environment, and issue a “Southern voice” to promote conflict resolution and build world peace. In November 2023, the leaders of BRICS countries held a special video summit on the Israeli Palestinian issue, coordinating their positions and taking actions on the issue, laying a good foundation for the expanded “Greater BRICS Cooperation” and becoming an important force in promoting dialogue and peace. Faced with conflicts and confrontations, many southern countries advocate respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, insisting on political solutions to hot issues, promoting dialogue to resolve disputes, working together to address various security challenges, and injecting more stability into international affairs. Former Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Eric Solheim, stated that the countries of the “Global South” are powerful promoters and maintainers of world peace, and will play a huge role in building a stable multipolar world.
The headquarters building of the New Development Bank of BRICS countries located in the Shanghai Pudong New Area Expo Park (taken on June 17, 2022, drone photo). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Fang Zhe
The BRICS countries unite the vast number of developing countries to pursue development and revitalization, and demonstrate the “southern role” in promoting economic development and leading the development trend. Since its opening 9 years ago, the New Development Bank of BRICS countries has approved over 100 projects with a total loan amount of approximately 35 billion US dollars. Focusing on cooperative development is the key to the increasing attractiveness of platforms such as the BRICS cooperation mechanism. Promote BRICS practical cooperation, jointly build the “the Belt and Road” with high quality, and innovate the cooperation mechanism among countries in the “Global South”… The vast number of developing countries are adhering to the development priority, pooling the joint efforts of progress, promoting economic globalization, pushing development issues back to the center of the international agenda, and creating a favorable environment for the development of all countries. According to an article published on the website of the Royal Institute of Elcano in Spain, the protagonist of the globalization process has changed, and the emerging ‘Global South’ is becoming increasingly important compared to the ‘Global North’.
The BRICS countries unite developing countries to jointly defend fairness and justice, and write a “southern chapter” to uphold true multilateralism and improve global governance. Global affairs should be handled by everyone through consultation, international rules should be jointly formulated and observed by all countries, and the results of governance should also be shared by everyone. This is a common demand of many countries in the “global South”. In 2023, the Johannesburg Declaration of the 15th BRICS Summit reaffirmed the commitment to strengthening and improving global governance, and promoting the construction of a more sensitive, effective, efficient, representative, democratic, and accountable international and multilateral system. The BRICS countries have always adhered to and defended true multilateralism, upheld the core role of the United Nations in the international system, upheld international law and basic norms of international relations, enhanced the representation and voice of developing countries in international affairs, and promoted world multipolarity and democratization of international relations. British political commentator Carlos Martinez said that the BRICS cooperation mechanism is driving the global governance system to become more balanced and representative.
In the trend of “global southern” unity and self-improvement, the appeal of the BRICS cooperation mechanism continues to rise, its attractiveness continues to strengthen, and its “golden signboard” is becoming brighter and brighter. The “Global South”, represented by the BRICS cooperation mechanism, has gained momentum. Its deep impetus comes from the strength of the hearts of all countries seeking peace and development, from the strength of the global order seeking justice and inclusiveness, and from the strength of the evolution of the times in which countries around the world jointly pursue modernization. This year marks the beginning of the “Greater BRICS Cooperation”. We believe that the Kazan Summit will promote the stable and far-reaching development of the “Greater BRICS Cooperation”, promote the unity and self-improvement of the “Global South”, jointly promote world peace and development, and contribute more wisdom and achievements to the forward development of human society.