BRICS Summit 2025: There is no alternative to multilateralism
Image: GCIS
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
The year 2025 should be a time of celebration, marking eight decades of the United Nations' existence. But it risks going down in history as the year when the international order built since 1945 collapsed.
The cracks had long been visible. Since the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, the intervention in Libya, and the war in Ukraine, some permanent members of the Security Council have trivialised the illegal use of force. The failure to act vis-à-vis the genocide in Gaza represents a denial of the most basic values of humanity. The inability to overcome differences is fueling a new escalation of violence in the Middle East, the latest chapter of which includes the attack on Iran.
The law of the strongest also threatens the multilateral trading system. Sweeping tariffs disrupt value chains and push the global economy into a spiral of high prices and stagnation. The World Trade Organisation has been hollowed out, and no one remembers the Doha Development Round.
The 2008 financial collapse exposed the failure of neoliberal globalisation, but the world remained locked into the austerity playbook. The choice to bail out the ultra-wealthy and major corporations at the expense of ordinary citizens and small businesses has deepened inequality. In the past ten years, the $33.9 trillion accumulated by the world's richest 1 per cent is equivalent to 22 times the resources needed to eradicate global poverty.
The stranglehold on the state's capacity for action has led to public distrust in institutions. Discontent has become fertile ground for extremist narratives that threaten democracy and promote hate as a political project.
Many countries have cut cooperation programs instead of redoubling efforts to implement the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. The available resources are insufficient, the costs are high, access is bureaucratic, and the conditions imposed often fail to respect local realities.
This is not about charity, but about addressing disparities rooted in centuries of exploitation, interference, and violence against the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia. In a world with a combined GDP of over $100 trillion, it is unacceptable that more than 700 million people still suffer from hunger and live without electricity or water.
Video Player is loading.
Play Video
Play
Unmute
Current Time
0:00
/
Duration
-:-
Loaded :
0%
Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently behind live
LIVE
Remaining Time
-
0:00
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque
Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps
Reset
restore all settings to the default values Done
Close Modal Dialog
End of dialog window.
Advertisement
Video Player is loading.
Play Video
Play
Unmute
Current Time
0:00
/
Duration
-:-
Loaded :
0%
Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently behind live
LIVE
Remaining Time
-
0:00
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque
Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps
Reset
restore all settings to the default values Done
Close Modal Dialog
End of dialog window.
Next
Stay
Close ✕
The richest countries bear the greatest historical responsibility for carbon emissions, yet it is the poorest who will suffer the most from climate change. The year 2024 was the hottest in history, showing that reality is moving faster than the Paris Agreement. The binding obligations of the Kyoto Protocol were replaced by voluntary commitments, and the financing pledges made at COP15 in Copenhagen — promising $100 billion annually — never materialised. The recent increase in NATO's military spending makes that possibility even more remote.
Attacks on international institutions ignore the concrete benefits the multilateral system has brought to people's lives. If smallpox has been eradicated, the ozone layer preserved, and labour rights still protected in much of the world, it is thanks to the efforts of these institutions.
In times of growing polarisation, terms like "deglobalization" have become commonplace. But it is impossible to "de-planetize" our shared existence. No wall is high enough to preserve islands of peace and prosperity surrounded by violence and misery.
Today's world is vastly different from that of 1945. New forces have emerged, and new challenges have arisen. If international organisations seem ineffective, it is because their structure no longer reflects the current reality. Unilateral and exclusionary actions are worsened by the absence of collective leadership. The solution to the multilateralism crisis is not to abandon it, but to rebuild it on fairer and more inclusive foundations.
This is the understanding that Brazil — whose vocation has always been to foster collaboration among nations — demonstrated during its G20 presidency last year and continues to demonstrate through its presidencies of the BRICS and COP30 this year: that it is possible to find common ground even in adverse scenarios.
There is an urgent need to recommit to diplomacy and rebuild the foundations of true multilateralism — one capable of answering the outcry of a humanity fearful for its future. Only then can we stop passively watching the rise of inequality, the senselessness of war, and the destruction of our planet.
* Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is the president of Brazil. This article was originally published at https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/
** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL, Independent Media or The African.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
12 hours ago
- IOL News
South Africa's human rights crisis: Calls for action ahead of National Dialogue
Amnesty International South Africa has asked President Cyril Ramaphosa to invest the money allocated for the National Dialogue in the protection and fulfilment of people's rights. Image: Supplied / GCIS Civil rights organisation, Amnesty International South Africa, has urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to redirect the R700 million allocated for the National Dialogue. The organisation advocates for this budget to be invested instead in safeguarding and fulfilling the basic human rights of South African citizens. Ramaphosa formally announced the National Dialogue last month. It is intended to be a platform for reflection on the nation's current state, envisioning its future, and establishing the foundation for the upcoming National Development Plan. The process, scheduled for August 15, 2025, will unfold in phases, including local consultations and sectoral engagements, to provincial and national gatherings, over the period of a year. Ramaphosa also pointed out that this is a chance for South Africans to shape the next chapter of democracy, adding that it is an opportunity to forge a new social compact for the development of the country. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ While South Africa's transition to democracy years ago was a landmark event, the country continues to grapple with significant challenges stemming from its past and present realities. Despite progress in some areas, deep-seated issues such as poverty, inequality and unemployment persist, often linked to the legacy of apartheid and the slow pace of land reform. Furthermore, corruption and state capture have undermined public institutions and service delivery, impacting basic services like water, electricity, and healthcare. Amnesty International South Africa's executive director, Shenilla Mohamed, said that while nation-building and social cohesion are important, the government should ensure that the budget allocated does not come at the expense of addressing the country's most pressing challenges. 'Most of the country's population lives in dire conditions and do not have access to basic essential services such as water and sanitation,' said Mohamed. 'Repeatedly, we hear people complaining of raw sewerage flowing through townships, inadequate housing, poor medical services, lack of quality education, high rates of gender-based violence, crime, and the list goes on. To address these violations and ensure the fulfillment of basic human rights, we need more government action and increased investment,' she said. Asked to comment on the statement, Ramaphosa's spokesperson Vincent Mangwenya did not respond. Amnesty stated that, despite a progressive legal landscape, rates of sexual and gender-based violence remain staggeringly high, with the number of reported offences in 2023/2024 sitting at 53,285, adding that the South African Police Service continues to fail in ensuring quality investigations. The group also highlighted the situation of human rights defenders and whistleblowers who have been killed with impunity. 'Yet these are the brave individuals who expose acts of criminality and abuse by government, corporations and people in power. While South Africa is in the process of strengthening whistleblower legislation, there is no legislation for the protection of human rights defenders. A human rights defender is anyone who, individually or in association with others, acts to defend and/or promote human rights at a local, national, regional, or international level.' The organisation said that when it comes to basic services, over 3 million people have no access to basic water supply service, while 5.3 million households do not have access to safe and reliable drinking water. 'Decades of corruption and the mismanagement of public funds have weakened the government's ability to safeguard the country's water security, especially in the face of climate change and extreme weather events. Climate change is another threat to a wide range of human rights and will continue to impact the rights to life, health, housing, water, and sanitation. Without proper investment in climate-resilient infrastructure, we will continue to see destruction and loss of life during floods and other extreme weather events. 'There are a number of ways to spend R700 million. We urge the South African government to invest it in the protection and fulfilment of people's human rights,' said Mohamed. Meanwhile, political analyst Professor Sipho Seepe said the National Dialogue is a costly distraction meant to give the impression that Ramaphosa's administration is doing something. He said this is all about smoke and mirrors, something that Ramaphosa has mastered and perfected. 'The National Dialogue has no legal and constitutional standing. Its recommendations are not legally binding. To that extent, it is just another talkshop that is meant to cover up Ramaphosa's glaring failures,' he said. Another political analyst, Ntsikelelo Breakfast, said there is no need for the National Dialogue to uncover challenges facing the country, adding that they are well-known. 'He is always having a State of the Nation Address (SONA) and he can't tell us that he is not aware of the problems. What is it that he has been talking about? The whole thing is not necessary. We don't need a National Dialogue to understand our problems,' he said.
IOL News
14 hours ago
- IOL News
It's Time for Digital Justice
The recent BRICS declaration on artificial intelligence marks a critical shift in the global digital agenda. In their joint statement, BRICS leaders reaffirmed each nation's sovereign right to develop and govern digital technologies, particularly AI, in alignment with domestic priorities and legal frameworks. They called for strengthened capacity-building, robust data governance, and technological autonomy, stating: 'We firmly support the right of all countries to harness the benefits of the digital economy… to develop capacities in AI research, foster technological autonomy and innovation, ensure data protection, and promote their own digital economy.' This affirmation is welcome and timely. Yet, in the face of growing digital inequality, platform gatekeeping, and regulatory imbalance, should we not be thinking about how to move beyond high-level diplomacy toward more tangible, enforceable measures? Perhaps the time has come to complement vision with action and to consider what digital justice might truly look like in practice. Across the Global South, from township entrepreneurs in South Africa to fintech innovators in Latin America, startup ecosystems remain stifled by structural imbalances in the digital economy. The current rules of engagement, largely dictated by dominant platform companies, are neither inclusive nor equitable. As a member of the SU20 Foundation and Alliance Task Force, I believe we must now reimagine global digital governance through a justice lens. This means embedding fairness, inclusion, and startup-led innovation at the core of every digital transformation policy and programme. South Africa has an important role to play. Not only must we advance our domestic innovation ecosystem, but we must also advocate globally on behalf of underserved regions still waiting to be seen, heard, and funded. The SU20 Digital Transformation Workstream outlines a concrete path forward. It proposes that we fund the Startup Fund at scale to enable meaningful participation in the digital economy. Emerging innovators must have access to early-stage, patient capital that prioritises inclusion and impact. It also proposes that we enforce platform compliance through regulatory agencies, ensuring dominant platforms are held accountable through effective, transparent, and independent oversight. Furthermore, the workstream recommends embedding public-private startup labs within digital transformation programmes. These labs can serve as co-creation spaces that bring together government, entrepreneurs, and civil society to solve real-world problems using local insight and scalable technology. Perhaps the most significant contribution of the SU20 agenda is the proposed Digital Competition Compact. This is a landmark framework that introduces new global standards for digital fairness. The Compact establishes that platforms must not be allowed to preference their products over third-party services. It affirms that fair and open API access must be guaranteed, ensuring interoperability and innovation. It further calls for digital procurement processes to be reformed so that startups and emerging market innovators are included as a matter of policy, not exception. This is not an anti-technology stance. It is a pro-market, pro-competition, and pro-equity proposition. When civic technologies or early-stage startups are denied platform access or squeezed out of procurement processes by legacy players, we are no longer operating in a free and fair digital marketplace. We are reinforcing monopolistic behaviour. South Africa has both the moral authority and institutional experience to lead this agenda. As a country that understands the long-term effects of systemic exclusion, we must ensure our voice is prominent in shaping global digital rules. We should be among the first to adopt and promote the Digital Competition Compact. We should build and scale our Startup Fund. And we should institutionalise startup labs as core elements of government-led digital reform. In doing so, we will not only empower our own entrepreneurs. We will inspire a shift in how the global economy values innovation from the Global South. Diplomatic engagement has laid important foundations. But as digital inequalities deepen and platform control tightens, we must now choose justice. Not as an abstract ideal, but as a measurable, enforceable, and globally aligned principle. The digital economy must serve everyone, not just the privileged few. If the next billion internet users are to thrive, they must be empowered as creators, not just consumers. The era of digital diplomacy has passed. This is the era of digital justice. Prof. Eldrid Jordaan is the Founder of GovChat and Suppple PLC, a Professor of Practice at the Johannesburg Business School, and a member of the SU20 Foundation and Alliance Task Force.
The Citizen
19 hours ago
- The Citizen
Pandor calls on leaders to be good 'troublemakers' like Madiba
Pandor reflected on Mandela's life, his values, and the kind of world he envisioned. Former International Relations Minister Naledi Pandor delivering the keynote address at the official UN commemoration of Nelson Mandela International Day in New York on Friday. Picture: Nelson Mandela Foundation. As South Africans marked Nelson Mandela Day on Friday, former International Relations Minister Naledi Pandor called on world leaders to follow in the steps of Madiba by being 'good troublemakers.' Pandor delivered the keynote address at the official UN commemoration of Nelson Mandela International Day in New York on Mandela Day. 'Mandela a troublemaker' Speaking in her role as the chairperson of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, Pandor reflected on Mandela's life, his values, and the kind of world he envisioned. 'While we all, with great affection, refer to President Mandela's first name as 'Nelson', the name that he was actually given at birth was 'Rolihlahla'. In isiXhosa, which was Mandela's mother tongue, the colloquial meaning of Rolihlahla is 'troublemaker''. She explained that while 'Rolihlahla' directly meant 'shake the tree', the isiXhosa name given to Madiba was 'troublemaker.' 'Mandela was a troublemaker. The kind of good troublemaker that we need more of in the world today, and the kind that we will continue to need well into the future. The kind of troublemaker that some people did not always love because he pushed for an equality that we should all enjoy and for the overcoming of a system of oppression which was called convenient and profitable to some,' said Pandor. As South Africans marked Nelson Mandela Day on Friday, former International Relations Minister Naledi Pandor called on world leaders to follow in the steps of Madiba by being 'good troublemakers.' #MandelaDay @TheCitizen_News — 𝙵𝚊𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚕 𝙿𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚕 ⚡️ (@FaizelPatel143) July 20, 2025 ALSO READ: 'They never stopped' – Naledi Pandor continues to receive threats 'Fierce man' Pandor said Mandela was a fierce man on matters of justice. 'He pushed for a kind of equality and the overcoming of a system of oppression that was convenient and profitable to some, a system that was defeated in South Africa, but which has yet to be eradicated globally.' SA's freedom Pandor told guests, including United Nations (UN) Secretary General António Guterres, about the role the UN played in South Africa's struggle for freedom. 'The United Nations steered us to freedom, stood against apartheid domination not through arms, but through bringing its undeniable moral weight into combat against injustice. That boldness, that courage is needed more and more today, and we hope as we remember and honour President Mandela, we recall his words, 'It is in your hands.' What would Madiba say? Pandor said the Nelson Mandela Foundation, which she now chairs, often gets asked what Mandela would say or do on certain issues if he were alive today. 'We, too, ask this question of ourselves. In the context of my call here today, the question arises – What kind of world would he be prepared to make good trouble for? Drawing on his life and work, and personal reflections, we believe that it would be a just world. 'A world where justice does not kneel to the rich and powerful; where our collective upliftment takes precedence over individual privilege; where the benefits and burdens of our society are equally shared; where our privilege and personal biases do not sway us from being just; and where our like or dislike of someone does not hinder us from doing what is right in relation to them. This is the kind of world that we need to make good trouble for,' Pandor said. ALSO READ: WATCH: 'SA showing world we have embraced constitutional democracy' − Pandor
