The foreign ministers of the BRICS member countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) recently met in Cape Town, South Africa, to discuss issues relating to UN reform. This meeting, in which Gabon, Egypt and the DRC took part, revived the question of the reform of the United Nations Security Council, the revitalization of the General Assembly and the strengthening of the Economic and Social Council.
In the final communiqué of this meeting, the BRICS recalled the importance of the role of Brazil, India and South Africa, as well as the need to grant them a greater role in international affairs. Ministers also reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening multilateralism and protecting international law, including the principles established in the UN Charter.
The Ministers thus showed their concern about the use of unilateral coercive measures which, in their view, are incompatible with the principles set out in the Charter of the United Nations and have a negative impact on developing countries.
For the BRICS, it is more than essential to strengthen global governance to help promote a more efficient and representative international and multilateral system. They also recalled the outcome document of the 2005 World Summit and referred to the need for a comprehensive reform of the United Nations to make it more representative and effective in order to respond adequately to global challenges.
In sum, this meeting was an opportunity for the BRICS to show their diplomatic commitment to a better international system. This gesture bodes well for the future collaboration of the member countries of the group for a fairer and more stable world.