247 - In a historic speech at the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva highlighted this Sunday (6) the importance of cooperation between the countries of the group.

In his speech, Lula called for reform of international institutions, fairer trade and warned about social inequality. The president also defended the relevance of the Global South for multilateralism.

Read the speech in full:

This 17th Summit in Rio de Janeiro crowns the historic expansion of BRICS.

This is the first time that the Heads of State and Government of the partner countries have formally participated.

The invited countries bring with them perspectives from different regional contexts that enrich the articulation of a vision specific to the Global South.

We are in the same city and the same location that hosted the G20 Summit last year.

Much of the success achieved was due to the constructive participation of BRICS.

In a short space of time, the international scenario has deteriorated to such an extent that some initiatives that we approved at that time would not be possible now.

The South African presidency of the G20 has our full support.

BRICS is an essential player in the fight for a multipolar, less asymmetric and more peaceful world.

In this session, we will discuss economic and financial governance and the need for an architecture for Artificial Intelligence.

We complete 10 years since the Addis Ababa Conference on Financing for Development and the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals.

At the Seville Conference, which concluded last week, it became clear that the 2030 Agenda has not received sufficient resources.

The structures of the World Bank and the IMF support a Marshall Plan in reverse, in which emerging and developing economies finance the more developed world.

International aid flows have fallen and the cost of debt for the poorest countries has risen.

The neoliberal model deepens inequalities.

Three thousand billionaires have gained $6.5 trillion since 2015.

Tax justice and combating tax evasion are fundamental to consolidating inclusive and sustainable growth strategies, suitable for the 21st century.

The BRICS Declaration in support of the negotiation of a “UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation” is a milestone.

Through the “Vision on IMF Reform” we will engage more countries in the 17th General Review of IMF Quotas.

Brazil supports an inclusive quota realignment process, with a simple, balanced and transparent calculation formula.

Even in today's terms, the distortions are undeniable.

To do justice to our economic weight, the voting power of BRICS members in the IMF should correspond to at least 25% - and not the 18% we currently hold.

Where post-war arrangements continue to fail, the New Development Bank provides a lesson in governance.

The entry of Algeria, and the accession process of Colombia, Uzbekistan, Peru and all the others that comrade Dilma Rousseff announced, attest to the Bank's capacity to offer financing for a fair and sovereign transition.

While unilateralism creates barriers to trade, our bloc is working towards faster, cheaper and safer cross-border payment systems.

This will intensify our flow of trade and services.

The reform of the World Trade Organization is another essential and urgent line of action.

Its paralysis and the resurgence of protectionism create a situation of unsustainable asymmetry for developing countries.

It will not be possible to restore confidence in the WTO without promoting a fair balance of obligations and rights that adequately reflects the interests of all its members.

We need to unlock the agricultural negotiations and establish a new trade and climate pact that distinguishes legitimate environmental policies from disguised protectionism.

New challenges demand an understanding of industrial policy that does not restrict state action in favor of development.

The promotion of inclusive, balanced and sustainable production chains must remain at the heart of our common agenda.

Conducting a feasibility study for the establishment of submarine cables directly linking BRICS members will increase the speed, security and sovereignty of data exchange.

By adopting the Declaration on Governance of Artificial Intelligence, BRICS sends a clear and unequivocal message.

New technologies must operate within a fair, inclusive and equitable governance model.

The development of Artificial Intelligence cannot become the privilege of a few countries or an instrument of manipulation in the hands of billionaires.

Nor is it possible to progress without the participation of the private sector and civil society organizations.

The leadership of the Business Council and the Women's Business Alliance in organizing the business meeting that brought together more than a thousand people on Saturday demonstrates the strength of our private sectors.

The first meeting of the newly created Civil Council and the other meetings of the BRICS social pillar confirm the advances in the integration between our societies.