Rio de Janeiro. The summit of BRICS countries, home to half the world's population, condemned on Sunday"the imposition of unilateral coercive measures" contrary to international law, although without explicitly mentioning the tariffs or economic sanctions recently imposed by the United States.
In the final declaration of the 17th BRICS summit, the bloc expressed"deep concern" over the rise of unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures that, the document stated,"distort trade and are inconsistent with World Trade Organization rules."
The final declaration was adopted by the group's 21 member states, which are meeting this Sunday and Monday in this Brazilian city, amid tensions such as the trade policy of US President Donald Trump's administration and the US attacks last month on Iran, a member of the BRICS.
This morning, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva declared that the world must not be indifferent to the genocide being committed by the State of Israel in Gaza.
In addition to Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, the countries whose initials give the BRICS its name, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Iran also belong to the group. Since last year, the following countries have participated in the mechanism as associates: Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.
The Rio de Janeiro Declaration, adopted by the BRICS countries, condemns “the imposition of unilateral coercive measures contrary to international law,” which have “profound negative repercussions on the human rights, including the rights to development, health, and food security, of the general population of the affected States,” by disproportionately affecting the poorest and people in vulnerable situations.
“We demand the elimination of these unjust measures, which undermine international law and the principles and purposes of the United Nations Charter. We reaffirm that BRICS member states neither impose nor support sanctions unauthorized by the United Nations Security Council that are contrary to international law.”
The BRICS leaders also express concern about ongoing conflicts in various parts of the world (directly involving members of the group, such as Russia, India, and Iran) “and the current state of polarization and fragmentation of the international order.”
The declaration also expresses the bloc's"alarm" at a "critical increase" in global military spending, which is detrimental to adequate funding for improving the quality of life in developing countries.
