Brazil's priorities for BRICS will be peace and environment, says Lula
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated on Wednesday (Feb. 26) that BRICS countries aim to reduce asymmetries in international relations. As the bloc's president, he emphasized that Brazil's priorities will advance well-established agendas, such as peace and environmental preservation, while also introducing discussions on emerging challenges, including artificial intelligence.
"In this time of crisis, our historic responsibility is to seek constructive and balanced solutions," he said. "BRICS will remain a key player in advancing the ideals of the 2030 Agenda, the Paris Agreement, and the Pact for the Future. Under Brazil's presidency, the bloc will strengthen its role as a platform for diversity and dialogue, promoting a multipolar world and reducing global asymmetries," Lula emphasized.
Lula made these remarks during the first meeting of the sherpas under Brazil's BRICS presidency. The bloc, now comprising 11 countries, is led by Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The event in Brasília outlined Brazil's key priorities, including:
cooperation in global health;
financing actions to combat climate change;
trade, investment, and finance;
the use of local currencies in financial transactions;
artificial intelligence governance;
institutional development of BRICS
Urgent priorities
For Lula, health cooperation is one of the most urgent priorities for the Global South. He stressed that a global health defense mechanism will be launched and highlighted the importance of learning from past experiences, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Poverty, lack of access to basic services, and social exclusion create fertile ground for diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria, and dengue, which together threaten approximately 1.7 billion people worldwide," Lula said. "During our presidency, we intend to launch a partnership to eliminate socially determined diseases and neglected tropical diseases."
"The failure to reach an agreement on the pandemic treaty, even after COVID-19 and the mpox outbreak, highlights the international community's lack of cohesion in responding to major threats," he stated. "Undermining the work of the World Health Organization (WHO) is a mistake with serious consequences."
Beyond health, Lula briefly commented on each of Brazil's priorities within BRICS, including the use of local currencies in financial transactions related to trade and investment among member countries. The goal is to lower commercial and financial transaction costs for developing nations.
"The current escalation of protectionism in trade and investment underscores the need for measures that remove barriers to our economic integration," he added. "Expanding payment options reduces vulnerabilities and costs. Brazil's presidency is committed to developing payment platforms that are complementary, voluntary, accessible, transparent, and secure."
The president also pointed out that, while artificial intelligence presents extraordinary opportunities, it also poses ethical, social, and economic challenges. In response, Brazil is proposing the Leaders' Declaration on the Governance of Artificial Intelligence for Development.
"This technology cannot become the monopoly of a few countries or corporations. Large companies have no right to silence or destabilize entire nations through disinformation. Mitigating the risks and distributing the benefits of the digital revolution is a shared responsibility," Lula said.
For the president, BRICS "must take on the responsibility" of placing the state back at the center of discussions on the "fair and equitable" governance of this technology, under the auspices of the United Nations.
"Any effort at economic development today involves artificial intelligence. We cannot allow the unequal distribution of this technology to marginalize the Global South," Lula noted.
