The main message of those summits – a call for a fairer, more democratic and more harmonious world order, as well as the principle of strengthening the role and influence of the non-Western world in global affairs, remains quite relevant today, writes Oleg Barabanov.
High expectations are associated with the upcoming BRICS summit in Kazan this October. They touch upon both the issues of economic and financial coordination between the BRICS countries and the further development of the BRICS value platform. In this regard, it would be interesting to turn to the origins of BRICS and recall the value postulates that were laid down as the basis for the functioning of the group. These largely determine the symbolic alternative that BRICS represents in modern world politics, and make it attractive for entry for many countries of the Global Non-West and South.
The first BRIC summit took place in Yekaterinburg on June 16, 2009. Since the documents of this summit represented the first political declarations in the history of BRICS, they reflected the general principles and approaches of the BRICS countries on the widest range of key issues of world politics and economics. Therefore, it is entirely legitimate to consider the texts of these documents as the basic value position of BRICS as a new actor on the global stage. This position serves as the basis for the further evolution and formulation of the key values and ideological postulates of BRICS.
The following general principles of BRICS were recorded in the documents of the Yekaterinburg summit:
First, the principle of “cooperation, policy coordination and political dialogue on international economic and financial issues.”
Second, “commitment to advancing the reform of international financial institutions to reflect changes in the global economy. Countries with transitional and developing economies should have a greater voice and representation in international financial institutions.”
Third, “the reformed financial and economic architecture should be based, in particular, on the following principles:
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democratic and transparent decision-making and implementation in international financial organisations;
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a solid legal basis;
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compatibility of the activities of effective national regulatory institutions and international standard-setting bodies;
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strengthening risk management and supervisory practices.”
Fourth, “the important role that international trade and foreign direct investment play in the recovery of the world economy”, maintaining “the stability of the multilateral trading system, containing trade protectionism”.
Fifth, given that “the poorest countries have suffered the most from the financial crisis, the international community must step up efforts to provide liquidity to these countries. The international community must also strive to minimise the impact of the crisis on development and ensure the achievement of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals”.
Regarding the problem of global food security, the BRIC leaders noted that “limited market access and trade-distorting subsidies in developed countries have hampered the development of food production capacity in developing countries over the past three decades. In addition, world market conditions have not created sufficient incentives for expanding agricultural production in developing and least developed countries, which have become major food importers”. To remedy this, the principle was formulated to “ensure greater access to food at the national and international levels through appropriate policies and an effective distribution system, particularly for the poor and most vulnerable in developing countries.”
Sixth, the “implementation of the concept of sustainable development ... should become the main direction of changing the paradigm of economic development.”
Seventh, readiness “for a constructive dialogue on issues of combating climate change based on the principles of common but differentiated responsibility, taking into account the need to combine measures to protect the climate with steps to address the challenges of socio-economic development.”
Eighth, the position “in favour of a more democratic and just multipolar world order based on the rule of international law, equality, mutual respect, cooperation, coordinated actions and collective decision-making by all states,” as well as “support for political and diplomatic efforts to peacefully resolve disputes in international relations.”
And finally, with regard to the principles of interaction within BRIC, it was decided that they be based on the development of “a consistent, active, pragmatic, open and transparent dialogue and cooperation between our countries. Dialogue and cooperation among the BRIC countries serve not only the common interests of emerging market economies and developing countries, but also the construction of a harmonious world in which lasting peace and common prosperity would be ensured.”
The Second BRIC Summit was held in Brasilia on April 15, 2010. In its conceptual part, its final communiqué largely repeated the principles postulated at the previous summit. However, it nevertheless included a number of important new aspects.
First of all, at the Second Summit, for the first time the BRIC leaders openly addressed the issue of global governance and the need for reforms in this area. It was noted that “major and rapid changes are taking place in the world, which indicate the need for corresponding transformations in global governance in all affected areas.” In this regard, the BRIC leaders at the Second Summit took a much more radical and critical position on the issue of reforming international financial institutions than they had a year earlier. The Joint Statement states that “the IMF and the World Bank urgently need to resolve their lack of legitimacy.” The main objective here is “a significant redistribution of votes in favour of emerging market and developing countries so as to bring their participation in decision-making in line with their relative weight in the global economy.” Otherwise, the international community “faces the risk that these structures will become obsolete.” In general, many points of the Joint Statement at the Second Summit emphasised the key role of expanding the rights of developing countries in the global political and economic system. This provided new and more comprehensive content to the principle of fairness put forward by the BRIC leaders in 2009. In particular, the following approaches were postulated:
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“the sustainable development models and paths chosen by developing countries should be fully respected, and the creation of the necessary conditions for developing countries to implement appropriate policies should be guaranteed”;
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“ensuring an inclusive growth process of the world economy is not only a matter of solidarity, but also a matter of strategic importance for maintaining global political and economic stability”;
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“provision by multilateral development banks of more significant, flexible, prompt and recipient-oriented assistance to developing countries”;
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“development of a strategy to ensure access to food for vulnerable groups”;
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“negotiations [on climate] should be more open and transparent, with fair and effective results”.
Furthermore, a new topic that was not addressed at the First Summit was cooperation among civilisations: “we reaffirm the importance of promoting dialogue among civilisations, cultures, religions and peoples. In this regard, we support the ‘Alliance of Civilisations’ - a UN initiative aimed at developing contacts, expanding knowledge about each other and deepening mutual understanding throughout the world.”
The Third BRICS Summit was held on April 14, 2011 in Sanya, China. Therefore, the Declaration following its results reflected Chinese foreign policy concepts to a greater extent than before, primarily the idea of harmonious co-development. The Summit Declaration stated that “the 21st century should be characterised by peace, harmony, cooperation and development based on scientific achievements.” The Third Summit saw the expansion of BRICS membership, with the Republic of South Africa joining. In this regard, the Summit Declaration paid special attention to the general principles of BRICS regarding the development of Africa. These include the following:
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“eradicating extreme poverty and hunger is an ethical, social, political and economic imperative for humanity and one of the most important global challenges facing the world today, particularly in the least developed countries of Africa and elsewhere”;
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“we support infrastructure development in Africa and its industrialisation within the framework of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD)”;
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“excessive fluctuations in commodity prices, especially food and energy, pose new risks to the ongoing global economic recovery.”
Furthermore, it is interesting that the Declaration of the Third Summit gave much more prominence than before to the issues of the place and role of BRICS in the modern world.
For the first time, the Declaration responded to criticism of BRICS and the fact that this structure allegedly usurps the right to speak on behalf of all developing countries. The BRICS leaders noted: "We reaffirm that cooperation [within BRICS] is inclusive and is not directed against any third party. We are open to increased interaction and cooperation with non-BRICS countries, particularly emerging market and developing countries, as well as relevant international and regional organisations.”
It was also stated more openly than before that “BRICS countries… play an important role… in promoting a more robust democracy in international relations.” More specifically and unequivocally, this summit emphasised that “we support the reform and improvement of the international monetary system, in which a broadly representative system of international reserve currencies will ensure stability and predictability. ... We call for greater attention to the risks associated with massive cross-border capital flows that emerging market countries face today.” In general, it was noted that “BRICS seeks to make a significant contribution to the development of humanity and the creation of a more equal and just world.”
This is the basic evolution of BRICS values, which can be traced back to the results of the first three summits. Now, after almost fifteen years have passed, we see that not all the postulated goals stated then have been achieved. Some may even seem too utopian or naïve, given the conditions of real politics. But at the same time, the main message of those summits – a call for a fairer, more democratic and more harmonious world order, as well as the principle of strengthening the role and influence of the non-Western world in global affairs, remains quite relevant today.
