From left: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Chinese President Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg (South Africa) on August 24, 2023 (Photo: AFP/TTXVN)

In their Joint Statement, the leaders shared the BRICS vision of representing the needs and concerns of people in the Southern Hemisphere. These include the need for beneficial economic growth, sustainable development, and reform of multilateral systems.

BRICS also affirmed its commitment to comprehensive multilateralism and the upholding of international law, including the UN Charter. The leaders expressed concern about ongoing conflicts in many parts of the world and emphasized BRICS’ commitment to resolving differences and disputes through peaceful means and dialogues.

They also reached consensus on the first phase and subsequent phases of expansion of the group. BRICS has invited Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to become full members of the bloc with their membership taking effect from January 1, 2024.