17th BRICS Summit Opens in Rio de Janeiro Under Theme of Global South Cooperation

Addis Ababa, July 6, 2025 (FMC) — The 17th BRICS Summit officially opened on Sunday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, under the theme “Strengthening Global South Cooperation for More Inclusive and Sustainable Governance.” The summit runs from July 6 to 7.

Leaders and senior representatives from BRICS member states and partner countries are meeting to assess progress made since the beginning of the year across three key areas: politics and security, economic and financial cooperation, and cultural and humanitarian affairs

The summit is being attended by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto. China is represented by Premier Li Qiang, while Russia is represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to participate in the plenary session via videoconference.

Delegations from other BRICS member states include Crown Prince Khaled bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Ten BRICS partner countries are also in attendance: Belarus, Bolivia, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan. Nine international and regional organizations are also represented. Additional invited countries include Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kenya, Colombia, Mexico, Chile, and Uruguay.

The summit agenda on July 6 features an official arrival ceremony for heads of state and government, followed by plenary sessions on “Peace and Security and Reform of Global Governance” and “Strengthening Multilateralism, Economic-Financial Affairs, and Artificial Intelligence.”

On Monday, July 7, the discussions will continue with a plenary session on “Environment, COP30, and Global Health.”

The BRICS+ sessions are expected to focus on reforming the international monetary and financial system and advancing initiatives such as the BRICS Investment Platform and the BRICS Grain Exchange.

A number of bilateral meetings are also expected to take place on the sidelines of the summit.