It started this Monday (1st). at Armazém da Utopia, in the center of Rio de Janeiro, the 1st Brics Popular Summit, an event created to integrate social movements into the bloc, made up of 11 emerging market countries. The objective is to articulate the participation of civil society in the development of proposals aimed at cooperation in the Global South. 
During the meeting, topics such as economic cooperation and multilateralism will be discussed.the construction of multipolarity, the reconfiguration of global geopolitics, the challenges of global governance, the role of Brics itself and the reduction of emerging countries’ dependence on the US dollar in international transactions and the formation of financial reserves.
Audience accompanies the opening of the Brics Popular Summit.. Photo: Tomaz Silva/Agência Brasil
The Brics People’s Civil Council was created in 2024 at the Brics Summit in Kazan, Russia, to promote dialogue between civil society actors and governments of the group’s countries..
“The council is a milestone in consolidating the participation of organized society in the bloc’s discussions and aims to give a voice to popular movements, students, teachers and NGOs in the group’s strategic agendas,” says the organization.
This is the last major event held by the BRICS with Brazil as the bloc’s president, before India takes the position next year.
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In a video sent to open the event, the former president of Brazil and president of the New Brics Development Bank, Dilma Rousseff, said that the first summit enshrines the participation of organized civil society in building cooperation in the Global South.
“For the first time, the people of the BRICS countries have a permanent channel of dialogue with the governments and decision-making bodies of the group,” said Dilma.
João Pedro Stedile, from the national leadership of the SemTerra Rural Workers Movement (MST) and the Civil Council of the Brics in Brazilsaid the summit will formalize the civilian council on how it should work on a permanent basis to deliver a modus operandi for the new mandate in India next year.
“Governments know that, without the mobilization of civil society, some issues cannot be resolved, such as the defense of nature, the construction of affordable housing. We will analyze issues of global geopolitics, but we will also dedicate ourselves to issues that civil society can help resolve”, said Stedile.
The bloc’s member countries are leaders in the production of grains, meat, fertilizers and fibers, accounting for around 70% of global agricultural production.. “In addition, they concentrate more than half of the planet’s family farming, which generates approximately 80% of the value of global food production. This strategic position gives the bloc an even greater responsibility in building sustainable and equitable food systems, issues that the BRICS People’s Council seeks to integrate into discussions”, say the organizers.
