The 15th BRICS Summit was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 22 to 24 August. It was the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia – Ukraine war that the Summit took place in person. The current geopolitical situation as well as discussions about an expansion of the BRICS group and the replacement of the US dollar as the global currency had already drawn international interest in the run-up to the summit. Accordingly, the decision of the BRICS to expand the group by six countries attracted attention worldwide: With Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates set to join the alliance in January 2024, the so-called “BRICS Plus” countries will generate 37% of global economic output and account for 46% of the world’s population. The geopolitical influence of the bloc is growing accordingly. Further expansions could also occur in the future, as announced by South Africa’s President and current chairman of the BRICS group, Cyril Ramaphosa.
There have also been a number of developments that have placed a particular spotlight on South Africa as the host of this summit: The dilemma of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant against President Putin, criticism over South Africa’s perceived pro-Russian stance, allegations of South African arms supplies to Russia or the recent attempt of an African Peace Initiative led by South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa to facilitate peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, to name just a few.
What are the most important outcomes of this year’s BRICS Summit and how will they affect international financial and trade policy as well as political and security cooperation? What do the results mean for the global order? How do the results of the summit affect German-South African relations? And how has the organisation of the summit affected South Africa’s profile on the international stage?
These and other questions were at the core of the online discussion organised by the German Africa Foundation and the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation.
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Programme
Welcome Remarks
Sabine Odhiambo, Secretary General, German Africa Foundation
Discussion
Gustavo de Carvalho, Senior Researcher on Russia-Africa relations, South African Institute for International Affairs (SAIIA)
Prof Cedric de Coning, Senior Advisor, African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD)
Prof Dr Christian von Soest, Head of Research Programme “Peace and Security”, German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA)
H.E. Prof Dr Anil Sooklal, South African Ambassador at Large for Asia and BRICS, and South Africa’s BRICS Sherpa
Prof Siphamandla Zondi, Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Johannesburg
Closing Remarks
Sabine Odhiambo, Secretary General, German Africa Foundation
Moderation
Prof Cheryl Hendricks, Executive Director, Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR)
