From June 3 to 5, the Brazilian Parliament will host representatives from 35 delegations from various countries for the BRICS Parliamentary Forum. Chaired this year by Brazil, the group is composed of Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Iran, and Indonesia.

Following the Parliamentary Forum in Brasília, the 17th BRICS Summit Meeting, a gathering of the bloc’s national leaders, will take place in Rio de Janeiro on July 6 and 7. Brazil has previously hosted three such summits in 2010, 2014, and 2019.

This will be the 11th edition of the Parliamentary Forum and, for the first time, the event will be open to public participation. During Brazil’s presidency, this exchange is gaining prominence through the enhancement of the People to People (P2P) program, which serves as the main platform for social participation among member countries.

Fausto Pinato (PP-SP), the coordinator of the Parliamentary Forum in the Chamber of Deputies, believes this makes this year’s event especially promising. “Diplomats from other countries are very optimistic because this time, yes, more people will be involved—not just the leaders, but also civil society, entrepreneurs, and then the leaders’ summit in July,” he said.

Protectionism

As a top priority, Brazil proposed two themes: cooperation among countries of the so-called Global South and the strengthening of partnerships among BRICS countries for social, economic, and environmental development.

According to Fausto Pinato, this will be an opportunity to enhance cooperation among member countries as a way to reduce the uncertainties of the international landscape, especially in light of the protectionist measures adopted by the United States government.

In the deputy’s view, Brazil must take advantage of BRICS cooperation to invest in technological development and strengthen its national industry. “Brazil needs technology, reindustrialization, and enhanced exports. I believe BRICS has opened new doors and new financial contributions to promote incentives and private partnerships in strategic sectors,” he stated.

Fausto Pinato also emphasized the importance of BRICS on the global stage. He noted that the group’s countries account for roughly half of the world’s population and nearly 40% of global GDP.

According to the Brazilian government’s website on BRICS, Brazil exports more to BRICS partners than it imports. The page notes that in 2024, 36% of Brazilian exports went to BRICS countries, amounting to approximately 121 billion US dollars. Imports from these partners totaled around 88 billion US dollars.

Background

The name of the group is attributed to British economist Jim O’Neill, who coined the acronym BRIC in 2001 to refer to four countries with significant investment potential: Brazil, Russia, India, and China.

The first BRIC meeting at the level of foreign ministers took place in 2006 on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The first Summit of Heads of State was held in 2009 in Yekaterinburg, Russia.