On June 17, Brazilian social, trade union and youth movements delivered a set of economic proposals to the Brazilian Ministry of Finance that will be forwarded to the financial institutions of the BRICS economic bloc countries, weeks before the BRICS summit, which will be held in Rio de Janeiro on July 6 and 7.
The Ministry of Finance’s International Economic Cooperation coordinator, Mariana Davi, told Brasil de Fato that various initiatives have been promoted to listen to representatives of civil society – intellectuals, researchers, popular movements and NGOs – on the role of BRICS in the global economy. A thematic seminar was also organized in May at the University of Brasilia (UnB), in partnership with the Ministry of Finance.
“The councils and forums are organized initiatives that seek to make an impact on various BRICS agendas, including the economic and financial agenda. Thus, the documents are a synthesis of recommendations agreed by the members of the councils and forums on the issues of the grouping’s financial pillar. This is a fundamental dialogue for listening to the demands of civil society on the bloc’s mechanisms and for building inclusive and effective financial strategies,” said the Finance Ministry official.
“As a next step, a final report will be drawn up, which will bring together the main issues addressed and systematize the agenda discussed at this unprecedented meeting between the Ministries of Finance, the Central Banks of BRICS and civil society,” Davi explained.
People’s Civil Council
The first text delivered was formulated by the BRICS Civil Council and focuses on financial strategies for trade, investment and governance, proposing the expansion of the use of national currencies and the reform of global financial institutions.
Among the proposed initiatives is the creation of a “specific supervision unit” to monitor loans made by member countries to international financial organizations and a reform of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) quota system.
The organizations also propose an immediate and comprehensive debt resolution for all countries, which involves action in multilateral organizations and a “reform of debt sustainability analysis mechanisms,” as well as increasing transparency in data sharing.
Marco Fernandes, one of the representatives of the Landless Rural Workers’ Movement (MST), serves on the BRICS People’s Civil Council and explains that the proposals were formulated by working groups, which have been organized since April this year to discuss the Brazilian government’s priorities: global health, trade, investment and finance, climate change, artificial intelligence, peace and security, and BRICS institutional development.
“In total, we had 39 organizations taking part in this process. So we divided ourselves into working groups, and each one built its own recommendations to be delivered to the Brazilian presidency. The MST played a very important role,” said Fernandes.
Although he avoids speculating on the concrete direction of the proposals presented, Fernandes says that the discussions are focused on themes on which there is “a certain level of consensus.”
“One example is the creation of an alternative payment system to SWIFT, which would facilitate trade in local currencies. This has been a demand of several BRICS countries and the Global South for some years now. Or the strengthening of the NDB [BRICS Bank], which needs to have more resources, including public funds from the BRICS countries, and not just raise funds on the capital market. So I think there is a certain consensus on several of the proposals that are appearing in civil society,” says Fernandes, also pointing out the importance of the Brazilian presidency’s efforts to ensure greater popular participation.
“For the first time in history, a meeting of the BRICS Sherpas opened a session to listen to civil society and we were there, from the BRICS Civil People’s Council. So Brazil’s initiative is commendable and we hope that the other countries will also take it seriously,” he said.
Trade Union Forum
The second text, presented by the BRICS Trade Union Forum, emphasizes social protection, labor rights and decent work in all the bloc’s policies, including the reform of financial institutions and the just energy transition.
“We support the facilitation of trade and investment between the BRICS countries, emphasizing the creation of efficient and interoperable payment systems. However, we stress the need for this process to be accompanied by policies that guarantee social protection, labor rights and decent work, in order to avoid the deepening of inequalities,“ highlights the text, which defends the ”urgent reform of the Bretton Woods institutions and the WTO [World Trade Organization]” and the importance of strengthening the BRICS Bank.
The BRICS Trade Union Forum advocates taxing “ultra-high” wealth as a way of promoting fiscal and tax justice, as well as guaranteeing the necessary resources for policies to “combat poverty, reduce inequalities and promote full and quality employment.”
“We advocate that advances in cybersecurity and automation be accompanied by professional training policies and the strengthening of social protection,” says the text.
The document proposes “ethical and responsible governance of artificial intelligence and data protection in the financial sector,” and calls for the Trade Union Forum to be institutionalized as “a permanent mechanism for social dialogue” between civil society organizations from the countries of the bloc.
Lourenço Ferreira do Prado, international relations secretary of the General Workers’ Union (UGT), which coordinated the activities of the Trade Union Forum, points out that the proposals will depend on the geopolitical factors that are moving at this very moment.
“At today’s meeting, for example, we didn’t have representatives from Iran, the Ministry of Labor or the Central Bank, because they’re at war,” said Prado. “In the document I delivered to the Ministry of Finance, I made a point of emphasizing that no social justice can exist under conditions of war, that the construction of a democratic and multipolar international order requires a commitment to peace and cooperation based on solidarity,” said the trade unionist.
In addition, the Trade Union Forum presents a series of recommendations, above all related to decent work, equal opportunities for women and the construction of a multipolar democratic order.
Youth in the BRICS
Finally, the third document, BRICS Youth, argues that engagement and investment in youth is crucial for the future of the bloc, advocating policies that promote employment, training and opportunities for young people. Together, the texts demonstrate a coordinated effort to influence the economic, social and intergenerational guidelines of the BRICS.
“The BRICS countries represent 42% of the world’s population. And a significant portion of that population is young. Millions of young people bring energy, creativity and commitment to a more equitable and sustainable world. That is why it is imperative to recognize: there is no future for the BRICS without youth,” begins the document delivered to the Ministry of Finance.
The youth organizations advocate including issues such as youth employment, technical and political training and the generation of opportunities in the bloc’s high-level debate. “When the BRICS invests in youth, it is investing in its own future: a future with more jobs, more knowledge, more income, more sustainability and more sovereignty”.
The text highlights that “young people play a decisive role in building cultural bridges between member countries and their peoples” and advocates expanding exchange programs, academic cooperation, volunteer projects and public diplomacy actions.
“We need public policies for youth in our countries, structured funding at both national and international level, reliable data and exchange of best practices… we advocate that BRICS structures, such as the New Development Bank, contribute to exploring the expansion of funding for youth projects and public policies for young people,” says the text.
Nilson Florentino, director of Transversal Public Policies at the Secretariat for Youth of the General Secretariat of the Presidency, explains that the BRICS youth agenda was deliberated in 2014, and met for the first time in 2015. The council, on the other hand, was set up in 2023, guaranteeing the participation of young people in the bloc’s priority discussions from then on.
“In this dialogue, we have defended the importance of creating specific lines of financing, either from the countries’ cooperation agencies or from the BRICS Bank itself, and that specific lines be created for young people. Today we see investments in the areas of infrastructure, which is important because we believe that this impacts on young people, but it is also very important that we manage to build, within the bloc, joint funding for structuring policies that have a specific focus on youth,” said Florentino.
“I think it was very important for the Ministry of Finance to organize this activity, because normally each agenda stays in its own little box and we can’t get in touch with exactly who is helping the leaders to find out where the funding is going,” he said.
This piece written by Leonardo Fernandes was first published at Brasil de Fato.
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