TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Leaders and delegates from the BRICS member states gathered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Sunday and Monday, July 6-7, 2025, to attend the 17th annual BRICS Summit.
The summit took place amidst escalating global geopolitical tensions, including the Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iran, which became a BRICS member in 2024, as well as the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the armed conflict in Ukraine.
During the two-day meeting, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva led discussions on several key issues, including trade and investment, financial cooperation, technology, artificial intelligence (AI) development, global health, and climate change initiatives.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto attended the 2025 BRICS Summit, participating in the plenary session on peace, global security, and AI. The event was held at the Museum of Modern Art (MAM) Aterro do Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The entire main conference of the summit, which carried the theme "Strengthening Global South Cooperation to a More Inclusive and Sustainable Governance," was broadcast live through the Media Center and BRICS TV, except for closed lunch sessions and private meetings not open to the media.
Prabowo's presence in Rio de Janeiro marked Indonesia's active participation in the summit, following Indonesia's full membership in BRICS earlier in the year.
During the international forum, Prabowo was accompanied by Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto, Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya, Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Djiwandono, and Deputy Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir. The Indonesian delegation's mission was to strengthen its role as a dialogue facilitator in responding to various global challenges amidst increasingly complex geopolitical situations.
What Were the Main Focuses of the BRICS Summit 2025?
The Secretary of Economic Relations at the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dammu Ravi, stated that one of the main topics discussed at the BRICS Summit was reforming global governance. He mentioned that several countries were considering alternative trading systems and project financing using their respective national currencies. "This is a process that involves central banks and businesses," Ravi explained, as quoted from Strat News Global, July 7, 2025.
On the same day, the heads of state were scheduled to attend a luncheon, followed by a discussion session on reform of peace, security, and global governance. In the evening, the agenda continued with the arrival of delegations from international organizations, partner countries, and other external parties.
On Monday, July 7, 2025, the second day of the BRICS Summit, the focus was on environmental issues, including preparations for the upcoming COP30 conference in Brazil later that year, as well as global health topics. One of the main concerns was the BRICS' efforts to promote the use of local currencies in cross-border trade in order to reduce the dominance of the U.S. dollar.
The BRICS Summit was expected to produce at least four important documents: the BRICS leaders' declaration, a joint statement on global governance and artificial intelligence, a climate financing framework, and BRICS initiatives to address diseases related to social determinants.
Rajan Kumar, an International Relations lecturer at Jawaharlal Nehru University, believed that the BRICS Summit would run more smoothly compared to the previous Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) High-Level Conference, which experienced difficulties.
"BRICS, on the other hand, is a global organisation with a different goal. It competes with the G7 in some ways and is seen as a credible platform for the non-Western world," he said.
Hendrik Yaputra and Rehan Oktra Halim contributed to this article
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