BRICS Joint Media Statement (Part I)
BRICS Joint Media Statement following the Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs/International Relations on the margins of 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
26 September, 2025
1. The BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs/International Relations held their annual meeting on the margins of the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 80) on 26 September 2025. The meeting was chaired by India in its capacity as the incoming BRICS Chair for 2026.
2. The Ministers exchanged views on major issues of global and regional significance and those on the agenda of UN in the political, security, economic, financial, and sustainable development spheres, as well as on intra-BRICS cooperation and activities. They reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation in the expanded BRICS under the three pillars of cooperation – political and security, economy and finance, cultural and people to people exchanges, and to enhancing strategic partnership for the benefits of our people.
3. The Ministers commended the outcomes of the XVII BRICS Summit held in Rio de Janeiro from 6-7 July 2025 under the theme "Strengthening Global South Cooperation for a More Inclusive and Sustainable Governance”, with the participation of BRICS Partner Countries as well as invited countries and international organizations. They reaffirmed their commitment to implementing decisions and declarations adopted at the Summit, including the BRICS Leaders’ Framework Declaration on Climate Finance, the BRICS Leaders’ Statement on the Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence and the BRICS Partnership for the Elimination of Socially Determined Diseases.
4. The Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to multilateralism, multipolarity and upholding international law, including the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations (UN), in their entirety and interconnectedness as its indispensable cornerstone and the central role of the UN in the international system, consisting of equal sovereign states, in maintaining international peace and security, promoting human rights and sustainable development, and fostering cooperation among States based on the principles of solidarity, democracy, non-interference in internal affairs of other States, inclusiveness, collaboration and consensus, sovereign equality, equity, mutual respect and understanding and justice.
5. The Ministers reiterated their commitment to ensuring greater and more meaningful participation and representation of Emerging Markets and Developing Countries (EMDCs), as well as Least Developed Countries (LDCs), especially from Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, in global decision-making processes and structures and making them better attuned to contemporary realities. They also called for achieving equitable geographical representation in the Secretariat of the United Nations and other international organizations in a timely manner, as well as increasing the role and representation of women, especially from EMDCs, at all levels of leadership and responsibilities in these organizations. They stressed the need for the selection and appointment process of executive heads and senior positions to be guided by the principles of transparency and inclusiveness, and carried out in accordance with all the provisions of Article 101 of the UN Charter, with due regard for recruiting staff on a geographical basis as wide as possible and equal participation of women, and adhere to the general rule that there should be no monopoly on senior posts in the UN system by any State or group of States. The Ministers also deplored attempts, including by deliberately withholding assessed contributions, to unilaterally undermine the work of multilateral institutions and impair the implementation of their respective mandates.
6. The Ministers reiterated their commitment to reforming and improving global governance by promoting a more just, equitable, agile, effective, efficient, responsive, representative, legitimate, democratic and accountable international and multilateral system in the spirit of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. They emphasized dialogue and mutual understanding as a basis of international relations. They reiterated the centrality of sustainable development and inclusive growth in the UN agenda. They emphasized the need for fostering resilience and advancing sustainability as crucial for growth and sustainable development in the Global South and the world at large.
7. The Ministers reaffirmed the need for all countries to cooperate in promoting and protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms under the principles of equality and mutual respect and to fight all forms of discrimination. They agreed to continue to treat all human rights including the right to development in a fair and equal manner, on the same footing and with the same emphasis. In this context, they agreed to strengthen cooperation on issues of common interests, both within BRICS and in multilateral fora, taking into account the necessity to promote, protect and fulfill human rights in a non selective, non-politicized and constructive manner and without double standards, constructive dialogue and cooperation. They called for the respect of democracy and human rights. In this regard, they underlined that these should be implemented on the level of global governance as well as at national level. They reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring the promotion and protection of democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms for all with the aim to build a brighter shared future for the international community based on mutually beneficial cooperation.
8. The Ministers underscored the need to intensify the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance as well as discrimination based on religion, faith or belief, and all their contemporary forms around the world, including the alarming trends of rising hate speech, disinformation and misinformation. They welcomed the proclamation of a Second International Decade for People of African Descent (2025 – 2034), by the UN General Assembly. They welcomed the decision of the African Union to designate 2025 as the year for “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations” and recognize the efforts of the African Union to tackle the destructive legacy of colonialism and the slave trade. The Ministers also noted the Second Africa – CARICOM Summit hosted in Addis Ababa in September 2025, to foster economic, social and political relations between the African continent and countries with significant populations of people of African descent.
9. The Ministers called for more just and equitable global governance and mutually beneficial relations among nations based on international law with an enhanced role for the global south and the developing world in global governance, reflective of their growing economies, demography, and contributions towards sustainable development, including poverty eradication. They acknowledged that multipolarity can expand opportunities for EMDCs to develop their constructive potential and enjoy universally beneficial, inclusive and equitable economic globalization and cooperation. They renewed their calls for reforming the global governance institutions and global financial architecture to better reflect the contemporary global realities.
10. In light of the 80th Anniversary of the United Nations under the theme: ‘Better together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights, the Ministers recalled UNGA Resolutions 75/1, 77/335 and other relevant resolutions, and reiterated their commitment to provide the United Nations with all the required support it needs to discharge its mandate. They emphasized the strong call for reforms of the principal organs of the United Nations with a view to achieving concrete progress. They recommitted to instill new life in the discussions on reform of the UN Security Council and continue the work to revitalize the General Assembly and strengthen the Economic and Social Council. They look forward to the successful conclusion of the 2025 Review of the UN Peacebuilding Architecture. The Ministers also look forward to the outcome of the review of all UN peace operations.
11. The Ministers noted the current global context of polarization and distrust and encouraged global action to strengthen international peace and security. They called on the international community to respond to these challenges and associated security threats through politico-diplomatic measures to lower conflict potential and stressed the need to engage in conflict prevention efforts, including through addressing their root causes. They underscored that security among all countries is indivisible and reiterated their commitment to the peaceful resolution of international disputes through dialogue, consultation and diplomacy. They encouraged the active role of regional organizations in conflict prevention and resolution and supported all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of crises. They highlighted the importance of mediation and preventive diplomacy as essential tools to avoid crises and prevent their escalation, in accordance with the Purposes and Principles of the UN Charter. In this regard, they agreed to explore avenues for cooperation on the prevention of armed conflicts, UN peacekeeping missions, African Union peace support operations, and mediation and peace processes.
12. The Ministers reaffirmed their strong commitment to strengthening multilateral cooperation to address humanitarian crises worldwide. They expressed concern at the dwindling of international responses, which were already insufficient, fragmented, and often politicized. They strongly condemned all violations of international humanitarian law, including deliberate attacks on civilians, including scientists and journalists and civilian objects, including civilian infrastructure, as well as the denial or obstruction of humanitarian access and the targeting of humanitarian personnel. They underlined the need to address accountability for all violations of international humanitarian law.
13. In light of the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the thirtieth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women held in New York on 22 September 2025, the Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to promote the full and effective implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. The Ministers look forward to the incoming Global Leaders’ Meeting on Women co-hosted by China and the UN Women and reaffirmed their commitment to advancing women’s rights and leadership. The Ministers also reaffirmed their commitment to full implementation and advancement of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, especially in view of the upcoming 25th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000). They further reiterated the importance of ensuring the full, equal, safe and meaningful participation of women in decision-making at all levels of peace and security processes, including conflict prevention and resolution, humanitarian relief, mediation, peace operations, peace-building, and post-conflict reconstruction and development.
14. Recognizing the 2023 Johannesburg-II Leaders’ Declaration, the Ministers reiterated their support for a comprehensive reform of the United Nations, including its Security Council, with a view to making it more democratic, representative, effective and efficient, and to increase the representation of developing countries in the Council’s memberships so that it can adequately respond to prevailing global challenges and support the legitimate aspirations of emerging and developing countries from Africa, Asia and Latin America, including BRICS countries, to play a greater role in international affairs, in particular in the United Nations, including its Security Council. The Ministers recognized the legitimate aspirations of African countries, as reflected in the Ezulwini Consensus and Sirte Declaration. The Ministers stressed that the United Nations Security Council reform is to lead to the amplified voice of the Global South. Recalling the 2022 Beijing and 2023 Johannesburg-II Leaders’ Declarations, China and Russia, as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, reiterated their support to the aspirations of Brazil and India to play a greater role in the United Nations, including its Security Council.
15. Recalling that 2025 marks the eightieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War, a war which brought untold sorrow to humankind, particularly in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Pacific and other parts of the world, the Ministers rendered their full support to the UNGA Resolution 79/272 on the Eightieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War, on this historic event, which established the conditions for the creation of the United Nations, designed to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.
16. The Ministers commended four consecutive developing countries as G20 Presidencies of Indonesia, India, Brazil, and South Africa during 2022-2025. They applauded the inclusion of the African Union as a full G20 member and the inclusion of voices from the Global South in the G20 mandate. They reaffirmed the support for G20 as the premier forum for international economic cooperation, and committed to deepening macroeconomic policy coordination, strengthening development cooperation, and accommodate needs and concerns of the Global South.
17. The Ministers reaffirmed their willingness to coordinate positions in order to enhance inclusiveness and amplify the voice of the Global South in the global economic governance system so that it adequately reflects EMDCs’ rising weight in the global economy and further integrate their priorities in the G20 agenda. They saluted strengthening of the EMDCs’ voice in the G20 through the accession of the African Union during India’s presidency of G20 in 2023 and the invitation to the NDB during Brazilian and South African presidencies including by their closer interaction and alignment.
18. The Ministers expressed their readiness to continue to enhance cooperation with the African Union to help address challenges, in particular economic vulnerabilities, in line with the aspirations of the African Union Agenda 2063 and its Second Ten Year Implementation Plan. They underscored the urgent need to address Africa’s development, debt burden and the impact of global economic volatility on the Continent’s fiscal space and stressed the importance of a reformed international financial system, responding to Africa’s priorities and needs.
19. Cognizant of the growing complexity in contemporary global challenges, including heightened geopolitical tensions, they underscored the urgent need for collective responses. The Ministers agreed that BRICS will continue to play a proactive and constructive role in addressing global challenges through dialogue and diplomacy.
20. The Ministers reaffirmed support to the principle “African solutions to African problems” should continue to serve as the basis for conflict resolution on the African continent. They recognized the critical role played by the African Union in conflict prevention, management and resolution and reaffirmed their support for African peace efforts on the continent, including those undertaken by the African Union, and African sub-regional organizations. The Ministers committed to consider new ways to support African Union peace support operations, mediation efforts, peace processes and broader peace building initiatives in the African continent.
21. The Ministers expressed deep concern over the ongoing conflicts and instability in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and underline the particular urgency of addressing the current situation in the Middle East. In this regard, they reaffirmed their commitment to the Joint Statement by BRICS Deputy Foreign Ministers and Special Envoys at their meeting of 28 March 2025.
22. The Ministers stated that regional crises in MENA region should be exclusively resolved through political and diplomatic dialogue based on unconditional respect for independence, territorial integrity, and sovereignty of countries in the region. The Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the basic principle that peace and security in the MENA region should be achieved and sustained in accordance with, and in full respect for, international law and the United Nations (UN) Charter. They reaffirmed the primary role of the UN Security Council (UNSC) in maintaining international peace and security.
23. The Ministers condemned Israel’s armed attack on the State of Qatar, which constitutes a flagrant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty, a grave breach of international law, including the UN Charter, and a threat to regional and international peace and security. They also noted the recent Urgent Debate on the armed attack launched by Israel against the State of Qatar, convened on 16th of September 2025 at the 60th Session of the Human Rights Council. They reaffirmed their commitment to uphold the rule of law, human rights, peace and security.
24. The Ministers condemned the military strikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran since 13 June 2025, which constitute a violation of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, and expressed grave concern over the subsequent escalation of the security situation in the Middle East. They further expressed serious concern over deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure and peaceful nuclear facilities under full safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in violation of international law and relevant resolutions of the IAEA. Nuclear safeguards, safety, and security must always be upheld, including in armed conflicts, to protect people and the environment from harm. In this context, they reiterated their support for diplomatic initiatives aimed at addressing regional challenges. They called upon the United Nations Security Council to be seized of this matter.
25. The Ministers expressed, in particular, grave concern about the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the persistent Israeli attacks against Gaza, which, after almost two years, continue to cause unprecedented suffering to the civilian population of the territory, ravaged by deaths, destruction, and famine. The Ministers condemned in this regard all attempts to displacing the Palestinian people from their occupied territory under any pretext or circumstances. They reiterated their calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, leading to the cessation of Israeli attacks, the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from the territory, the release of remaining hostages and detainees, and unhindered access and delivery of humanitarian aid, at scale. They further underscored, their unwavering support for UNRWA and stressed the need to fully respect its mandate, as granted by the United Nations General Assembly, for the provision of essential services to Palestinians across its five fields of operation. The Ministers urged for the expeditious reconstruction of the civic infrastructure of the territory, with a central role by the Palestinians, as agreed in the Emergency Arab Summit on Palestine of 4 March 2025, and they noted with appreciation the initiative to convene an upcoming pledging conference to be held in Cairo. Efforts to stabilize and rebuild Gaza must go hand in hand with a just and lasting political resolution of the protracted conflict, which can only be achieved by peaceful means and depends on the fulfilment of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. The Ministers emphasized that the Gaza Strip is an inseparable part of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, they further underscored the importance of unifying the West Bank and the Gaza Strip under a reformed Palestinian Authority and reaffirmed the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination. They reaffirmed support for the State of Palestine’s full membership in the United Nations in the context of the unwavering commitment to the two-state solution, in accordance with international law, including relevant UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, and the Arab Peace Initiative, that includes the establishment of a sovereign, independent and viable State of Palestine within the internationally recognized 1967 borders, which includes the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in order to achieve the vision of two States living side by side, in peace and security.
26. The Ministers expressed their concern over the situation in Sudan resulted in a humanitarian crisis and the growing risk of proliferation of extremism and terrorism. They reiterated their positions in this regard and called for an immediate, permanent, and unconditional ceasefire and for a peaceful resolution of the conflict. They also stressed the need for sustained, urgent and unhindered access to humanitarian assistance for the Sudanese population, and for the scaling up of humanitarian aid to Sudan and neighboring countries.
27. The Ministers expressed strong condemnation of any acts of terrorism as criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, whenever, wherever and by whomsoever committed. They condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir on 22 April 2025, during which 26 people were killed and many more injured. They reaffirmed their commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including the cross-border movement of terrorists, terrorism financing and safe havens. They reiterated that terrorism should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization or ethnic group and that all those involved in terrorist activities and their support must be held accountable and brought to justice in accordance with relevant national and international law. They urged to ensure zero tolerance for terrorism and reject double standards in countering terrorism. They emphasized the primary responsibility of States in combating terrorism and that global efforts to prevent and counter terrorist threats must fully comply with their obligations under international law, including the Charter of the United Nations, in particular the purposes and principles thereof, and relevant international conventions and protocols, in particular international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian law, as applicable. They welcomed the activities of the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Working Group (CTWG) and its five Subgroups based upon the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Strategy, the BRICS Counter Terrorism Action Plan and the CTWG position paper. They look forward to further deepening counter-terrorism cooperation. They called for an expeditious finalization and adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism in the UN framework. They called for concerted actions against all UN designated terrorists and terrorist entities.
28. The Ministers expressed concern over proliferation of trade-restrictive actions, whether in the form of indiscriminate rising of tariffs and non-tariff measures, or protectionism, in particular measures used as a means of coercion that threaten to further reduce global trade, disrupt global supply chains, and introduce uncertainty into international economic and trade activities, potentially exacerbating existing economic disparities and affecting prospects for global economic development. They voiced serious concerns about the rise of unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures which distort trade and are inconsistent with WTO rules. They cautioned against such practices that risk fragmenting global trade and marginalizing the Global South.