The 17th annual BRICS summit began in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on June 25, 2025.
With Brazil holding the bloc’s rotating presidency, the summit marked the start of two days of discussions focused on global development and governance. Over 4,000 participants from 37 countries, including member states, partner nations, and international organizations, are expected to attend. Brazil’s priorities for the summit include promoting global health cooperation, enhancing trade and financial systems, addressing climate change, governing artificial intelligence, reforming the multilateral security system, and advancing institutional development within BRICS.
Rio’s Deputy Mayor, Eduardo Cavalieri, stated that the city has officially offered to host a permanent BRICS headquarters, a move that has drawn interest from the bloc’s members. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will be present in person, while President Vladimir Putin will join via video link. The summit’s agenda was expanded to include a plenary session titled ‘Strengthening Multilateralism, Economic-Financial Affairs, and Artificial Intelligence,’ which is set to begin on Sunday at 4 p.m. local time.
China’s delegation will be led by Prime Minister Li Qiang, as President Xi Jinping has a scheduling conflict, marking his first absence from the summit in 12 years. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has also decided not to attend, while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa have already arrived. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is expected to participate. BRICS, founded in 2009 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China, with South Africa joining in 2011, has seen its membership expand to include Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, the UAE, and Indonesia. The bloc now represents nearly half the global population and 40% of the world’s GDP in terms of purchasing power parity, surpassing the G7. At last year’s summit in Kazan, Russia, the group approved a new ‘partner country’ status in response to growing membership interest from over 30 nations.