BRICS works in full consensus – South African diplomat

Ben Joubert highlighted the group’s efforts to promote the interests of the Global South, in an interview with RT

Russia’s presidency of BRICS in 2024 has been instrumental in integrating new members and finding common positions, South African diplomat Ben Joubert has told RT. 

Joubert, who serves as the South African foreign ministry’s director for regional organisations, is currently in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, attending the BRICS Sherpas and Sous-Sherpas meeting.

In the interview, he highlighted the successful expansion of the group of major non-Western economies earlier this year. Two of the four new members hail from Africa, which “confirms our sentiments about BRICS and being a formation for the Global South,” the diplomat said. 

Among the group’s key priorities, Joubert mentioned the need to reduce dependency on the dollar, saying: “it’s a very important issue for us is to trade in our own currencies.” He pointed to progress during the October BRICS Summit in Kazan, where finance ministers and central bank governors were tasked with advancing this agenda.

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Brazil, which will chair BRICS in 2025, has committed to giving “more attention” to the development of payment platforms and mechanisms for financial transactions, Joubert stated. This aligns with earlier remarks by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who expressed hope that Brazil’s upcoming presidency would focus on financial cooperation.

Joubert reiterated BRICS’ mission as a voice for countries advocating meaningful reform of the global system, particularly the UN and the Security Council. “The main force driving that interest in BRICS is of course the need to have a global voice for the Global South,” he noted.

The three-day meeting of BRICS Sherpas and Sous-Sherpas concludes on Thursday. Russia, holding the year-long BRICS presidency since January 2024, has hosted over 250 events, including the Kazan summit in October. The first Sherpas’ meeting under Russia’s leadership weas held in Moscow in January.

READ MORE: African nations show growing interest in BRICS – deputy minister

On November 15, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Pankin announced that Indonesia had been granted “partner status” by the BRICS group. This designation, approved during the BRICS meeting in Kazan, offers an alternative to full membership, amid interest from over 30 nations seeking to join the organization. BRICS, previously comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, expanded on January 1, 2024, to include Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates.