President Joo Lourenço Advocates for Africa’s Inclusion and Global South Empowerment at BRICS Summit

Rio de janeiro: Angolan President and Chairman of the African Union, Joo Lourenço, emphasized the opportunity for African nations within the BRICS framework to address development financing and infrastructure challenges. Speaking at the 17th BRICS Summit, President Lourenço underlined the longstanding demand from Global South countries for fair inclusion in global development discussions, a call that has yet to be fully acknowledged. According to Angola Press News Agency, President Lourenço highlighted Africa's need for funding to overcome obstacles in agriculture, health, education, science and technology, energy, and other critical sectors. These areas are vital for the continent's sustainable development, and to emphasize their importance, the African Union plans to host an international conference in Angola on "Infrastructure as a Development Factor in Africa" next October. President Lourenço pointed out that the current global governance institutions, which have been in place since World War II, requir e reform to address contemporary global transformations. He noted that efforts to reform these institutions have not met the expectations of the global majority, with developed countries showing insufficient sensitivity to these changes. He argued that BRICS could play an active role in building a new global governance balance, fostering dialogue between the Global South and industrialized nations. The President also called for strengthening multilateralism, which he sees as increasingly threatened, posing a risk of instability and global tensions. The Angolan leader emphasized the potential of BRICS to rebalance the world economic order by promoting fair international trade, investment, and financing models for developing countries. He highlighted Africa's development strategy outlined in the African Union Agenda 2063, which focuses on economic and social progress. President Lourenço suggested that cooperation with BRICS financial institutions could drive African economies, particularly through infrastruc ture investment that supports the African Continental Free Trade Area's electrification and industrialization. In addressing global conflicts, President Lourenço called for peaceful resolutions through dialogue, urging an end to the Russia-Ukraine war and conflicts in the Great Lakes region, Sudan, and against terrorism in Africa. He condemned the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and advocated for UN Security Council resolutions to establish the State of Palestine. President Lourenço expressed support for initiatives promoting peace in the Middle East and urged BRICS to uphold international law, emphasizing dialogue and peaceful dispute resolution based on United Nations Charter principles.