Meeting of Ministers of Foreign affairs/International Relations of the BRICS – Press Release (New York, 27/09/2018)

MIL OSI Translation. Region: English / Latin America –

1. The BRICS Foreign Ministers / International Relations Ministers held their annual meeting on the sidelines of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly (73rd AGNU) on September 27, 2018, which was chaired by Brazil as the next president of the BRICS in 2019. Ministers exchanged views on current issues of global importance in the political, security, economic, financial and sustainable development spheres, as well as on the three pillars of intra-BRICS strategic cooperation. Ministers expressed their sincere appreciation to South Africa for the success of the 10th BRICS Summit, held from September 25 to 27, 2018, in Johannesburg, under the motto: "BRICS in Africa: Collaboration for Inclusive Growth and Prosperity Shared in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. " They also welcomed the BRICS Leaders Retreat in Johannesburg, which marked the 10th anniversary of the BRICS summit. Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to implement the outcomes of the Johannesburg Summit, as well as those of previous summits.

2. The Ministers also welcomed the implementation of the BRICS-Africa External Engagement and the second BRICS Plus Cooperation with Emerging Markets and Developing Countries (EMDCs) at the Johannesburg Summit.

3. The Ministers underscored the progress made by BRICS during more than a decade of multidimensional and inclusive cooperation, promoted by Leaders' summits. They expressed satisfaction with the large number of productive results of intra-BRICS cooperation in the areas of economy, finance, peace, stability and interpersonal exchanges, in particular the establishment of the New Development Bank (NDB), including its Regional Africa Center, in Johannesburg, South Africa, the Contingent Reserve Arrangement (ACR), the formulation of the BRICS Economic Partnership Strategy, the BRICS Agenda for Action on Economic and Trade Cooperation, and the BRICS Agricultural Research Platform (ARP) in English). They welcomed the formation of the BRICS Energy Research Cooperation Platform, the establishment of the NDB Regional Office of the Americas in São Paulo, the BRICS Partnership for the New Industrial Revolution (PartNIR) and the Research Center and Vaccine Development. Ministers expected the full and ready operationalization of all BRICS initiatives.

4. Ministers recalled the importance of political and security cooperation, including through the Meetings of Foreign Ministers and BRICS Meetings of Senior Officials Responsible for Security Issues and National Security Advisers.

5. Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to world peace and stability and supported the central role of the United Nations, the purposes and principles enshrined in the UN Charter and respect for international law, the promotion of democracy and the rule of law. They recalled in this regard the Declaration on the Principles of International Law Relating to Friendship and Cooperation among States of 1970. They reinforced their commitment to the defense of multilateralism and their joint work towards the implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals , as they fostered a more representative, democratic, egalitarian and equitable international political and economic order. In the face of international challenges that call for their cooperation efforts, they reiterated their commitment to a more just and representative multipolar international order, for the common benefit of humanity, in which the general prohibition of the use of force is fully preserved and excludes the imposition unilateral coercive measures outside the scope of the UN Charter. They emphasized the indivisible nature of peace and security and reiterated that no country should increase its security at the expense of the safety of others. They took note of the long outstanding task of ensuring adequate representation of African States at the UN, especially on peace and security issues.

6. Ministers welcomed the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit, held during the UN General Assembly on September 24, 2018, to commemorate the centennial of Nelson Mandela's birth and life. They welcomed the Political Declaration adopted by the Leaders, which reaffirmed the values ​​that Nelson Mandela represented and made the Member States commit to redouble their efforts to build a just, peaceful, prosperous and inclusive world. They noted that Nelson Mandela has incorporated precisely the values ​​enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and supported by all BRICS members.

7. They recalled the final document of the 2005 World Summit and reaffirmed the need for a comprehensive reform of the UN, including its Security Council, with a view to making it more representative, effective and efficient, and to increase the representation of developing countries , so that the Council can respond adequately to the global challenges. China and Russia reiterated the importance they attached to the status and role of Brazil, India and South Africa in international affairs and supported their aspiration to play a greater role in the United Nations.

8. Ministers emphasized the importance of continued efforts to make the United Nations more effective and efficient in fulfilling its mandate. In this regard, they undertook to intensify the dialogue between the BRICS countries on the administration and budget of the United Nations, with the objective of strengthening the UN and preserving its nature as an organization controlled by the member states. Ministers expressed their support for the continuing cooperation of BRICS members in areas of common interest, including through regular contacts between their missions with multilateral agencies.

9. Ministers emphasized that the elements of the current methodology for the preparation of the United Nations scale of contributions are not negotiable, except for the current maximum contribution rate, which is contrary to the principle of ability to pay and is a fundamental source of distortion in scale of contributions.

10. The Ministers reiterated the BRICS commitment to multilateralism and a rules-based international order and, in this regard, reaffirmed the centrality of the UN, WTO and international law. Ministers pledged their support to efforts to make global governance more representative with greater participation from emerging markets and developing countries in global decision-making.

11. Ministers emphasized the importance of an open and inclusive world economy, enabling all countries and peoples to share the benefits of globalization. They underlined their firm commitment to free trade and to the centrality of a transparent, non-discriminatory rules-based multilateral trading system as consolidated in the WTO. They have opposed the new wave of protectionism and the systematic impact of unilateral measures that are incompatible with WTO rules and hamper global trade and economic growth. In this regard, they reiterated that the WTO Dispute Settlement System is a cornerstone of the SMC as it is designed to increase security and predictability in international trade.

12. In reaffirming its support for the implementation of Agenda 2063 of the African Union, Ministers welcomed the African countries and the African Union for the signing of the African Continental Free Trade Area (ALCCA). The wide accession of African countries to the ALCCA, as well as the adoption of the Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons of the African Union and the launch of the African Air Transport Single Market, represent important steps for the effective economic integration of the continent, since they contribute to reduce external dependence and increase Africa's political and economic influence.

13. Ministers emphasized the need to continue to work together in the areas of disarmament, non-proliferation, prevention of an arms race in outer space, and to address challenges to international security and stability through political and diplomatic means.

14. Ministers deplored the continuing terrorist attacks, including in some BRICS countries. They have condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, anywhere and by anyone who has committed it. They called for coordinated efforts to combat terrorism under UN auspices on a firm international legal basis and expressed their conviction that a comprehensive approach was necessary to ensure an effective fight against terrorism. They recalled the responsibility of all States to prevent the financing of terrorist networks and terrorist actions from their territories. The Ministers highly appreciated the 3rd Meeting of the BRICS Counterterrorism Working Group held in Nelspruit on April 19 and 20, 2018. They called for a timely adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism at the United Nations General Assembly. To address the threat of chemical and biological terrorism, they supported and emphasized the need to launch multilateral negotiations on an international convention for the suppression of acts of chemical and biological terrorism, including at the Conference on Disarmament.

15. Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to support international cooperation in combating illicit financial flows, including cooperation within the International Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the World Customs Organization. In this sense, they stressed the importance of increasing mutual exchange and data sharing. They emphasized the importance of defending and supporting the FATF objectives and intensifying their cooperation to implement and improve their Standards for Combating Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism and Proliferation in FATF.

16. The Ministers reaffirmed the importance of developing, under the auspices of the UN, rules, norms and principles of responsible state behavior in guaranteeing security in the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).

17. The Ministers expressed their concerns regarding the growth of criminal misuse of ICTs and, in this regard, reiterated the need to develop within the UN a legally binding universal international instrument to combat the criminal use of ICTs. Ministers expressed appreciation for their work in promoting cooperation, in accordance with the Roadmap for Practical Cooperation to Ensure Security of Use of ICTs or any other mutually agreed mechanism. The Ministers also recognized the importance of establishing a framework for cooperation between BRICS Member States to ensure security in the use of ICTs and, to that end, BRICS Member States will work towards consideration and elaboration of an intergovernmental agreement of BRICS on cooperation in this area.

18. Ministers agreed that conflicts elsewhere in the Middle East and Africa should not be used to delay the resolution of protracted conflicts, in particular the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They reiterated the need to renew diplomatic efforts to achieve a just, lasting and comprehensive solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in order to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East, based on the relevant resolutions of the United Nations, the Madrid Principles, the Arab Initiative for peace and in prior agreements between the parties, through negotiations, with a view to creating an independent, viable, territorially contiguous Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with the State of Israel. They reiterated that the status of Jerusalem is one of the last status issues to be defined in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Concerning the situation in Gaza, they reiterated their support for the UN General Assembly Resolution (A / RES / ES-10/20) on the protection of the Palestinian population and called for its full implementation.

19. The Ministers reiterated their support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). They welcomed their vital role in providing health, education and other basic services to nearly 5.3 million Palestinian refugees and emphasized their relevance in bringing stability to the region and the need to ensure more adequate, adequate, predictable and sustainable funding for the Agency .

20. The Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to a political solution to the conflict in Syria, through an inclusive, "Syrian-led and political" process that guarantees Syrian state sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, in accordance with with UN Security Council Resolution 2254 (2015), and taking into account the outcome of the Congress of the Syrian National Dialogue held in Sochi. They reiterated their support for the Geneva Process and the mediation offered by the UN, as well as the Astana Process, which has shown signs of positive developments on the ground, and highlighted the complementarity of the two initiatives. They reaffirmed their commitment to a peaceful solution in Syria and their opposition to measures that contravene the UN Charter and the UN Security Council (UNSC) authority and that do not contribute to advancing the political process. They also emphasized the importance of unity in the fight against terrorist organizations in Syria, in full compliance with relevant UNSC Resolutions. They reiterated their strong condemnation of the use of chemical weapons by either party for any purpose and under any circumstances and renewed their request for comprehensive, objective, independent and transparent investigations into all alleged incidents. They called for redoubled efforts to provide the necessary humanitarian assistance for the Syrian people, bearing in mind the urgent need for reconstruction.

21. The Ministers reaffirmed their support for the "led and led by the Afghans" process of peace and national reconciliation. They expressed their concern at the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, in particular with the increase in the number and intensity of terrorist attacks against the Afghan National Security Forces, the government and civilians. They called on the international community to support the government and people of Afghanistan in order to work towards peace. They also welcomed the parliamentary elections scheduled to take place in October 2018 and the 2019 presidential elections.

22. Ministers expressed their concern about the humanitarian situation in the Republic of Yemen, which has become a major humanitarian crisis. They called on all parties to cease hostilities with a view to resuming the negotiations supported by the United Nations, led by the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General, with full respect for international law.

23. Recalling the Joint Comprehensive Action Plan (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear program, Ministers urged all parties to fully implement their obligations and ensure the full and effective implementation of JCPOA to promote peace and security. international and regional security.

24. Ministers welcomed recent developments to achieve complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and to maintain peace and stability in northeast Asia. They reaffirmed their commitment to a peaceful, diplomatic and political solution to the situation.

25. Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the full implementation of Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Objectives (ODS) to provide equitable, inclusive, open, broad development, innovation-oriented and sustainable development in its three dimensions – economic, social and environmental – in a balanced and integrated way, with a view to the ultimate goal of eradicating poverty by 2030. They supported the important role of the United Nations, including the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in coordinating and reviewing the global implementation of Agenda 2030 for the reform of the UN Development System with a view to enhancing its capacity to support member states in the implementation of Agenda 2030. They urged developed countries to honor their commitments Official Development Assistance (ODA) and to provide additional resources for developing development.

26. With regard to climate change, Ministers welcomed progress towards the finalization of the Work Plan of the Paris Agreement and expressed their willingness to continue working constructively with the other Parties to complete the negotiations related to the Plan under the Framework Convention (UNFCCC) towards the 24th Conference of the Parties (COP 24) to be held in Katowice, Poland, in December 2018. They called on all countries to fully implement the Paris, adopted under UNFCCC principles, including the principles of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capacities, and urged developed countries to provide developing countries with financial, technological and capacity-building assistance to enhance their capacities for mitigation and adaptation.

27. Ministers welcomed the completion of the Global Compact for Safe, Ordinary and Regular Migration and the formal consultation process of the Global Compact on Refugees, in accordance with the New York Declaration on Refugees and Migrants, 2016.

28. Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen the role of the BRICS countries in global health governance, especially in the World Health Organization and the United Nations. They welcomed the High Level Meeting of the UN General Assembly on the Fight against Tuberculosis, as well as the Third High Level Meeting of the UN on Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCD) held in New York on 26 and 27 March. September 2018. They stressed the importance of the creation of the BRICS Tuberculosis Research Network (TB), which will contribute to the development of new vaccines, safe and affordable diagnoses and treatment regimens, especially for the detection and treatment of tuberculosis multidrug-resistant. In this regard, they welcomed the First Global Ministerial Conference on TB Elimination in the Era of Sustainable Development: A Multisectoral Response, held in Moscow on November 16 and 17, 2017. These initiatives demonstrate that there is great potential for other health issues, such as HIV / AIDS, among the BRICS countries.

29. Ministers recognized the crucial importance of affordable medicines, including generic drugs, in expanding access to affordable and drug-resistant TB treatment accessible. Ministers also reaffirmed the right to use, as much as possible, the provisions contained in the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement) of the World Trade Organization and in the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Health Which recognizes that intellectual property rights should be interpreted and implemented in a manner conducive to the right of Member States to protect public health and, in particular, to promote access to medicines for all.

30. The Ministers reaffirmed the importance of the interpersonal exchanges of the BRICS in the promotion of common development and in the enhancement of the mutual understanding, friendship and cooperation between their peoples. They welcomed the exchanges in course, and the constant progress in the BRICS, including in the areas of youth sports, films, culture, education, tourism and governance. Supported the increase of the exchanges and cooperation interpersonal BRICS to promote a resonance with a significant partnership of the BRICS among its peoples.

31. The Ministers discussed the possibilities of mutual support to its initiatives in the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly.

32. The Ministers were also informed about the prospects of the forthcoming presidency of the shift of the brazilian BRICS in 2019. South africa, Russia, India and China have supported fully the organization, by Brazil, of the eleventh Summit of the BRICS, in 2019.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is the translation. Please accept our apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.