KROTOASA XAM-KHOEKHOE HERITAGE division of the KROTOASA FOUNDATION seeks to develop Intangible cultural heritage products and services that promote, preserve, and utilize our Khoena and San cultural practices, skills, and knowledge with our priority in Safeguarding our tangible and intangible cultural heritage and sustainable development in South Africa and Africa.
We are committed to implement the Convention adopted by the General Assembly of the State Parties to the Convention with the Republic of South Africa becoming the 184th State to join the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the intangible Cultural Heritage and having deposited our instrument of ratification with UNESCO on 24 January 2025. LKKSTICH shall endeavour, by all appropriate means, to recognize the importance and strengthen the role of intangible cultural heritage as a driver and guarantee of sustainable development., as well as fully integrate the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage into their development plans, policies and programmes at all levels.
Safeguarding intangible cultural heritage
• Inscription on the list of tangible and intangible Cultural Heritage in need of urgent safeguarding
• Working closely with Government that nomination files demonstrate that elements proposed for inscription on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in need of urgent safeguarding satisfies all of the following criteria:
- The element constitutes intangible cultural heritage as defined in Article 2 of the Convention
- The element is in urgent need of safeguarding because its viability is at risk despite the efforts of the Khoena & San people concerned; or
- The elements is in extremely urgent need of safeguarding facing gave threats as a result of which it cannot be expected to survive without immediate safeguarding.
- A safeguarding plan is elaborated that may enable the Khoena & San if applicable to continue the practice and transmission of the element.
- The element has been nominated following the widest possible participation of the Khoena & San people and with our free, prior and informed consent.
- The element is included in an inventory of the intangible cultural heritage present in the territory of South Africa as defined by Article 11 and 12 of the Convention.
- In cases of extreme urgency, South Africa Government has been duly consulted regarding inscription of the element in conformity with Article 17.3 of the Convention.
• KKLSTICH will propose national, subregional or regional programmes, projects and activities for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage to the Committee for selection and promotion as best reflecting the principles and objectives of the Convention.
• KKLSTICH will pay special attention from among our programmes, projects and activities that we will propose, that we understand that the Committee shall select those that best satisfy all of the following criteria, the programmes, projects and activities:
… involves safeguarding as defined in Article 2.3 of the Convention
… Promotes the coordination of efforts for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage on regional, subregional and or international levels.
… reflects the principles and objectives of the Convention.
… has demonstrated effectiveness in contributing to the viability of the intangible cultural heritage concerned.
… is or has been implemented with the participation of the Khoena & San people and with our free, prior and informed consent.
… may serve as a subregional, regional or international model, as the case may be, for safeguarding activities.
… the South African Government, implementing body(ies), and Khoena & San people are willing to cooperate in the dissemination of the best practices, if their programme, project of activity is selected
… features experiences that are susceptible to an assessment of their results
… is primarily applicable to the particular needs of developing countries
• KKLSTICK in partnership with other cultural groups will also focus on the following product:
- Cultural Tourism and Heritage Routes
* Oral Traditions: This includes legends, myths, folktales, and oral histories passed down through generations
* Performing Arts: This encompasses music, dance, theatre, and other artistic performances.
* Social Practices: This includes rituals, customs, and social events that are important to a community
* Festive Events: These include festivals, celebrations, and religious holidays
* Traditional Crafts: This includes the knowledge, skills, and techniques used to produce traditional crafts, such as pottery, weaving, and metalworking
* Traditional Culinary Practices: This includes food preparation techniques, recipes, and the cultural significance of food.
* Religious Sites and Spaces: These are locations where religious practices and rituals take place, such as rivers, mountains and ancestorial lands and holy sites
President Ramaphosa, in his address to the nation on Sunday, confirmed South Africa supports an expansion of the BRICS partnership. Over 20 countries have expressed an interest in joining Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa in this partnership that is aimed at boosting growth in developing economies. Hopefully, this summit means a great deal of foreign direct investment for South Africa – could more members mean more money and economic growth for us? Maarten van Doesburgh, Professor of Economics at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, discussed this with eNCA's Sally Burdett. Courtesy of #DStv403
BRICS leaders will address the media this morning. The three-day summit which is being held at the Sandton Convention Centre will conclude on 24 August 2023.
China's President Xi Jinping will meet South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.
#BRICS #XiJinping #WIONLIVE
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India, Russia, China, Brazil and South Africa form one of the world's most important economic blocks known as the BRICS. The BRICS heads of state and government summit is underway in Johannesburg, South Africa. Here are the updates for the first day of BRICS.
#bricssummit2023 #johannesburg #southafrica
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Police Minister Bheki Cele speaks to eNCA reporter Siphamandla Goge about the security at the 2023 BRICS Summit, including the red carpet incident involving Chinese President Xi Jinping's translator. #dstv403
Today is the third and final day of the BRICS Summit which is underway in Johannesburg, South Africa. On the second day of the summit, the manner and the nature of expansion of the grouping topped the agenda. In the latest, six new nations have been added to the BRICS summit. Watch to know more.
#brics2023 #southafrica #wion
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Please keep discussions on this channel clean and respectful and refrain from using racist or sexist slurs and personal insults.
The 15th annual BRICS summit is set to commence in Johannesburg next week – for the first in person gathering since the pandemic. From a term coined in 2001 by a leading economist looking at the largest developing nations outside the G7, BRICS – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - has developed into a truly global organization. And it’s one that others are now seeking to sign up to - 23 countries have formally expressed their desire to join up. So is BRICS poised for expansion? And what will that mean for the world? In this week’s episode, Juliet Mann considers what’s set to dominate discussion in Johannesburg with Ben Joubert, South Africa’s Sous Sherpa for BRICS, Wang Huiyao, Founder and President of the Center for China and Globalization and Jim O’Neill, a Senior Advisor at Chatham House who first coined the term BRIC in 2001.
BRICS Summit 2023 LIVE: Day 2 of BRICS Summit Underway in Johannesburg | PM Modi's Address at BRICS
BRICS heads of state arrive for Photo Op at summit venue. South Africa's Ramaphosa, Brazil's Lula, India's Modi and China's Jinping will attend summit in person. Russian President Vladimir Putin will address the summit virtually, while his foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, attends it in his stead.
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Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been invited to join the grouping of top emerging economies in January 2024.
The bloc, which was formed in 2009 with Brazil, Russia, India and China, first expanded to admit South Africa in 2010. [GIANLUIGI GUERCIA/Pool via REUTERS]
Johannesburg, South Africa – The BRICS bloc of top emerging economies have taken a major step in expanding its reach and influence with the announcement that six more nations have been invited join as new members.
Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have been invited to join as full members from January 1 next year.
The bloc, which was formed in 2009 with Brazil, Russia, India and China, first expanded to admit South Africa in 2010.
Now, it is says it is seeking to grow a stronger coalition of developing nations who can better put the interests of the Global South on the world’s agenda.
Before the start of its annual summit in South Africa this week, more than 40 countries had expressed interest in joining BRICS, and 23 formally applied to join.
“We appreciate the considerable interest shown by countries of the Global South in membership of BRICS,” the bloc said in the Johannesburg II declaration it adopted on the final day of the summit on Thursday.
It said the six were selected after “BRICS countries reached consensus on the guiding principles, standards, criteria and procedures of the BRICS expansion process” – but did not provide more details about the specific criteria.
From left to right, President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, President of China Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attend the 2023 BRICS Summit on August 24, 2023 [Phill Magakoe/AFP]
‘Significant states’
“It is hard to find commonalities among the six countries invited to join BRICS other than that they are each significant states in their region,” Danny Bradlow, a professor with the Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship at the University of Pretoria, told Al Jazeera.
With the inclusion of Saudi Arabia, Iran, UAE and Egypt, “you could argue it’s very Middle East centric”, according to Sanusha Naidu, a senior research fellow at the Institute for Global Dialogue, a South African think tank focusing on China and Africa.
“This has geo-economic, geostrategic and geopolitical implications,” Naidu argued, saying the latest additions will push some BRICS nations to think more about their Middle East policies, and for China and India to beef the existing policies.
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China recently brokered the re-establishment of ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran, a role that would traditionally have been filled by a country like the United States.
India’s recently signed an agreement with the UAE to trade in Indian rupees and Emirati dirhams instead of in the US dollar.
Crucially, Naidu argued, the expansion list is “very energy centric”, adding that following the announcement, some analysts at the venue even facetiously commented if they should “call it BRICS plus OPEC?”.
When selecting new members, the bloc may have taken into consideration the pricing of energy products, and how their countries can reduce their liability and vulnerability in terms of the cost of oil, she said.
“Besides Russia, all of [the core BRICS countries] are non-energy producing countries. They need to be able to make their economies function, but they don’t want to get caught in the secondary collateral damage of sanctions,” she explained.
The use of “unilateral sanctions” against countries and the continued dominance of the US dollar in global trade is something BRICS has vocally challenged.
The expansion “opens up new avenues for trade”, said Karin Costa Vasquez, a non-resident senior fellow at the Center for China and Globalization in Beijing.
One of the aims behind the planned expansion is “creating opportunities for BRICS nations to trade more easily with one another using local currencies”, Vasquez added
“This shift could increase the potential for using currencies other than the US dollar, particularly by creating a network of countries that enhances the utility of their respective currencies.”
[Al Jazeera]
Inclusion
Analysts have said that one of the countries that could benefit from a trading regime outside of dollar dominance is Iran.
“Iran will clearly benefit the most,” said Na’eem Jeenah, a senior researcher at the South African think tank, Mapungupwe Institute for Strategic Reflection.
He said its inclusion “highlights the fact that it’s not as politically isolated as the US wants it to be”.
Inclusion could also be an “economic lifeline” due to increased bilateral trade.
“Members would start trading with each other in their own currencies. For Iran, this would be great,” he said.
Jeenah added that Argentina was a “shoe-in” as its inclusion was championed by Brazil, China and India. Among the African states, he said analysts expected Algeria, which has oil reserves, or Nigeria, which is the continent’s most populous country and leading economy, could have been included.
Cheta Nwanze, a partner at SBM Intelligence, a geopolitical advisory that focuses on West Africa, said of Nigeria’s exclusion, “I think it’s an indictment of our foreign policy, or the lack of it thereof. We used to be very pan-African in our foreign policy, that has changed”.
“One thing that is very clear is that most of the rest of Africa – with the exception of maybe Nigeria and Kenya – are moving away from the West and towards the East. We are sticking in the Western camp without saying it explicitly, but more importantly without getting any benefits from being in the Western camp,” he told Al Jazeera.
Jeenah said the inclusion of Ethiopia, a country with one of the fastest-growing economies, that also hosts the headquarters of the African Union, “makes sense in those terms”.
Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are similar to India and, to some degree, South Africa, in that “these are countries that have one foot in BRICS and another foot in the West”, Jeenah said.
But Saudi Arabia, in particular, is “positioning” itself in a way that shows it is not just in the American camp.
“They have other options now and are going to leverage these options,” he said, such as the China-brokered agreement to restore ties with Iran.
Wang Yi, a member of the Communist Party of China with Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and Musaad bin Mohammed Al Aiban, minister of state and national security adviser of Saudi Arabia pose for pictures during a meeting to restore relations between Iran and Saudi in Beijing, in March 2023 [File: China Daily via Reuters]
‘Your problems are not our problems’
Analysts have remained undecided on what an expanded BRICS says to the West and means for the current global order, however.
“The grouping now represents a larger share of the world’s population and economy. However, this only means that the group is potentially a powerful voice for reform of the arrangements for global governance and a powerful actor in these arrangements,” Bradlow said.
“Whether it actually becomes such a voice will depend on whether the expanded group is more effective than the BRICS have been in forging agreements on how the arrangements for global governance should be reformed and how they can more effectively serve the interests of the whole Global South.”
Naidu noted that “having Iran in the BRICS sends a massive powerful message to the G7, to the Global North, to Washington”.
“It says, ‘You can have a problem with them, we’ll keep them here.’ And it also says, ‘Your problems are not our problems.’”
She remarked that South Africa, which has important ties with the US, may have to deal with the “fallout” and navigate some of these tensions. But she also wondered whether the country could use the fact that it is in the bloc to its advantage.
“Yes, they don’t have the economic muscle to do what they want to do, but they have the strategic muscle to say ‘I have the BRICS behind me now, I have a wall of BRICS.’”
Jeenah said, “We must be careful about attributing more importance to this expansion development than it actually has … it certainly does not make BRICS into a Global South front. It’s just a club of 11 members.”
However, he added that, as yet, BRICS has not been trying act as a political forum, but that could change.
“More scary [for the West] than the six who were chosen is that 40 expressed interest in joining,” he said. “BRICS is engaging in incremental expansion … So where does it go in 30 years time?
“While hype of de-dollarisation isn’t on the horizon, the fact is that in a few years time, two of three largest economies in the world could be trading with each other within the [BRICS] bloc without the US dollar, that would be cause for some concern.”
Johannesburg, South Africa – Saudi Arabia and Iran are among six countries invited to join BRICS as new members next year, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced on the final day of a summit of the group that considers itself a counterweight to Western powers.
The group encompassing five major emerging economies – China, Brazil, South Africa, Russia and India – which makes decisions by consensus, agreed on “the guiding principles, standards, criteria and procedures of the BRICS expansion process”, during the three-day annual summit held in Johannesburg this week, Ramaphosa said on Thursday.
Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have been invited to join as full members from January 1 next year.
“This membership expansion is historic,” said Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“The expansion is also a new starting point for BRICS cooperation. It will bring new vigour to the BRICS cooperation mechanism and further strengthen the force for world peace and development.”
A senior adviser to Iran’s president on Thursday welcomed the country’s admission to the grouping.
“Permanent membership in the group of global emerging economies is considered a historic development and a strategic success for the foreign policy of the Islamic republic,” Mohammad Jamshidi wrote on X, which was previously known as Twitter.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed hailed what he called “a great moment” for his country.
“Ethiopia stands ready to cooperate with all for an inclusive and prosperous global order,” Abiy said on Twitter.
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“We look forward to develop this cooperation to create new developmental and economic opportunities and elevate our relationship to the aspired level,” Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said at the summit on Thursday.
Later, he told Saudi channel Al Arabiya that the kingdom welcomed the invitation and would review the details in order to make an “appropriate decision” ahead of the proposed joining date.
The core group of five BRICS countries has been discussing the issue of expansion for more than a year, Ramaphosa said, and the new members were invited this week after an agreement was reached at the summit.
The expansion of the group is part of its plan to build dominance and reshape global governance into a “multipolar” world order that puts voices of the Global South at the centre of the world agenda.
The inclusion of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iran and Egypt marks the first MENA representation in the group, and the inclusion of Argentina was championed by member Brazil.
Expansion was pushed heavily by Russia and China, analysts said, as they are facing pushback from Western nations in the form of sanctions.
Other BRICS countries were initially more ambivalent, but leaders came out in vocal support of the plan this week.
The grouping of emerging economies has been in formal existence for 15 years. Some experts told Al Jazeera that it has not achieved much and the diffuse nature of their political and social interests means BRICS leaders do not always agree on issues. Some say that has prevented them from becoming a more powerful or effective entity.
“What [BRICS is] trying to achieve in a way is being opened up for more discussion,” Danny Bradlow, a professor with the Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship at the University of Pretoria, told Al Jazeera ahead of the summit. “As long as it was just the five countries, they were talking about the reform of global economic governance or global governance generally … But they haven’t done very much about that.
“Getting agreements among the five has not been all that easy,” he said. “If they expand membership, that makes it even more complicated. But it also depends on who they take on as the new members.”
More than 40 countries had expressed interest in joining BRICS, and 23 formally applied to join the club, which already represented a quarter of the global economy and 40 percent of the world’s population.
Some 50 other heads of state and leaders are attending the summit in South Africa, which concludes on Thursday.
JOHANNESBURG, Aug 7 (Reuters) - The BRICS group of major emerging economies - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - will hold its 15th heads of state and government summit in Johannesburg this month.
Here are some key facts about the summit.
WHERE AND WHEN IS THE SUMMIT?
South Africa will host the summit from Aug. 22-24 at the city's Sandton Convention Centre, after the country took up the one-year rotating chairmanship of the BRICS group in January.
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It will be the first in-person BRICS summit since the COVID-19 pandemic.
WHO WILL ATTEND?
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, President Xi Jinping of China, Brazil's President Luiz Lula da Silva and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are expected to attend the summit.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend in person due to a warrant for his arrest issued by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, something Moscow denies. Putin, who will be a virtual participant, will be represented in Johannesburg by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
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Invitations to attend the summit were also extended to 67 leaders across Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Caribbean, South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor said.
China's Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, Brazil's Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, South Africa's Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar attend a BRICS foreign ministers' meeting in Cape Town, South Africa, June 1, 2023. REUTERS/Nic Bothma/File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights
Twenty dignitaries including the secretary-general of the United Nations, the chairperson of the African Union Commission and the president of the New Development Bank have also been invited.
Business leaders are also expected to be in attendance.
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WHAT IS THE KEY ISSUE TO BE DISCUSSED?
Perhaps the most important and controversial issue the leaders are expected to discuss is BRICS expansion by adding new members, including the admission criteria and guiding principles.
But divisions among BRICS members over criteria for admitting new members may preclude any major announcements at the summit, as the bloc operates by consensus.
China, seeking to boost its geopolitical might at a time of tensions with the United States, is the main driver of expansion. Russia is also embracing it as a way of overcoming isolation over the Ukraine war, and India is also coming around to the idea. Brazil is the most sceptical of enlargement.
South Africa, the smallest in the bloc in terms of economic clout and population, was the first country to benefit from the its expansion ambitions when it officially attended the original BRIC members summit of 2011.
The BRICS group accounts for more than 40% of the world population and about 26% of the global economy and offers an alternative forum for countries outside diplomatic channels seen as dominated by traditional Western powers. Its influence and economic heft has more nations eager to join.
Twenty three countries have formally applied to become new BRICS members, including Saudi Arabia, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Indonesia, Egypt and Ethiopia.
Other issues on the agenda include discussions on global geopolitics, trade and infrastructure development.
The 50th edition of the crucial BRICS economic summit is underway and leaders representing almost half of the world's population including India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi have made their way to South Africa's Johannesburg at the summit.
#bricssummit2023 #narendramodi #southafrica
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WION The World is One News examines global issues with in-depth analysis. We provide much more than the news of the day. Our aim is to empower people to explore their world. With our Global headquarters in New Delhi, we bring you news on the hour, by the hour. We deliver information that is not biased. We are journalists who are neutral to the core and non-partisan when it comes to world politics. People are tired of biased reportage and we stand for a globalized united world. So for us, the World is truly One.
Please keep discussions on this channel clean and respectful and refrain from using racist or sexist slurs and personal insults.
BRICS heads of state arrive for Photo Op at summit venue. South Africa's Ramaphosa, Brazil's Lula, India's Modi and China's Jinping will attend summit in person. Russian President Vladimir Putin will address the summit virtually, while his foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, attends it in his stead.
#BRICS #SouthAfrica #WIONLIVE
About Channel:
WION The World is One News examines global issues with in-depth analysis. We provide much more than the news of the day. Our aim is to empower people to explore their world. With our Global headquarters in New Delhi, we bring you news on the hour, by the hour. We deliver information that is not biased. We are journalists who are neutral to the core and non-partisan when it comes to world politics. People are tired of biased reportage and we stand for a globalized united world. So for us, the World is truly One.
Please keep discussions on this channel clean and respectful and refrain from using racist or sexist slurs and personal insults.
BRICS summit gets underway in Johannesburg. Expanding the group beyond its five current members — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — will be at the top of the agenda.
Top leaders of all BRICS member nations, excluding Russian President Vladimir Putin, are attending the summit.
#bricssummit #modi #modiximeet #pmmodi
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The 50th edition of the crucial BRICS economic summit is underway and leaders representing almost half of the world's population including India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi have made their way to South Africa's Johannesburg at the summit.
#bricssummit2023 #narendramodi #southafrica
About Channel:
WION The World is One News examines global issues with in-depth analysis. We provide much more than the news of the day. Our aim is to empower people to explore their world. With our Global headquarters in New Delhi, we bring you news on the hour, by the hour. We deliver information that is not biased. We are journalists who are neutral to the core and non-partisan when it comes to world politics. People are tired of biased reportage and we stand for a globalized united world. So for us, the World is truly One.
Please keep discussions on this channel clean and respectful and refrain from using racist or sexist slurs and personal insults.
The Brics economic alliance – formed by China, India, Russia, Brazil and South Africa – is considering an expansion, with more than 20 countries including Saudi Arabia and Iran having formally applied to join the bloc. Brics countries already make up more than 40% of the world’s population and almost a third of the world’s GDP.
WSJ’s Alexandra Wexler analyzes the membership frenzy and whether an enlargement can ultimately threaten the powerful G-7.
0:00 Brics vs. G-7 0:49 What’s at stake? 2:12 Why Brics wants to expand 3:11 Strongest candidates to join
News Explainers Some days the high-speed news cycle can bring more questions than answers. WSJ’s news explainers break down the day's biggest stories into bite-size pieces to help you make sense of the news.
BRICS heads of state arrive for Photo Op at summit venue. South Africa's Ramaphosa, Brazil's Lula, India's Modi and China's Jinping will attend summit in person. Russian President Vladimir Putin will address the summit virtually, while his foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, attends it in his stead.
#BRICS #SouthAfrica #WIONLIVE
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WION The World is One News examines global issues with in-depth analysis. We provide much more than the news of the day. Our aim is to empower people to explore their world. With our Global headquarters in New Delhi, we bring you news on the hour, by the hour. We deliver information that is not biased. We are journalists who are neutral to the core and non-partisan when it comes to world politics. People are tired of biased reportage and we stand for a globalized united world. So for us, the World is truly One.
Please keep discussions on this channel clean and respectful and refrain from using racist or sexist slurs and personal insults.
BRICS leaders met on Tuesday to plot the future course of the bloc of developing nations but divisions re-emerged ahead of a critical debate over a potential expansion of the group intended to boost its global clout.
#BRICS #SouthAfrica #WIONLIVE
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WION The World is One News examines global issues with in-depth analysis. We provide much more than the news of the day. Our aim is to empower people to explore their world. With our Global headquarters in New Delhi, we bring you news on the hour, by the hour. We deliver information that is not biased. We are journalists who are neutral to the core and non-partisan when it comes to world politics. People are tired of biased reportage and we stand for a globalized united world. So for us, the World is truly One.
Please keep discussions on this channel clean and respectful and refrain from using racist or sexist slurs and personal insults.
India, Russia, China, Brazil and South Africa from one of the world's most important economic blocks the BRICS heads of State and Government Summit in South Africa's Johannesburg seek to widen its influence.
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Please keep discussions on this channel clean and respectful and refrain from using racist or sexist slurs and personal insults.
China's Xi says "history will be shaped by choices we make"
Dozens of countries interested in joining - S.African officials
JOHANNESBURG, Aug 22 (Reuters) - BRICS leaders met on Tuesday to plot the future course of the bloc of developing nations but divisions re-emerged ahead of a critical debate over a potential expansion of the group intended to boost its global clout.
Heightened tensions in the wake of the Ukraine war and Beijing's growing rivalry with the United States have pushed China and Russia - whose President Vladimir Putin will attend the meeting virtually - to seek to strengthen BRICS.
They are seeking to use the Aug. 22-24 summit in Johannesburg to forge the grouping, which also includes South Africa, Brazil and India, into a counterweight to Western dominance of global institutions.
"Right now, changes in the world, in our times, and in history are unfolding in ways like never before, bringing human society to a critical juncture," China's President Xi Jinping said in remarks delivered at a BRICS business forum.
"The course of history will be shaped by the choices we make."
Xi skipped the event, despite the presence there of counterparts Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
His remarks were delivered by Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, and it was not immediately clear why Xi, who had a meeting with host Ramaphosa earlier in the day, did not attend.
Comments from Brazil's Lula pointed to a divergence of vision within the bloc, which political analysts say has long struggled to form a coherent view of its role in the global order.
"We do not want to be a counterpoint to the G7, G20 or the United States," Brazil's Lula said on Tuesday during a social media broadcast from Johannesburg. "We just want to organize ourselves."
Beyond the enlargement question, boosting the use of member states' local currencies in trade and financial transactions to lessen dependency of the U.S. dollar is also on the summit agenda.
"The objective, irreversible process of de-dollarization of our economic ties is gaining momentum," Russia's Putin said in a pre-recorded statement.
Russia's economy is grappling with Western sanctions over Moscow's war in Ukraine. Putin is wanted under an international arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, and is being represented at the summit by his foreign minister Sergei Lavrov.
South African organizers say there will be no discussions however of a common BRICS currency, an idea floated by Brazil as an alternative to dollar-dependence.
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva gestures during a ministerial meeting to celebrate the first 100 days of his government at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, April 10, 2023. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino/File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights
POINT OF CONTENTION
BRICS remains a disparate group, ranging from China, the world's second biggest economy, to South Africa, a relative minnow which is nonetheless Africa's most developed economy.
Russia is keen to show the West it still has friends but India has increasingly reached out to the West, as has Brazil under its new leader.
India and China have also periodically clashed along their disputed border, adding to the challenge of decision-making in a group that relies on consensus.
Speaking to reporters in Washington on Tuesday, White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan said he did not see BRICS turning into a geopolitical rival of the United States.
"This is a very diverse collection of countries ... with differences of view on critical issues," he said.
Expansion has long been a goal of China, which hopes that broader membership will lend clout to a grouping already home to some 40% of the world's population and a quarter of global gross domestic product.
Russia is also keen to expand membership while South Africa's President Ramaphosa voiced support for the idea at the meeting with Xi.
The BRICS leaders will hold a mini-retreat and dinner on Tuesday evening where they are likely to discuss a framework and criteria for admitting new countries.
India, which is wary of Chinese dominance and has warned against rushing expansion, has "positive intent and an open mind", Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said on Monday. Brazil, meanwhile, is concerned that expanding BRICS will dilute its influence, though Lula reiterated on Tuesday his desire to see neighbor Argentina join the bloc.
An Argentine government source involved in the country's negotiations to join BRICS told Reuters that no new members were expected to be admitted to the bloc during the summit.
While a potential BRICS enlargement remains up in the air, the grouping's pledge to become a champion of the developing world and offer an alternative to a world order dominated by wealthy Western nations is already finding resonance.
Over 40 countries have expressed interest in joining BRICS, say South African officials. Of them, nearly two dozen have formally asked to be admitted, with some expected to send delegations to Johannesburg.
Reporting by Bhargav Acharya in Johannesburg and Gabriel Araujo in Sao Paulo; Additional reporting by Carien du Plessis in Pretoria, Lucila Sigal in Buenos Aires, Lucinda Elliott in Montevideo and Andrea Shalal in Washington; Writing by Joe Bavier; Editing by Andy Sullivan, William Maclean and Emelia Sithole-Matarise
JOHANNESBURG, Aug 21 (Reuters) - The BRICS group of major emerging economies - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - will hold its 15th heads of state and government summit in Johannesburg between Aug. 22 and Aug. 24.
Here are some key facts about the bloc and its members.
WHAT IS BRICS?
The acronym BRIC, which did not initially include South Africa, was coined in 2001 by then Goldman Sachs chief economist Jim O'Neill in a research paper that underlined the growth potential of Brazil, Russia, India and China.
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The bloc was founded as an informal club in 2009 to provide a platform for its members to challenge a world order dominated by the United States and its Western allies.
Its creation was initiated by Russia.
The group is not a formal multilateral organisation like the United Nations, World Bank or the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
The heads of state and government of the member nations convene annually with each nation taking up a one-year rotating chairmanship of the group.
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WHO ARE THE MEMBERS?
Brazil, Russia, India and China are the founding members.
South Africa, the smallest member in terms of economic clout and population, was the first beneficiary of an expansion of the bloc in 2010 when the grouping became known as BRICS.
Together the countries account for more than 40% of the world population and a quarter of the global economy.
China's Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao gestures as South Africa's Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Ebrahim Patel shows him the Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition's campus, before the start of the South Africa - China Joint Economic and Trade Committee being held ahead of the upcoming BRICS 2023 summit later this Acquire Licensing RightsRead more
Apart from geopolitics, the group's focus includes economic cooperation and increasing multilateral trade and development.
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The bloc operates by consensus. All the BRICS countries are part of the Group of 20 (G20) of major economies.
WHICH NATIONS WANT TO JOIN BRICS AND WHY?
Over 40 countries, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Algeria, Bolivia, Indonesia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Comoros, Gabon, and Kazakhstan have expressed interest in joining the forum, according to 2023 summit chair South Africa.
They view BRICS as an alternative to global bodies viewed as dominated by the traditional Western powers and hope membership will unlock benefits including development finance, and increased trade and investment.
Dissatisfaction with the global order among developing nations was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic when life-saving vaccines were hoarded by the rich countries.
Iran, home to around a quarter of the Middle East's oil reserves, has said it hopes the mechanism for new membership would be decided "at the earliest."
Oil heavyweight Saudi Arabia was among more than a dozen countries that participated in "Friends of BRICS" talks in Cape Town in June. It has received backing from Russia and Brazil to join the BRICS.
Argentina said in July 2022 it had received China's formal support in its bid to join the group.
Ethiopia, one of Africa's fastest-growing economies, said in June it had asked to join the bloc, with a foreign ministry spokesman saying the country will continue to work with international institutions that can protect its interests.
Bolivia's President Luis Arce has expressed interest in BRICS membership and is expected to attend the summit. Its government said in July it was determined to curb dependence on the U.S. dollar for foreign trade, instead turning to the Chinese yuan, in line with BRICS leaders' stated aim to reduce dependence on the U.S. currency.
Algeria said in July it has applied for BRICS membership and to become a shareholder in the New Development Bank, the so-called BRICS Bank. The North African nation is rich in oil and gas resources and is seeking to diversify its economy and strengthen partnership with China and other countries.
China President Xi Jinping landed in South Africa on Monday for a three-day state visit that includes the BRICS Summit.#eNCA reporter, Moloko Moloto has more details. #DStv403 #QuestionThinkAct #SouthAfricanMorning
BRICS heads of state arrive for Photo Op at summit venue. South Africa's Ramaphosa, Brazil's Lula, India's Modi and China's Jinping will attend summit in person. Russian President Vladimir Putin will address the summit virtually, while his foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, attends it in his stead.
#BRICS #SouthAfrica #WIONLIVE
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