BRICS summit ends on health issues and role of global south countries
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Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva delivers closing remarks at the BRICS Summit in Brasília, urging the Global South to lead in health equity and climate action.
BRICS Summit Concludes with Calls for Health Equity, Climate Action, and Stronger Global South Role
The 2025 BRICS Summit ended on a reflective yet urgent note as leaders of the now 11-member bloc and its strategic partners gathered for the final session focused on global health disparities, climate change, and the upcoming COP30 climate summit scheduled for November in Brazil.
Held in Brasília, this year’s summit was the first official meeting of the expanded BRICS, now including Indonesia, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia — in addition to founding members Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
Lula: “We Will Not Be Mere Suppliers”
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva opened the session with a blunt warning about the threats facing the planet and the growing inequality in international cooperation.
“Today, denial and unilateralism are eroding past achievements and sabotaging our future,” Lula said. “Global warming is happening faster than predicted, and tropical forests — essential for planetary balance — are being pushed toward their tipping point.”
Lula’s address framed the summit’s closing agenda as not only a response to today’s crises but also a redefinition of the Global South’s role in the world. “We will not be mere suppliers of raw materials,” Lula declared. “We must access and develop technologies that enable us to participate in all stages of value chains.”
Addressing Global Health Inequalities
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva delivers closing remarks at the BRICS Summit in Brasília, urging the Global South to lead in health equity and climate action.
One of the session’s key themes was health inequality, particularly how social determinants — including income, gender, race, education, and birthplace — continue to drive the disparities in global disease and mortality rates.
Citing diseases such as Chagas disease and cholera, Lula said, “Many of the diseases that kill thousands in our countries would have already been eradicated if they affected the Global North.”
BRICS leaders reiterated the need for stronger investment in public health, improved pharmaceutical independence, and better access to health technologies across the Global South. This includes vaccine development and distribution strategies that aren’t dictated solely by the Global North or multinational corporations.
Preparing for COP30
With Brazil hosting COP30 later this year, the summit’s focus also turned to environmental policy and the leadership responsibilities of emerging economies. Leaders agreed that the Global South must not be excluded from setting the global climate agenda and should be equipped with the financing and technology needed for a fair energy transition.
The Amazon Rainforest, tropical biodiversity, and the impact of climate change on vulnerable communities in the Global South all featured in the session’s working groups.
Brazil pledged to use COP30 as a platform to elevate climate justice, calling on wealthier nations to fulfill their climate financing promises and help mitigate environmental destruction in developing regions.
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Expansion and New Alliances
The summit also served as the first gathering of BRICS with its newly expanded membership, now representing a significant share of the world’s population, energy production, and raw materials.
Also present were representatives from the 10 strategic partner countries, a category introduced in the previous summit. These include Belarus, Cuba, Vietnam, and others — nations considered crucial to the bloc’s vision for multipolar cooperation.
BRICS leaders said the expansion reflects a growing desire for a more balanced global order, and affirmed their commitment to reforming institutions like the United Nations and the World Bank, where decision-making is often concentrated in the hands of a few.
The summit ended with a joint declaration calling for collaborative development, fairer global governance, and a renewed emphasis on South-South cooperation in healthcare, digital innovation, food security, and climate resilience.
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