BRICS foreign ministers call for UN reform, loss and damage fund

BRICS Foreign Ministers said in a joint statement after meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had joined the meet virtually

Foreign Ministers of the Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) nations on Thursday called for comprehensive reforms of the United Nations (UN), and advocated the inclusion of India, South Africa and Brazil in its Security Council (UNSC).
 
Brics Foreign Ministers said in a joint statement on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar joined the meeting virtually.
 
At the last Brics Summit in Johannesburg, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had supported such a move, warning that without such reforms, fragmentation of the UN body would be inevitable.
 

The statement also pointed to the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine.

 
"The ministers recalled their national positions concerning the conflict in and around Ukraine as expressed at the appropriate fora, including the UN Security Council and General Assembly, and noted with appreciation relevant proposals of mediation and good offices aimed at peaceful resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy," the statement said.
 
On the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the nations’ further reaffirmed the call for donor countries to honour their Official Development Assistance (ODA) to developing countries, in line with the national policy objectives of recipients.
 
Giving credence to media reports suggesting that Brics nations are closely aligning policies on artificial intelligence, the ministers announced the nations are exploring the establishment of an effective global governance framework with the aim to protect human rights and spur innovation and economic growth.

 
 
 
Climate crisis
 
The nations also called upon advanced economies to operationalise the fund on Loss and Damage at the upcoming COP28 environmental meet in Dubai.
 
The fund was touted as a historic breakthrough in negotiations at last year's COP27 meet, and aims to provide financial assistance to nations most vulnerable and impacted by the effects of climate change.
 
But differences have since erupted over which nations can access it, with reports that India may not be able to benefit from it.
 
The ministers have also reiterated that developed countries need to ensure 'new, additional, predictable, adequate and timely flow of affordable climate finance’.

 
 
They also pointed out the need for capacity building and transfer of technology for climate actions.