Senior diplomats from BRICS countries are meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
They will discuss strategies to manage global crises and coordinate preparations for the upcoming summit.
Next Monday, BRICS nations will intensify their efforts to defend multilateralism.
This is after the ongoing trade war launched by U.S. President Donald Trump which targets China.
Foreign ministers (or their representatives) from the BRICS member states will meet for two days ahead of the heads of state summit, scheduled for July 6–7 in Rio de Janeiro.
The first Sherpa Meeting of BRICS in Brazil 2025
At the first Sherpa meeting of BRICS for 2025, the UAE played an active role.
The International Monetary Fund expects global growth to reach 2.8% this year, a downgraded rate, due to the tariffs announced by Trump and retaliatory measures taken by other countries.
Brazil’s Chief Negotiator, Mauricio Lyrio, stated on Saturday that “the ministers are negotiating a declaration aimed at reaffirming the central role and importance of the multilateral trading system.”
He added that BRICS is representing nearly half the world’s population and 39% of global GDP.
It would seek to consolidate its position as a defender of rule-based trade against unilateral measures “wherever they come from.”
Since returning to office in January, President Trump has imposed tariffs of at least 10% on most of the United States’ trading partners.
Along with additional tariffs of 145% on the majority of Chinese products entering the U.S.
In response, Beijing has slapped retaliatory tariffs of 125% on American products.
UAE is Active Participant in the first Sherpa Meeting of BRICS 2025
Saeed Mubarak Al Hajeri, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Economic and Trade Affairs and the UAE Sherpa to BRICS, led the UAE delegation to the second BRICS Sherpa meeting held from April 23–26, 2025, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The meeting was held in preparation for BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting scheduled for April 28–29, 2025.
Members engaged in discussions to draft the Foreign Ministers’ communiqué.
They also agreed on avenues for cooperation among member states.
In his interventions, Al Hajeri emphasized the importance of achieving tangible economic results that positively impact the economies of the group’s countries.
He also praised the collaborative spirit among BRICS members and the commitment of representatives to enhancing economic cooperation.
During the meeting, Al Hajeri held several bilateral meetings with the Brazilian Sherpa — representing the host country.
As well as with Sherpas from other BRICS countries, to explore ways to elevate cooperation and strengthen bilateral relations.
Dollar Dominance Issue on the Agenda of BRICS meeting in Brazil
The sensitive issue of using non-U.S. dollar currencies for transactions among BRICS countries will be on the agenda.
This matter was also discussed at the last BRICS summit in October in Kazan, Russia.
President Trump had threatened to impose 100% tariffs on any countries attempting to challenge the international dominance of the dollar.
Brazil, notably, has been among the least affected by the new 10% tariffs.
Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira will chair the meeting.
While Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and others in attendance.
The opening session is around 11:00 a.m. local time (6:00 p.m. Abu Dhabi time), with a final declaration anticipated later in the afternoon.
Climate Change
Climate change will be a major topic of discussion, just a few months ahead of the United Nations COP30 climate summit, which Brazil will host in November.
Negotiator Mauricio Lyrio emphasized that “the issue of financing is very central” for the BRICS group.
Reiterating Brazil’s position that wealthy countries have a “commitment” to finance the energy transition in other nations.
On Friday, Washington announced the closure of its climate diplomacy office, just three months after the U.S., the world’s largest polluter, once again withdrew from the Paris Agreement.
On Tuesday, nine countries associated with BRICS are expected to join the meeting in Brazil.
