16. We appreciate the role of South Africa and India during their membership of the UN Security Council for 2019-2020 and 2021-2022 respectively and congratulate Brazil on its election as a member of the UN Security Council 2022-2023. The presence of four BRICS countries in the UN Security Council in 2022 will provide an opportunity to further enhance the weight of our dialogue on issues of international peace and security and for continued cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including through regular exchanges amongst our Permanent Missions to the United Nations and in other international fora.

17. We reaffirm our commitment to a strong Global Financial Safety Net with a quota-based and adequately resourced IMF at its center and express our deep disappointment at the failure in addressing the quota and governance reforms under the 15th General Review of Quotas (GRQ). We call for the timely and successful completion of the 16th GRQ by December 15, 2023, to reduce the IMF's reliance on temporary resources and to address under-representation of EMDCs for their meaningful engagement in the governance of IMF and to protect the voice and quota shares of its poorest and smallest members and have a new quota formula that better reflects the economic weight of members. We welcome the IMF's approval of a general allocation of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) equivalent to USD 650 billion. We recognize the urgency to strengthen its capability to meet the financing needs of countries during future crisis in a transparent and accountable manner.

18. We reaffirm our support for a transparent, rules-based, open, inclusive and non-discriminatory multilateral trading system, with the World Trade Organization at its core, and in this regard reiterate our support for the necessary and urgent reform which would, inter alia, preserve the centrality, core values and fundamental principles of the WTO and consider the interests of all members, including developing countries and LDCs, recognizing that the majority of the WTO members are developing countries. It is critical that all WTO members avoid unilateral and protectionist measures that run counter to the spirit and rules of the WTO. We emphasize the primary importance of ensuring the restoration and preservation of the normal functioning of a two-stage WTO Dispute Settlement system, including the expeditious appointment of all Appellate Body members.

19. We recognize that the current global challenges, particularly the COVID-19 pandemic, are a powerful reminder of the imperative to strengthen cooperation amongst States. While acknowledging the measures taken by the WHO, governments, non-profit organisations, academia, business and industry in combating the pandemic, we also expect the international community to reform and strengthen policy responses of WHO to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and other current and future health challenges.

20. We call for continued efforts to strengthen the system of arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation treaties and agreements and to preserve its integrity for maintaining global stability and international peace and security, to maintain the effectiveness and efficiency as well as the consensus-based nature of the relevant multilateral instruments in the field of disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control.

Peace, Security and Counter-Terrorism Cooperation

21. We note that BRICS has continued its active dialogue on topical issues of peace and security in relevant mechanisms. We welcome the outcomes of the meeting of the BRICS High Representatives for Security and commend them for their meaningful discussions on counter-terrorism, security in the use of ICTs, threats to global, regional and national security, prospects for cooperation among law enforcement agencies and prospects for cooperation among BRICS Member States on health safety and healthcare. We also welcome their decision to adopt the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Action Plan for the implementation of the BRICS Counter Terrorism Strategy.

22. We express our concern at the continuing conflicts and violence in different parts of the world. We endorse the position taken by our Foreign Ministers at their last meeting on the situation in Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, the Palestinian-Israeli issue, the Syrian Arab Republic, Yemen, Afghanistan, Korean Peninsula, the Iran nuclear issue and Myanmar. We reaffirm our commitment to the principles of non-interference in the internal affairs of States and reiterate that all conflicts must be resolved by peaceful means and through political and diplomatic efforts in line with international law, in particular the UN Charter. We underscore the inadmissibility of the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

23. We follow with concern the latest developments in Afghanistan. We call for refraining from violence and settling the situation by peaceful means. We stress the need to contribute to fostering an inclusive intra-Afghan dialogue so as to ensure stability, civil peace, law and order in the country. We condemn in the strongest terms the terrorist attacks near the Hamid Karzai Kabul International Airport that resulted in a large number of deaths and injuries. We underscore the priority of fighting terrorism, including preventing attempts by terrorist organisations touse Afghan territory as terrorist sanctuary and to carry out attacks against other countries, as well as drug trade within Afghanistan. We emphasise the need to address the humanitarian situation and to uphold human rights, including those of women, children and minorities.

24. We reiterate the importance of preserving the JCPOA towards the international and regional peace and stability, and the need to resolve the Iran nuclear issue through peaceful and diplomatic means in accordance with international law.

25. We reaffirm the importance of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction (BTWC) and underline the need to comply with and strengthen it, including by adopting a legally binding Protocol that provides for, inter alia, an efficient verification mechanism. We also reaffirm support for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and call upon the State Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) to uphold the Convention and the integrity of the CWC and engage in a constructive dialogue with a view to restoring the spirit of consensus in the OPCW.

26. We confirm the commitment to ensure prevention of an arms race in outer space and its weaponization, and the long-term sustainability of outer space activities, including through the adoption of a relevant multilateral legally binding instrument. In this regard, we note the draft Treaty on the Prevention of the Placement of Weapons in Outer Space, the Threat or Use of Force against Outer Space Objects. We reaffirm our support to the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Explorations and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies. We stand together for the long-term sustainability of outer space activities and enhancing safety of space operations through implementation and development of the relevant UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS) guidelines.

27. We reaffirm our commitment to the promotion of an open, secure, stable, accessible, and peaceful ICT environment. We reiterate the need of a comprehensive and balanced approach to ICTs development and security, including technical advancement, business development, of safeguarding the security of States and public interests, and of respecting the right to privacy of individuals. We underscore the leading role of the United Nations in promoting dialogue, to forge common understandings in the security of and in the use of ICTs and development of universally agreed norms, rules and principles for responsible behaviour of States in the realm of ICTs, without prejudice to other relevant international fora. In this regard we welcome the successful conclusion of the work of the UN Open Ended Working Group (OEWG) and the Group of Government Experts (GGE) on cybersecurity and welcome the renewed mandate of the OEWG on security of, and in the use of, Information and Communication Technologies 2021-2025.We look forward to advancing practical intra-BRICS cooperation in this domain, including through the implementation of the BRICS Roadmap of Practical Cooperation on ensuring Security in the Use of ICTs and the activities of the BRICS Working Group on Security in the use of ICTs, and underscore also the importance of establishing legal frameworks of cooperation among BRICS States on this matter and acknowledge the work towards consideration and elaboration of proposals, including on a BRICS intergovernmental agreement on cooperation on ensuring security in the use of ICTs and on bilateral agreements among BRICS countries.

28. We express concern over the increasing misuse of ICTs for criminal purposes and the risks and threats emanating therein. We welcome the successful conclusion of the work of the Intergovernmental Expert Group (IEG) on Cybercrime and commencement of work of the Open-Ended Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Committee of Experts to elaborate a Comprehensive International Convention on Countering the Use of ICTs for Criminal purposes under the auspices of the UN, pursuant to the UNGA Resolution 75/282. We are concerned over the increasing challenge to protect children from online sexual exploitation and from other content harmful for their health and development and look forward to strengthening BRICS cooperation to develop initiatives aimed at ensuring safety of the children on the Internet.

29. We express strong condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations whenever, wherever and by whomsoever committed. We recognize the threat emanating from terrorism, extremism conducive to terrorism and radicalization. We commit to combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including the cross-border movement of terrorists, and terrorism financing networks and safe havens. We reiterate that terrorism should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization or ethnic group. We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to contribute further to the global efforts of preventing and countering the threat of terrorism on the basis of respect for international law, in particular the Charter of the United Nations, and human rights, emphasizing that States have the primary responsibility in combating terrorism with the United Nations continuing to play central and coordinating role in this area. We also stress the need for a comprehensive and balanced approach of the whole international community to effectively curb the terrorist activities, which pose a serious threat, including in the present-day pandemic environment. We reject double standards in countering terrorism and extremism conducive to terrorism. We call for an expeditious finalization and adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism within the UN framework and for launching multilateral negotiations on an international convention for the suppression of acts of chemical and biological terrorism, at the Conference of Disarmament.

30. We welcome the outcome of the Sixth BRICS Counter-Terrorism Working Group (CTWG) and its subgroups meetings. We endorse the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Action Plan for implementing the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Strategy which was adopted by our National Security Advisors which is aimed at implementing the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Strategy and defines the approach and actions of the BRICS countries towards counter-terrorism cooperation, including ensuring coordinated efforts to understand, identify and collaboratively respond to persistent and emerging terrorist threats, as well as cooperation within the framework of the UN and other multilateral counter-terrorism fora. This will help complement and strengthen existing bilateral and multilateral ties among the BRICS countries, and to make a meaningful contribution to the global efforts of preventing and combating the threat of terrorism including on countering radicalization, terrorism, the misuse of the internet for terrorist purposes, the travel of terrorists, and enhance measures for the protection of soft targets, intelligence sharing, and capacity building. We appreciate the Chair for holding the Seminar on the 'Misuse of Internet for Terrorist Purposes & the Role of Digital Forensics in Terrorist Investigation' and the Workshop on 'Digital Forensics for BRICS countries', and look forward to furthering cooperation in these fields. (more)