The opening ceremony of the BRICS People’s Council was held on Friday (4) at the Carlos Gomes Theater in Rio de Janeiro. The event marked the official start of the social summit that precedes the meeting of the bloc’s heads of state, scheduled for Sunday (6) and Monday (7). With guests and civil society representatives from member countries, the inaugural session focused on taxing the super-rich, food sovereignty and international solidarity with Palestine.
The meeting also symbolizes a new stage in the efforts to build BRICS as a space with structured popular participation. It is the first in-person meeting of the People’s Council, born after the 2024 Civil Forum and formally recognized in the Kazan Declaration. The expectation is that, at the end of the program, a document with people’s proposals will be delivered to the bloc’s leaders.
Advisors from different parts of the world attended the event, such as Mohammed Admed Hussen (Ethiopia), Ah Maftuchan (Indonesia), Raymond Shillboy (South Africa) and Victoria Panova (Russia). Brazilian representatives include Fabiano Mielniczuk, Rita Coitinho and Marco Fernandes, as well as the participation of people’s movements and government officials.
The meeting in Rio de Janeiro was considered historic by its organizers, both for the diversity of agendas discussed there and for the international projection of the Council. Activities continue until Saturday (5), when the final document will be launched with proposals in the areas of health, education, ecology, art and culture, finance, the digital economy and BRICS institutions.
The ceremony also reinforced the denunciation of the ongoing genocide in Palestine and the urgency of the BRICS’ political positions in defense of the Palestinian people. The defense of a new international order, based on justice and popular sovereignty, was at the heart of the opening speeches.
BRICS as a geopolitical alternative and opposition to fascism
For the participants, BRICS represents an alternative to the hegemony of US imperialism and the financialization of life. Márcio Macedo, Brazil’s Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic, said that the bloc is “the most innovative and important geopolitical decision taken in recent years in the world” and highlighted the advance of the far right globally, financed by billionaires who “turn people into algorithms and undermine democracy.”
State deputy Marina, from the Landless Rural Workers’ Movement (MST, in Portuguese), recalled that people’s movements have concrete proposals to tackle crises such as the environmental one, and that the defense of the creation of a global public health regime is urgent. She also mentioned the popular plebiscite advocating taxing the super-rich, organized by Brazilian movements, as an example of a concrete contribution to the BRICS agenda.
Solidarity for Palestine was reiterated by various participants. For Marina, “the BRICS cannot omit itself in the face of the genocide taking place in Palestine.” This stance was reinforced by Márcio Macedo, who declared that “what is happening in Gaza has no other name: it is genocide.”
Antônio Freitas, Undersecretary for International Finance at Brazil’s Ministry of Finance, said that “on the economic track of Brazil’s presidency of the BRICS, we had important deliveries, including a declaration proposing the taxation of billionaires.” He also expressed solidarity for the Palestinian people, saying that “what is happening there demands a political stance.”
The People’s Council seeks institutionalization and permanence
The creation of the BRICS People’s Council is the result of a collective work process that began in March and mobilized dozens of Brazilian and international organizations. The initiative seeks to guarantee a permanent space for positive exchanges between governments and civil society.
Representing Itamaraty, Lucas Godoy Barbosa pointed out that this is the first time the BRICS has held a working session with the direct participation of civil society representatives. According to him, “only when we include society in the debates can we guarantee a real impact on people’s lives.”
Russian advisor Victoria Panova also stressed the importance of continuing the process. “Our voice needs to be heard constantly. The Civil Council must have strength, structure and continuity,” she said. She recalled that the embryo of the Council emerged a decade ago, during Russia’s presidency of the bloc, and stressed that the consolidation of the space depends on concrete support from member states.
International presence marks the meeting in Rio
The presence of advisors from other countries set an international tone for the opening ceremony. In addition to the representatives already mentioned, leaders and experts from universities, research centers and grassroots movements from different Global South regions also took part in the discussion in Rio.
Elias Jabbour, president of the Pereira Passos Institute, highlighted the importance of BRICS as a space for geopolitical formulation for South America. “Of the major global events that Rio will host – the G20, BRICS and the World Cup – I consider BRICS to be the most important,” he said.
City councilor Maíra, from the MST, stressed that it was important to host the BRICS event in Rio de Janeiro, but the people’s leading role is what should be valued. “The BRICS Civil Council is strategic for encouraging debates on crucial issues for humanity, with the people taking the leading role.”
The agenda of the BRICS People’s Council in Brazil continues until the end of the year, with activities planned in different regions. The idea is to consolidate a tradition of people’s summits, capable of directly influencing the decisions of the bloc’s heads of state.
