Signboards of the 15th BRICS summit are seen on a street of Johannesburg, South Africa, Aug. 17, 2023. (Xinhua/Chen Cheng)
BRICS offers an alternative to address the injustice inflicted on developing nations, said Melaku Mulualem, senior international relations and diplomacy researcher at the Ethiopian Institute of Strategic Affairs, underlining BRICS' importance in safeguarding the interests of African countries.
ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The BRICS is increasingly serving as a crucial platform for developing nations to address the long-standing global injustice, an Ethiopian expert has said.
In a recent interview with Xinhua, Melaku Mulualem, senior international relations and diplomacy researcher at the Ethiopian Institute of Strategic Affairs, shed light on the potential benefits of BRICS membership for African countries and highlighted the crucial role of China in the group's development initiatives.
"BRICS represents developing countries," Mulualem said, in light of the backdrop of the current globalized world suffering from historical injustice, primarily caused by Western countries and institutions.
He argued that such institutions are often used as tools to exert influence and control over other nations through financial and other means.
The BRICS countries offer an alternative to address the injustice inflicted on developing nations, Mulualem said, underlining the importance of BRICS in safeguarding the interests of African countries.
At the just-concluded BRICS summit, six countries, namely Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), were officially invited to join the BRICS. Their membership will take effect on Jan. 1, 2024.
A worker arranges a signboard of the 15th BRICS summit outside the Sandton Convention Center in Johannesburg, South Africa, Aug. 17, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Yudong)
Mulualem attributed the growing interest in joining BRICS to the perceived injustice in the world, saying that the summit provides African nations with a platform to understand the organization's programs, initiatives, and roles in the global economy and politics.
He perceived the BRICS countries' significant share in the global economy and population as an attractive force for other countries to join.
As BRICS was established by developing countries, Mulualem said, it resonated with other developing nations. Consequently, many developing countries in Africa and elsewhere could benefit from the resources and opportunities offered by the BRICS countries.
As for sustainable development, Mulualem stressed the need for efficient resource utilization and development that does not compromise the interests of future generations, saying that BRICS' sustainable development initiatives, which prioritize environmental considerations, could serve as a model for other developing countries.
The expert, in particular, underscored China's role in BRICS as a significant driving force, commending China's financial contributions to various development initiatives within BRICS, which he believed helped bridge the gaps left by institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.■
