South Africa pushes BRICS unity on global trade issues

President Cyril Ramaphosa has warned that unilateral tariffs are undermining emerging markets

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered a call for solidarity and reform at the Extraordinary BRICS Leaders Meeting on Monday, warning that the world faces an era of “disruption and chaos” that threatens to derail development in the Global South.

In an address, Ramaphosa said the global economic landscape is undergoing seismic shifts—from unipolarity to multipolarity—characterised by rising geopolitical tensions, trade wars, and a resurgence of protectionism that is exacting a toll on developing economies.

”The uncertainty of the new trading regime has already negatively affected employment levels in my own country, South Africa,” he said. “It is an obstacle to our economic growth.”

Ramaphosa warned that unilateral tariff measures and an increasingly fragmented global trading system were undermining the prospects of emerging markets. He called on BRICS nations to take the lead in shaping a more equitable and resilient global order, rooted in multilateralism and meaningful cooperation.

Ramaphosa asserted, urging reforms to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the broader multilateral system to ensure that developing countries can move beyond the lower rungs of global value chains.

”Global trade must work for all of us,” he added.

Highlighting Africa’s strategic importance, Ramaphosa painted a vision of the continent not as a supplier of raw materials, but as a global economic hub for innovation, value creation and regional integration.

“Our vision is of an Africa that is the beating heart of global trade,” he said.

South Africa, currently chairing the G20, has launched an Extraordinary Committee of Independent Experts on Global Wealth Inequality, chaired by Nobel Laureate Professor Joseph Stiglitz. The committee will deliver the first-ever global inequality report to G20 leaders, with solutions aimed at tackling poverty, inequality, and developmental imbalances.

On global security, Ramaphosa backed Brazil’s call for a ceasefire in Gaza and reiterated South Africa’s support for a two-state solution, linking peace and development as mutually reinforcing goals.

Calling for the finalization of the BRICS Economic Partnership Strategy 2030, Ramaphosa urged member states to shift from “firefighting mode” to strategic action.

“Let us demonstrate how consensus is built through negotiation and not through coercion,” he said.

As global economic fractures deepen, Ramaphosa’s remarks positioned BRICS as a potential anchor for stability and reform. ”This global trading crisis provides a great opportunity for us to do things differently. Let us undertake all these important actions together, in a spirit of partnership and solidarity”, he stated.

First published by IOL

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