BRICS People’s Summit Opens in Rio to Formalize Civil-Society Role

Overview

• The first Cúpula Popular convened on December 1 at Armazém da Utopia in Rio de Janeiro to integrate social movements into BRICS decision-making.
• In a video address, New Development Bank president Dilma Rousseff praised the summit as a permanent dialogue channel and noted new demands on the bank’s investment capacity.
• Debates focus on economic cooperation, multilateralism, multipolarity, global governance, reduced reliance on the U.S. dollar, and financial reserve arrangements.
• Organizers say the meeting will formalize how the Civil Popular Council, created at the 2024 Kazan summit, will operate on a permanent basis.
• The event is the last major activity under Brazil’s BRICS presidency before India assumes leadership in 2026, with July summit pledges on climate finance and local-currency use framing the next steps.