BRICS Presents Official List of “Common Values” at Forum in Brazil
BRICS Forum in Brasília Approves Core Shared Values for Cultural, Economic, and Social Cooperation
At the second BRICS “Traditional Values” Forum, held in the capital of Brazil, Brasília, the official list of common values for the member countries was presented and approved.
The approved list includes: compassion, cultural sovereignty and equality of cultures, economic well-being and social justice, a multipolar world, health, focus on development, responsibility to future generations, humanism and peacefulness, mutual respect, moderation and avoidance of fanaticism, solidarity and unity, as well as a culture of honesty.
Speaking at the Forum’s opening, Dmitry Kuznetsov, Deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and Vice-President of the Forum, recalled the quote of Jorge Amado, a classic Brazilian writer, about a world where “the color of one’s skin will mean no more than the difference in ages, and all people will become brothers.”
Dmitry Kuznetsov emphasized: “Understanding and relying on values shared by our peoples is the platform upon which BRICS cooperation can reach a new level of success in many fields, not only in culture. Economic, technological, social, and humanitarian interaction should gain additional momentum when based on a common set of values.”
He noted that BRICS countries are united not only pragmatism, but also by a deep spiritual foundation in which literature plays a vital role: “How do we find this common foundation of values? There is a clue in the words of the President of Russia, who just a few days ago said that literature itself is an excellent environment for communication, and we support strengthened cooperation among writers from different countries. Because it is writers who express and formulate what we believe in, what we dream about, and what we hope for.”
Dmitry Kuznetsov expressed his gratitude to the Academy of Literature of Brazil (Academia de Letras do Brasil), the Union of Writers of Russia, the Russian Book Union, and writers’ unions from other countries for their joint efforts in the framework of the BRICS Literature Award and the creation of the Alliance of Writers’ Unions – BRICS Literature Network. According to him, analysis of the works of award nominees made it possible for the expert group to define those classic and modern values that unite the member countries.
The final document of the Forum is a declaration, which enshrines the agreements reached. In particular, its first point states:
“To recognize the list of common values of the BRICS states, determined by the analysis of the works of the BRICS Literature Award nominees, as shared and meaningful for the peoples of BRICS, and to encourage international projects based on these values in order to strengthen friendly relations and promote a more active dialogue on values between BRICS countries.”
The Forum organizers note that reaching and approving clear spiritual and moral guidelines is an important step toward harmonious and fair international cooperation in the face of global challenges.
