Social security issues will be at the top of the agenda at the BRICS country meeting to be held next month by South Africa, which will take over the presidency of the five-nation bloc from China on January 1 this year.
BRICS is an economic bloc consisting of: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. South Africa was founded on June 16, 2009 and joined BRICS in December 2010.
Sipho Ndebele, acting deputy director-general of South Africa’s Ministry of Employment and Labour, said South Africa’s presidency of the BRICS would give it an opportunity to promote regional and global issues due to skyrocketing unemployment and the health consequences created by the pandemic.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor is preparing to host the first of a series of BRICS Employment Working Group (EWG) meetings in February.
The BRICS Research Network Forum also meets at the same time.
“At the height of the discussions will be social security issues. This series of EWG and Research Network Forum meetings will culminate in the EWG meeting of labor and employment ministers in September 2023,” Ndebele said.
The first BRICS EWG and Research Network Forum meetings will take place from 21-24 February 2023 just outside Johannesburg.
“We are considering the meetings of the two forums to discuss priority issues during the technical meetings in preparation for the meeting of labor and employment ministers,” Ndebele said.
This will be the third time South Africa has taken over the presidency of the BRICS for a year, this time amid the global crisis triggered by issues such as Covid-19, sharp increases in food prices, fertilizers, energy, interest rates, currency depreciation, stagflation and unemployment.
Some of these problems have been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine. South Africa’s theme for its presidency is: “Delivering decent work, dignity and respect for all!”
The theme will focus on building sustainable businesses, including new forms of employment and increasing productivity; promoting labor rights and reducing decent work shortages in the context of recovery; universal social protection and guaranteeing a minimum basic income; and promoting decent work by closing skills gaps in the informal economy.
To ensure the support of global initiatives for a people-centered recovery from the Covid-19 crisis, South Africa has also invited countries such as Botswana, Eswatini, Malawi, Namibia and Zimbabwe. The African Union has also been invited.
The International Labor Organization (ILO) and the International Social Security Association (ISSA) will provide technical support during the meetings.
