The 15th Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) Summit, held in South Africa on 23-24 August 2023, was surrounded by multiple dynamics. These included questions around President Putin’s attendance and the possibility of additional member states joining the Bloc. In the lead up to this Summit, the Department of History, University of South Africa (UNISA), the Thabo Mbeki African School of Public and International Affairs (TM-School), UNISA, and ACCORD, convened a BRICS High-Level Dialogue and Symposium on 14 and 15 August 2023 at UNISA in Pretoria, South Africa. The event was convened under the theme: “The Role of External Actors in Past, Present and Future of Peace and Security Engagement in Africa”.
Delegates discussed important issues related to development in the BRICS+ Bloc and the Global South. They focused on the role of external actors in peace and security cooperation in Africa. On the first day, the dialogue centred on the role of BRICS and other external actors in the past, present, and future of peace and cooperation in Africa. The session included insights from ACCORD’s Senior Advisor Ambassador Welile Nhlapo and questions from Associate Professor, Department of History, at UNISA Kwesi Prah. Ambassador Nhlapo pointed out that the BRICS nations have historically acted in isolation and continue to do so, given their diverse national interests. Hence, there are valid concerns about the bloc’s ability to create a cohesive foreign policy.
The academic Symposium took place on day two, with the intention of questioning peace diplomacy in Africa. The first session looked at “Chinese perspectives on peace diplomacy in Africa”, with virtual presentations by Director for the African Studies Centre at the China Foundation for International Studies, (retired) Ambassador Shu Zhan, and Executive Director at the Institute of African Studies, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, Mr. LI Wentao. The second session centred on “Pan-African Perspectives on Peace Diplomacy in Africa”, with insights from Ambassador Nhlapo; Senior Lecturer in the Department of Political and International Studies at Rhodes Univerisity, Dr. Cecilia Nedziwe; and Executive Director of the Institute for Global Dialogue, Dr. Philani Mthembu.
The content and related discussions of the Symposium will form part of an edited book that will be published by the UNISA Press and ACCORD. As such, the event aligns with one of ACCORD’s strategic objectives of Contributing evidence based analysis, policy support and knowledge to respond to complex conflicts.
