UN Chief Calls For Multilateral Push Amid BRICS Expansion

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaking at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg in the wake of the news that the group will expand its numbers by six, adding Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Guterres states that "We need a strengthened and reformed multilateral architecture based on UN charter and international law...Today's global governance structures such as the UN Security Council, IMF and World Bank reflect yesterday's world...Fragmentation is inevitable if multilateral institutions do not reflect today's power and economic realities."

• Guterres: "We are moving towards a multipolar world. But multipolarism is not enough to get a peaceful and just society...In a fracturing world overwhelmed by crises, there is simply no alternative to cooperation....We must urgently restore trust and reinvigorate multilateralism for the 21st century."
• The inclusion of Iran in the list of BRICS invitees remains both a snub to the West but also a potential headache further down the line for the original BRICS members. While Iran and Saudi Arabia have resumed diplomatic links since a China-brokered deal was reached earlier this year, the two remain on opposite sides in a number of regional conflicts, and will continue to view each other as challengers for hegemony in the Middle East.