Prospects for Humanitarian Diplomacy of the BRICS Countries in Latin America after the Expansion of the Group

Abstract

: In August, 2023, six more states joined the BRICS format, many of which, like the five previously cooperating countries, are involved in humanitarian diplomacy. The article aims to identify new trends in the BRICS countries’ humanitarian diplomacy with Latin American countries. AidData databases, press releases, websites of humanitarian agencies and foreign ministries are used to identify trends in the bilateral humanitarian activities of the BRICS countries. In the process of comparing data, the existence of bilateral (in some cases multilateral) projects with Latin American states has been systematized. The bilateral relations of BRICS countries with states excluded from humanitarian ties were also analysed in order to identify possible contradictions. As a result, it is shown that among the BRICS states, all states except South Africa are proactive in Latin America, implementing humanitarian projects with the majority of states in the region. South Africa continues to receive aid from major Latin American countries, but does not engage with the region as a donor. Among the new BRICS participants, three groups of countries are distinguished based on activity of their humanitarian diplomacy in the region: those actively cooperating with Latin American countries, those cooperating with individual states, and states with insufficient resources or insufficient interest in investing in the region. The BRICS countries that are actively involved in humanitarian ties with the region have room to develop multilateral cooperation in the humanitarian sphere.