BRICS+ countries gather in Moscow for counter-terrorism conference

MOSCOW - Member countries of the BRICS+ bloc are gathering in Moscow to attend a two-day conference where they will assess national and regional strategies to address counter-terrorism and emerging security challenges and threats.

The meeting scheduled to start on Wednesday is an initiative of Russia in combining efforts of BRICS member states and partner countries to counter international terrorism, which is a threat to global peace and security.

Officials believe, “There is a risk of formation of transnational networks of radicalism, which further lead to terrorism and extremist groups themselves include their ‘agents’ of radicalisation that contribute to the spread of various destructive ideologies and practices among the population.”

It’s upon this background that the BRICS+ bloc convenes, insisting, “There is a need for effective restrictive measures to de-radicalise the population, including to neutralise the influence of foreign radical structures (among them NGOs and representatives of pseudo religious movements that justify and incite terrorist and extremist activities). 

The meeting is attended by government representatives, civil society, and academia engaged in extensive studies on counter terrorism and anti-extremism. Experts from counter terrorism structures of the United Nations, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) are also expected to attend.

President of the Republic of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva speaking, during the plenary session "Strengthening Multilateralism, Economic and Financial Affairs and Artificial Intelligence", at the Museum of Modern Art (MAM). Rio de Janeiro, on July 6th, 2025. (Credit: Hajarah Nalwadda)

Discussions, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry, will be centred on countering the financing of terrorism, use of modern information, communications, and technologies for illegal purposes, extremism, and attempts to radicalise the population.

A statement at the end of the conference will be issued, reflecting a consolidated position of BRICS member and partner countries in cooperation against terrorism.

Uganda government representatives are expected to attend since the country was admitted to the bloc in January this year as a partner state. 

Uganda has participated in regional efforts to fight terrorism. The country currently has its troops deployed in Somalia under an African Union peacekeeping mission.

The East African country has also deployed troops in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where they are fighting the rebel Allied Democratic Forces, an armed group linked to ISIL (ISIS).