At the 2025 BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Mexico renewed its call to redirect 1% of global military budgets toward economic and social development, emphasizing peace, environmental restoration, and human well-being over militarization.

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During the 2025 BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Mexican Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente, attending as a guest, reiterated President Claudia Sheinbaum’s visionary proposal to allocate 1% of global military spending to a dedicated fund for economic and social development.

This initiative aims to shift resources away from endless militarization toward urgent priorities such as reforestation, community support programs, and fostering global well-being through sustainable development.

Mexico’s proposal, previously shared with the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the Group of Seven (G7), highlights a critical distinction often overlooked by capitalist powers: economic growth does not equate to economic development or social well-being.

President Sheinbaum emphasized that Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth alone fails to reflect the equitable distribution of wealth or the health of communities and environments.

Sheinbaum stated at a press conference on July 7, 2025, that development must be sustainable and prioritize the planet’s preservation, not sacrifice it for profit or military dominance.

Redirecting even a fraction of the vast military budgets,currently soaring amid global tensions,could finance transformative programs addressing poverty, ecological collapse, and social inequality.

The BRICS nations, representing 36% of global GDP and 45% of the world’s population, have expressed growing concerns about rising nuclear threats and the urgent need to strengthen disarmament and nonproliferation frameworks.

Mexico’s proposal aligns with this vision of a peaceful world centered on human dignity and collective well-being, rather than escalating arms races and geopolitical rivalries.

En Río de Janeiro, Brasil, el canciller Juan Ramón de la Fuente participó en el segmento de diálogo con los observadores invitados a la Cumbre de los BRICS, "Medio Ambiente, COP30 y Salud Global", en donde reiteró la propuesta de la presidenta Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo de destinar… pic.twitter.com/OM8oYmuWnt

— Relaciones Exteriores (@SRE_mx) July 7, 2025

Part of the text reads: In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente participated in the dialogue segment with invited observers at the BRICS Summit, titled “Environment, COP30, and Global Health,” where he reiterated President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo’s proposal to allocate 1% of global military spending to launch the most important reforestation program in history.

This stance stands in stark contrast to the militaristic policies promoted by imperialist powers, notably the United States under Donald Trump, who recently threatened punitive tariffs on countries supporting BRICS’ “anti-US” positions. Sheinbaum firmly rejected such coercion, affirming Mexico’s constitutional commitment to cooperation and peaceful development as the foundation of its foreign policy.

The Mexican initiative calls for a global summit focused on development for well-being, urging nations to reconsider their priorities amid mounting global crises. By reallocating just 1% of military expenditures,an amount dwarfed by current defense budgets,governments could fund large-scale reforestation, social programs, and infrastructure that uplift marginalized communities.

This proposal not only challenges the logic of endless militarization but also offers a tangible pathway toward a more just and sustainable world, where human needs and environmental health take precedence over profit and war.

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