Chairperson,
Honourable Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of Labour and Employment of the Republic of India;
Honourable Ministers and Heads of Delegation;
Distinguished Representatives of the International Organisations;
Ladies and Gentlemen,

South Africa congratulates the Republic of India on its successful stewardship of the BRICS Presidency and commends the leadership demonstrated in advancing a practical and forward-looking agenda under the theme 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability'.

We also express our appreciation to the Government of India for the warm hospitality extended to our delegation and for the excellent arrangements for this Ministerial Meeting.

The four priorities before us are both timely and strategically important. Expanding social protection, promoting the formalisation of labour markets, increasing women's participation in the economy, strengthening employability through skills development and harnessing digital technologies for the benefit of all workers are essential to building inclusive, resilient and future-ready labour markets.

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Honourable Chairperson,

South Africa welcomes the practical, people-centred approach underpinning these priorities, which align closely with our national development agenda and our shared commitment to advancing decent work, reducing inequality and ensuring that economic transformation leaves no one behind.

South Africa also welcomes the proposed establishment of BRICS CONNECT as an important institutional innovation that moves our cooperation beyond policy dialogue towards practical collaboration.

We believe that a platform for technical cooperation, knowledge exchange and capacity building will strengthen our collective ability to respond to common labour market challenges while respecting the diverse national circumstances and development priorities of BRICS members.

 We encourage continued collaboration with the International Labour Organisation and other knowledge partners to ensure that our cooperation remains evidence-based and responsive to the evolving world of work.

As we are going to adopt the Twelfth BRICS Labour and Employment Ministers' Declaration, South Africa reaffirms its commitment to strengthening BRICS solidarity, promoting South-South cooperation and working collectively to build labour markets that are more inclusive, productive and equitable.

We look forward to working with all Member States in implementing the commitments we make today for the benefit of our workers, our economies and our peoples.

I thank you.

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