In the current international context in which the pandemic has dealt a severe blow, several questions arise in relation to the future of global governance (GG) and the role that emerging countries such as the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) will play in it.

In this article, the author first analyzes the acquired weight of the BRICS, then highlights the weaknesses of global governance and finally tryes to understand what impacts BRICS may have on it.

This paper aims at describing if, in a context of global gridlock and emerging issues such as climate change, a decisive role could be played by the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). Despite these countries experiencing internal and structural problems, they could represent an innovative answer to the functioning of the current global framework. In fact, even though they are not considered to be as accountable as western countries in many areas, their leading commitment to global issues such as climate change could provide an important solution to strengthening their weak ‘soft power’. By working together to instigate global change, and taking advantage of Western ‘decline’, can the BRICS play a decisive role in shaping global governance?

The paper considers both the limitations of and the potential for BRICS countries in the reshaping of the international framework. Moreover, the author provides some interpretations to the current situation, especially in light of the prospective impact that COVID-19 may have on these three fields.