BRICS to establish a working group on environmental protection

On 22 April Moscow hosted the first official BRICS Environment Ministers Meeting on a green economy strategy for the sustainability and competitiveness of the BRICS countries.

The speakers emphasised that an eco-friendly economy promotes sustainable development of the BRICS countries in line with their national conditions and priorities. The participants noted the progress made in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

The ministers agreed that effective progress towards an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable future is important for reaching such goals as the eradication of poverty, protection and control of natural resources and resolving the issue of climate change.

They expressed their readiness to combine their efforts on drafting a policy to mitigate the consequences of climate change, adapt their national economies to account for adverse factors of influence on the environment and study the potential of the BRICS New Development Bank for funding environmental projects.

The ministers decided to establish a working group on environmental protection that will determine the priorities of their cooperation. In part, the group will study the possibility of creating a joint BRICS platform for exchanging best practices and environmentally clean technology and know-how.

They also reached an agreement on holding regular BRICS environment ministers meetings.