First Civil BRICS Forum

From 29 June through 1 July, the President Hotel in Moscow will host the first Civil BRICS Forum. The event is expected to become a permanent format of the association's activities.

The Civil Forum is an official event of Russia's BRICS Presidency. Its main aim is to foster constructive dialogue between representatives of civil society and decision-makers in such vitally important social spheres as healthcare, education, culture, development, urbanisation, finances, and others.

The forum will be attended by some 500 people - government officials, business people, journalists, and civil society experts from Russia, Brazil, India, China and South Africa.

The forum participants will present the Recommendations of BRICS Civil Society to Governments of BRICS Countries, the final product of the efforts of seven working groups on healthcare, science and education, peace and security, culture and intercivilisation dialogue, economics and trade, improving interethnic relations, and sustainable development.

Participants will also adopt the final document, "Address of BRICS Civil Society to the Leaders of the BRICS Countries," which will be presented to the official delegation at BRICS Summit in Ufa in July 2015.

The forum will include plenary sessions, panel discussions, working group meetings, open sessions of the international drafting committee for the final document, and open discussion platforms. The cultural programme will feature performances of folklore groups showcasing the cultures of BRICS countries, as well as an exhibition of civil initiatives to mark the defeat of Nazism in WWII.

The Civil BRICS Forum began in April 2015 as a political process, the first of its kind undertaken by Russia during its second BRICS Presidency.