BRICS

About BRICS

BRICS brings together five major emerging economies- China, Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa.
These 5 countries host 41% of the world population, contributing 24% of the world GDP and over 16% share in world trade.
The grouping was formalised during the first meeting of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) Foreign Ministers on the margins of the UNGA in New York in September 2006.
South Africa was added to the grouping in 2011 creating “BRICS”.
BRICS cooperation is aimed at complementing and strengthening existing bilateral and multilateral relations among member countries.
The Chairship of the forum is rotated annually among the members, in accordance with the acronym B-R-I-C-S.
Cooperation among members is predicated on three levels or “tracks” of interaction, namely:
- Track I: Formal diplomatic engagement between the national governments
- Track II: Engagement through government-affiliated institutions, e.g. state-owned enterprises and business councils
- Track III: Civil society and “people-to-people” engagement.

Significant developments of BRICS

New Development Bank

The NDB created by the BRICS countries formally came into existence at the Ufa Summit (Russia) in 2015.
It was established with the objective of financing infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS and other emerging economies and developing countries, complementing the efforts of multilateral and regional financial institutions toward global growth and development.
In 2018, the NDB received observer status in the UN General Assembly.
Voting power of each member is equal to the number of its subscribed shares in capital stock.
All members of the United Nations could be members of the bank, however the share of the BRICS nations can never be less than 55% of voting power.

Contingency Reserve

The BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA) is a framework for the provision of support through liquidity and precautionary instruments in response to actual or potential short-term balance of payments pressures.

Agriculture Research Platform

BRICS Agriculture Research Platform has been developed by India to promote cooperation in the areas of agricultural research, extension, technology transfer, training and capacity building.
The intention is to make the BRICS Agriculture Research Platform functional and encourage research cooperation to improve the use and application of agricultural technologies for meeting the needs of producers and processors.

Why in News?

Prominent media groups from the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries committed to stepping up dialogue and finding ways to generate strong synergies as they confront new common challenges, from the COVID-19 pandemic to the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
An action plan released following the Fifth BRICS Media Forum “committed to supporting and facilitating” BRICS media organisations through a range of initiatives, from joint training of journalists to exploring the application of new technologies, such as smart content production, smart broadcasting, satellite news, and AI anchors.

Reference

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