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The way forward
The Hindu, February 21, 2013
From policy discussions to delivering tangible benefits, BRICS
nations plan on a wider cooperation
Drawing from the Sanya Declaration of
the BRICS Leaders Summit held in China in 2011, five reputed policy
research organisations have come together to form the Track 2
initiative called BRICS Trade and Economic Research Network (TERN)
which will work on a range of issues on South-South cooperation.
The five founding members Fundacao
Getulio Vargas, Brazil, Eco-Accord, Russia, CUTS International,
India, Shanghai WTO Affairs Consultation Centre, China and South
African Institute of International Affairs are of the view that
BRICS cooperation should move from policy discussions to delivering
tangible benefits for the people of these five countries, in areas
of sharing technology, increase in bilateral investment and trade
etc. This development comes in the run up to the BRICS Leaders
Summit which will be held in Durban, South Africa in March 2013.
Representing the civil society among the
various stakeholders, Pradeep S. Mehta, secretary general, CUTS
International said BRICS countries should answer critical questions
like, “Are we, the BRICS group of countries, becoming relatively
rich nations with many poor people, or are we poor countries with
some rich people?’’
Mr. Mehta added: “Our common future lies
on us and we have to act, not just talk.”
At a recent roundtable in the run up to
the Durban summit, Carlos Sergio Sobral Duarte, Ambassador of Brazil
highlighted several issues stating BRICS as a coalition has evolved
on economic and financial fundamentals and now it is also acquiring
a political identity. He also highlighted the commonalities among
BRICS economic strengths (land, population, regional importance),
challenges in terms of social and economic inclusion and desire to
make the international order more representative. Deng Xijun, Deputy
Chief of Mission and Minister Counsellor, Embassy of China was of
the view that BRICS countries and other emerging economies have
become an important force in the new world order, their significance
cannot be denied.
He said currently BRICS countries are
cooperating in thirty areas, and coordinating positions on important
regional and international issues. This is also due to the common
aspirations of these countries for development and poverty
reduction.
Axel Harneit-Sievers, Country Director,
India, Heinrich Boell Foundation, raised the need for institutional
mechanisms in the on-going cooperation. Pranav Kumar, Director and
Head, International Policy and Trade raised the point about BRICS
and its engagement with IBSA. The roundtable also identified the
need to have a systematic and continuous flow of information from
the BRICS coalition through website/portal which can be managed by a
Track 2 network.
The participants agreed that the
expectation from the BRICS coalition is quite high and the
institutional mechanisms should help in delivering measurable
outcomes for these countries in areas of trade, investment, climate
change and poverty reduction among others.
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