Environment
The inaugural meeting of the BRICS Ministers of Environment held in Moscow, Russia in April 2015 agreed to strengthen cooperation on environmental issues. The meeting led to establishment of a Working Group on Environment for identifying and discussing priority areas of cooperation, to share best environmental practices amongst BRICS countries and to facilitate the exchange of environmentally sound technologies and know-how with the participation of public and private stakeholders in BRICS countries.
So far, 6 meetings of the BRICS Environment Ministers have been held, the latest on 31 July 2020. A number of initiatives have been launched during the BRICS Environment Ministers’ meetings. The BRICS Environmentally Sound Technology (BEST) Platform launched in 2015, aims to facilitate accumulation and exchange of experience/information on best available practices and environmentally friendly (“green”) technologies to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The 'Clean Rivers of BRICS' concept developed within the BRICS Technology Platform during the inaugural BRICS Working Group meeting hosted by Russia in 2016aimed to have a structured approach to cooperation amongst BRICS countries on clean rivers.
The BRICS Partnership for Urban Environment Sustainability Initiative (PUESI), launched in 2017 aims to enhance cooperation between municipalities of BRICS countries to realize Sustainable Development Goal 11 of ‘making cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable’.
A Memorandum of Understanding on Environmental Cooperation was signed between the BRICS countries in 2018 to facilitate exchange of experiences, best practices and technical know-how through both public and private sectors in priority areas like Air Quality, Water, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Waste Management and SDGs.
