New Delhi, Jun 1 (FN Bureau) Foreign Ministers of five BRICS countries on Tuesday called for timely establishment and operationalisation of a BRICS Vaccine Research and Development Center. The ministers discussed the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the world, and stressed the need for reforms in the global health governance system with the World Health Organisation at its core. The Ministers also expressed strong condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, whenever, wherever, and by whom-so-ever committed.
They expressed their commitment to fully implement BRICS Counter Terrorism Strategy, including by way of a result-oriented Action Plan. Earlier welcoming the ministers, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the pandemic has provided a larger context to assess the world and policies. Saying that this is a time to reflect on its many implications, he said , “Our collective endeavour is also to ensure that global decision-making reflects contemporary realities” The EAM said India, current chair of the grouping, has identified four key deliverables– Reform of the Multilateral System, Counter Terrorism Cooperation, Using Digital and Technological Solutions to achieve SDGs, and Enhancing People to People Cooperation.
In a joint statement after a virtual meeting chaired by Jaishankar, the Ministers called for reforming and strengthening the entire multilateral architecture, including the United Nations and its principal organs such as the Security Council, and international organisations like the World Trade Organisation, the IMF and the World bank;. “The Ministers called for making global governance more inclusive, representative and participatory to facilitate greater and more meaningful participation of developing and least developed countries in global decision-making processes and structures and make it better attuned to contemporary realities,” said the Ministry of External Affairs after the meeting. The Ministers of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa reviewed progress in intra-BRICS cooperation.
They reiterated their commitment to Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and in this regard, stressed the importance of financing for development, capacity building and transfer of technology to developing countries. The Ministers also expressed their support for Paris Agreement on climate change. They also called for the comprehensive implementation of the Strategy for BRICS Economic Partnership 2025 through all means for its effective realization. The BRICS partners appreciated India’s efforts in keeping up the momentum of BRICS cooperation and looked forward to greater cooperation in the areas they discussed. The Foreign Affairs Ministers of Brazil, Carlos Alberto Franco França, Russia, Sergey Lavrov, China, Wang Yi, and South Africa, Grace Naledi Mandisa Pandor took part in the online discussion.