On August 16, 2019, 5th BRICS Minister of Environment Meeting held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, which was preceded by the 2-day meeting of BRICS Joint Working Group on Environment. The Indian delegation was led by Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Prakash Javadekar.
Highlights of 5th Meeting of BRICS Environment Ministers:
While addressing the meeting, Mr. Prakash Javadekar stated that India has achieved its Nationally Determined Contributions(NDCs) under Paris Agreement, reduction of energy intensity by 25 %, increment of forest cover by nearly 15,000 sqkm , Swachh Bharat Mission initiative, Waste Management Rules.
He appreciated the initiatives of BRICS countries and reaffirmed India’s support to BRICS cooperation.
He also invited the BRICS Ministers delegations to join at 14th CoP (Conference of Parties ) scheduled to be held from 2 – 13 September 2019 and contribute to the efforts to combat desertification and land degradation.
i. Make India free of single-use plastic campaign: During the meeting, Javadekar has announced massive campaign that will be launched to make India free of single-use plastic.
ii. Key Initiatives: The Ministers of BRICS countries underlined the” Partnership on Urban Environmental Sustainability Initiative (PUESI)” for sharing knowledge & experience on major issues such as waste management, cogeneration, reverse logistics, sanitation, urban air quality, urban green areas.
iii. Cooperation Platform: BRICS Environmentally Sound Technology (BEST) Cooperation Platform was highlighted for innovations, knowledge sharing and capacity building&
iv. Clean River of BRICS program: It was adopted for improvement of the river ecosystem and tackling marine waste.
v. Affirmation: The Ministers agreed to support the development of Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework & they urged developed countries to meet their commitment under the UNFCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) and its Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement to provide means of implementation of climate finance, technology development and transfer and capacity-building support.
vi. Appreciation: The participated BRICS Ministers praised the Indian Presidency of the 14th session of the CoP of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.
vii. Representatives: Brazil was led by Mr. Ricardo Salles, Minister of Environment. Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Mr. Dmitry Kobylkin led the Russian delegation, while the Chinese delegation was led by Mr. Huang Runqiu, Vice-Minister of Ecology and Environment and the South African delegation was led by Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, Ms. Barbara Creecy.
About Brazil:
♦ Capital: Brasilia
♦ Currency: Brazilian real
♦ President: Jair Bolsonaro
About BRICS:
♦ Acronym BRICS, refers to 5 major emerging economies include, Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
♦ Originally as per term ‘BRIC’ coined in 2001 by then-chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Jim O’Neill, South Africa was not a part of this grouping. It joined in 2010 and thereafter these countries have been collectively referred to as BRICS nations.