A round table of the working group of the BRICS Civil Society Forum "Sovereign Economic and Financial Development" was held in Moscow
Leading Russian experts in the field of economics, as well as representatives of the academic community, discussed the upcoming work plan of the group and key areas of its activities. Proposals from the Russian side were put on the agenda of the round table for inclusion in the position papers of the BRICS Civil Society Forum, which will be submitted for subsequent discussion in an international format with the participation of representatives of all countries of the association.
The event was attended by the head of the BRICS Expert Council, Vice Rector of the Higher School of Economics, Co-chairman of the BRICS Civil Society Forum Victoria Panova. In her speech, she spoke about the history of the formation of the Civil BRICS, noting that the work of the civil track within the framework of the current Russian presidency of the association should continue after its completion, becoming a process that benefits Russian society on an ongoing basis.
According to her, it is the issues of economic development and the monetary and financial system that can become a key contribution of the Russian presidency. The second important area of work of the BRICS Civil Society should be efforts to effectively integrate new members of the association so that they can connect to all formats of work as quickly as possible.
Nikolay Ostarkov, Co-chairman of the working group of the BRICS Civil Council "Sovereign Economic and Financial Development", presented the main conceptual areas of activity that will be offered to foreign participants of the group from the BRICS countries. The problems of sustainable development and the expansion of the range of risks of the ESG format, economic losses and risks derived from the monopoly position of the dollar in the global financial system, the prospects for creating a BRICS currency, the risk of collapse of digital platforms and the Internet in the face of exponential growth of transactions – such problems were outlined to the members of the group by Nikolai Ostarkov.
During the meeting, the participants worked out a format for interaction between the members of the working group, discussed basic approaches to the development of Russian proposals in the position documents of the BRICS Civil Society. The members of the working group also made proposals on the conceptual content of the term "sustainable development", on the inclusion in the final documents of the environmental agenda, with the understanding of the need for its objective assessment by the institutions of the countries of the association, issues of the right to manage global processes, the need to develop digital payment systems protected from unauthorized access attempts and external pressure, etc.
The discussion on the results of the meeting will continue at the national level in face-to-face and online formats for further discussion with representatives of the BRICS countries.