The of BRICS Future

The futureof BRICS © 2021 Observer Research Foundation the Research and Information System for Developing Countries. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be ORF provides non-partisan, independent reproduced, stored in a retrieval system analyses on matters of security, strategy, or transmitted in any form or by any economy, development, energy and means, electronic, mechanical or global governance to diverse decision- photocopying, recording, or otherwise, makers including governments, business without the prior permission of the communities, academia and civil society. publisher. ORF’s mandate is to conduct in-depth research, provide inclusive platforms, and invest in tomorrow’s thought leaders today. Observer Research Foundation, 20 Rouse Avenue, Institutional Area, New Delhi, India 110002. [email protected] | www.orfonline.org EDITING AND PRODUCTION: Preeti Lourdes John DESIGN AND LAYOUT: Vidhi Mirpuri | GRAPHS : Rahil Miya Shaikh ISBN: 978-93-90494-60-6 The ideas and opinions expressed in the essays are those of the authors alone and cannot be assumed to reflect the views of the governments of the BRICS countries or the BRICS Think Tank Council. 2 TABLE OF TABLE Contents MULTILATERALISM • The BRICS Way to Multilateralism Amid Crisis 6 by Sachin Chaturvedi and Sabyasachi Saha, India • Rescuing Multilateralism: The Role of the BRICS in Fostering Inclusive and Efficient Global Governance Institutions by Andre de Mello e Souza, Brazil • BRICS as the Platform for “Reformed Multilateralism” by Yaroslav Lissovolik, Russia • A Continued Commitment to Multilateralism by Shen Yi, China • Multilateralism in a Multipolar World: More Space for Developing Countries by Philani Mthembu, South Africa. INTERNATIONAL SECURITY 42 • Reprioritising Counterterrorism in BRICS Agenda by Tanvi Kulkarni, India • National Security and Defence in Brazil: Exploring Scope for BRICS Cooperation by Luis Felipe Giesteira, Brazil • BRICS: A Role Model in a Crumbling World by Victoria Panova and Valeriia Gorbacheva, Russia • Developing BRICS Frameworks to Address Non-Traditional Security Threats by Zhu Tianxiang, China • Towards a Responsive BRICS Cross-Border Framework on International Security by Nirmala Gopal, South Africa. 3 TABLE OF TABLE Contents DIGITALISATION • Overcoming Barriers to Health Data Sharing Among BRICS Countries 89 by Mohit Chawdhry, India • The Industry 4.0 and Digital Economy Challenges for BRICS by Uallace Moreira, Brazil • Developing a BRICS-Led Digital Literacy Framework by Alexandra Morozkina and Evgeny Tonkikh, Russia • Establishing a BRICS Digital Governance Framework by Liu Ru, China • Driving Digitalisation and AI Development by Louise Leenen, South Africa CLIMATE CHANGE AND SDGS 134 • Accelerating Finance, Capacity Development and Innovation in BRICS for a Net-Zero Future by Pallavi Das and Vaibhav Chaturvedi, India • Reviving a Global South Stance on Climate Action by Rodrigo Fracalossi de Moraes, Brazil • Reestablishing Global Cooperation is Key to Achieving SDGs by Leonid Grigoryev, Russia • Assessing BRICS Climate Finance and Sustainable Development Goals by Hong Lan and Yahan Chen, China • Financing Regenerative Agricultural Practices Through Innovation in BRICS by Thulisile Mphambukeli, South Africa. 4 From its very inception, the BRICS Think Tank Council (BTTC) has encouraged and supported many academic publications on topics of critical importance to the BRICS. Since the BRICS chair alternates every year, the BTTC member of the host country takes on the responsibility of initiating new publications in collaboration with the other members. In the past years, we have seen some valuable academic research work being done by the members on behalf of the BTTC. In 2021, with India as the BRICS chair, the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), the Indian BTTC member, is honoured to bring out this compendium of essays titled ‘The Future of BRICS’. We wholeheartedly thank the other BTTC partners for their support and cooperation in realising this objective. We are also grateful to the 25 scholars for their valuable time and effort in producing the essays. The BRICS agenda covers both intra-BRICS cooperation on a variety of common problems as well as global governance issues. Of these, the following four areas of great contemporary relevance to BRICS were selected for in-depth analysis: • Multilateralism with the focus on reformed multilateralism. The theme includes reforms of multilateral institutions, questions of global governance and ways of making it more efficient and representative. • International Security exploring both traditional and non-traditional threats to peace and security. Naturally, terrorism forms a major part of the debate. There are other related issues like the illegal flow of capital, money laundering and violent extremism. • Digitalisation focusing on a global framework for digital public goods, digital governance and digitalisation for sustainable development. The other aspect is the way to use digitalisation to encourage inclusivity in the growth and development process. • Climate Change and SDGs to address how the problem of climate change is impacting the realisation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The specific issues discussed include the need for greater climate financing, capacity building and favorable ecosystems for innovation. Scholars from each of the five BRICS countries have contributed essays on each of these themes. The different perspectives and nuances that the scholars bring to bear make this compendium a valuable academic work and also acts as an input for policymakers in the five countries in identifying new strategies. We hope that this compendium will be a valuable addition to the growing body of research and knowledge on BRICS and will encourage further debates and discussions on these themes. Curators’ Note H.H.S. VISWANATHAN Distinguished Fellow, Observer Research Foundation AKSHAY MATHUR Director, ORF Mumbai and Head, ORF Geoeconomics Studies Programme 5 Multilateralism 6 he crisis in global multilateral processes (based on the principles and structures of the twentieth century) has been increasingly evident over the last two decades. The crisis has been hampering multilateral processes have led attributed to several factors, including the increasing to a weakening of public perceptions on complexityT of global challenges and the cross- multilateralism, a trend that seems irreversible. influences across domains that are clearly beyond While global inequalities in access to finance, the scope of the multilateral mechanisms. Another technology, resource mobilisation and trading key challenge was the relative successful catch-up capacities are multiplying, climate change and by emerging countries, especially in Asia and Latin security challenges have also intensified. The America. The rise of the BRICS countries triggered unimaginative and conservative approaches an important shift towards multipolarity, putting to global governance and norm-setting across significant pressure on the existing hegemony in trade, finance and technology are grossly multilateral institutions. Such hegemonic control inadequate to resolve or address the emerging resulted in ill-designed multilateral institutions that challenges that have recurring frequency could not fulfil their mandates and did not address with diverse origins. There has to be greater the critical flaw of the unequal representation of recognition that some of the changes are in fact developing countries. Consequently, fissures and irreversible and persistent, like climate change stress were visible in trade, technology, climate and that of technological disruptions, with change, finance, development, and public health, huge ramifications for the present and future and some institutions now stand on the verge of a generations. An objective assessment of legacy ‘collapse’. Despite several efforts over the last two principles (such as common but differentiated decades to reform multilateral institutions, not responsibility and special and differential much has been achieved towards serving the needs treatment provisions) is necessary for these to of developing countries and mitigating impending be relevant in strengthening multilateralism. global challenges.1 The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise The financial crisis of the 2000s, Brexit, the retreat to many uncertainties. While multilateral to protectionism and rise of inward orientation, institutions were created to generate consensus bilateral trade wars, sanctions, unilateral actions to collectively respond to such crisis, the magnitude of the pandemic has overwhelmed these organisations, with delays and indecisions inflicting huge material and human costs. The revival plans being discussed will fail in the absence of THE BRICS WAY TO Multilateralism AMID CRISIS SACHIN CHATURVEDI AND SABYASACHI SAHA 7 goodwill and generosity, and will leave countries and humanity unprepared in terms of recovery from the crises, both present and future. The ongoing stalemate at the World Trade Organization (WTO) also highlights a very uncertain global economic outlook. The failure of the rules-based trading order is ‘gains’ from trade have been highly skewed in favour symbolic of the larger malaise affecting global of the traditional trading powers. The complexities institutions as trade stands at the intersection created by imperfect markets have multiplied with of people, prosperity, and planet. Existing servicification of merchandise and digital trade and global

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