Russia
Source: www.pircenter.org

By Sergey Sebekin

Information security has long been one of the central topics on the BRICS agenda. The first brief mention of the need to ensure international information security and of the fight against cybercrime was made in a declaration made at the 3rd BRICS summit held on April 14, 2011 in Sanya, China. The BRICS approach to information security and cybercrime was then fleshed out more fully in the Fortaleza Declaration adopted at the 6th BRICS summit held on June 2014 in Brazil. The reason for the greater focus on the subject included Edward Snowden's disclosures, which prompted the BRICS nations to take the issue of information security more seriously and to condemn "acts of mass electronic surveillance".

Commitment to the principles of national sovereignty, noninterference, and unacceptability of mass electronic surveillance were reiterated in the Declaration of Ufa adopted at the 7th BRICS summit held on July 9, 2015 in Ufa, Russia. That declaration contained the first specific list of areas of cooperation on international information security among the BRICS nations, which included: sharing information and best practices on IT security; coordination of measures against cybercrime; cooperation between the BRICS nations using the existing outfits charged with responding to computer security incidents (the CSIRT groups); capacity-building programs; development of international norms, principles, and standards; and other areas. The need for cooperation on information security and rules of responsible conduct in cyberspace was further reflected in the Declaration of Brasilia adopted at the 11th BRICS summit on November 14, 2019. That declaration also highlighted "the importance of UN-recognized norms, rules, and principles of responsible conduct of states in the area of information and computer technologies".

In 2015, BRICS also established an Expert Working Group on IT security. In 2017, the BRICS nations adopted the "Roadmap of practical BRICS cooperation on IT security", which specifies areas of cooperation at the international level. At present, efforts are under way to build a legislative framework for cooperation between the BRICS states on information security, as well as to develop a BRICS intergovernmental agreement on information security cooperation.

On November 17, 2020, the XII BRICS Summit, held under the motto "BRICS Partnership for Global Stability, Common Security and Innovative Growth", ended. In the aftermath of this summit the Moscow Declaration was adopted, which further reflected the provisions on the need for further cooperation on ensuring the security of ICT both under the auspices of the UN, and within the framework of BRICS and the Working Group of Experts established within the organization. The Declaration also recognizes the need for intergovernmental cooperation in bilateral and multilateral formats for the implementation of the Roadmap for Practical Cooperation of the BRICS countries in ensuring security in the use of ICT. Following the results of the summit, the EWG was instructed to develop a Roadmap for the development of cooperation in this area, which should be adopted already in 2021 and should include specific measures to strengthen collective security, develop joint actions of the BRICS member countries in the field of information security, as well as issues of legal regulation of the problem of children's information security on the Internet.

In addition, on September 17, 2020, the X annual Meeting of High Representatives of the BRICS countries was held, which made a significant contribution to the deepening of cooperation within the organization on information security issues.

The 13th BRICS summit is expected to further deepen and broaden the ongoing dialogue on information security between the member states.

Clearly, the accession of new members would be an opportunity for Russia to increase the number of countries that share its approaches to international information security, even if only one or two new members are admitted to the BRICS club.

For the potential BRICS membership candidates, accession would mean not only accepting the club's "rules of the game", but also making use of new opportunities, such as:

1) Mutual assistance in strengthening the cyber potential and eliminating the technological gap

2) Rendering assistance (upon request) to the BRICS states that have become victims of cyberattacks in the detection and investigation of such attacks, identification of the perpetrators, studying the malware used in these attacks, eliminating their consequences, etc. We already have some experience of such cooperation with Indonesia: Group-IB, an international Russian-based company that specializes in the prevention and investigation of cybercrimes, provided assistance to the Indonesian cyber police in catching cybercriminals who infected hundreds of e-commerce outfits around the world with malware.

3) Effective coordination of measures against cybercrime and cyber terrorism

4) Sharing information and best practices on information security, including the identification of information threats

5) Cooperation in identifying opportunities for joint action to address shared information security challenges

6) R&D cooperation in the area of information security.

Argentina

Argentina's cyber potential has much room for improvement. It ranks 94th with a score of 0.407 in the 2018 Global Cybersecurity Index. This is the lowest ranking among all the BRICS membership candidates considered in this report, or indeed among the existing BRICS members. The country adopted its first national security strategy that addressed the challenge of cyber threats only in 2019. At the same time, Argentina ranks 43rd in the world in terms of exposure to cyber threats with a CEI index of 0.514 – it belongs to the "middle group" for CEI 2020.

At the UN General Assembly, Argentina backed both the US and the Russian draft resolutions. Russia and Argentina have also undertaken attempts at cooperation on information security in the past. In 2018, they worked on a draft bilateral agreement on that issue – but the current state of that draft is unclear. Argentina is not represented on the UN GGE, but it has been involved in the work of the OWG and submitted comments on the preliminary report of that group. In an encouraging sign, those comments included a proposal on the recognition of "the efforts and initiatives developed by regional organizations".

Nevertheless, in view of Argentina's lowest information security rating among all the BRICS membership candidates, we believe the country would not make any tangible contribution to the development of cooperation on information security issues in the BRICS framework, so from that particular point of view, its admission to BRICS would not be productive.

Mexico

In the 2018 Global Cybersecurity Index, Mexico ranks 63rd with a score of 0.629. As such, it is classed as a "middle-ranking" country. As for the CEI indicator, the country ranks 41st in the world with a score of 0.48 and is included in the group of countries with an average level of exposure to cyber threats. In this regard, the country, along with Turkey, is the least vulnerable to such threats among potential candidates for joining the BRICS.

Like Argentina, Mexico voted for both the Russian and the US drafts at the UN General Assembly. But unlike Argentina, Mexico participates in the OWG and the GGE. At the OWG, the country has submitted comments and proposals on the work of that outfit.

We believe that Mexico's accession to BRICS would not be justified in terms of the joint provision of information security. There are two main reasons for that.

First, Mexico does not have a sufficient cybersecurity potential. Obvious gaps in that area include the inadequacy if its legislative and regulatory framework in that area; poor financing; insufficient cooperation on the matter between the various government agencies; and a general lack of respect for the rule of law. Mexico is unable to mount an effective response to the challenge of cybercrime; as a result, the country has become a safe haven for stolen personal data.

Second, Mexico maintains close economic and political ties with the United States, which accounts for 36% of all investment in the Mexican economy. Owing to the country's strong economic dependence on its big northern neighbor, it would hardly be able to pursue an independent course on issues of cybersecurity. It is quite obvious that as far as information security is concerned, Mexico will follow the US lead.

Turkey

In the 2018 GCI Index, Turkey ranks 20th with a score of 0.853, making it a "high-ranking" state in terms of cybersecurity. In fact, Turkey is the highest-ranking nation on cybersecurity among all the BRICS membership candidates considered in this report. As for the indicator of exposure to cyber threats, according to the CEI 2020, the country shares 41 places with Mexico with an index of 0.483 and is also included in the "middle" group. In this regard, the country, along with Mexico, is the least vulnerable to such threats among potential candidates for joining the BRICS. It also shares Russian approaches to national control of cyberspace within the national borders.

But Turkey is also a NATO member, which significantly compli - cates any dialogue on joint security arrangements of any kind, including information security. What is more, Turkey abstained during the vote on the Russian draft at the UN General Assembly, and chose to back the US draft instead (in fact, it was one of the co-authors of that draft).

We therefore believe that any attempts to offer BRICS membership to Turkey would be a dangerous experiment. Such a step would bring a strong element of discord in the bloc's coordinated policy on the security of information and computer technologies. At this point in time, Turkey does not share many of the approaches pursued by Russia and China, the two most influential BRICS members, on international information security.

Iran

One consideration strongly in Iran's favor is that at the 73rd UN General Assembly, the country backed the Russian draft resolution and opposed the US draft. It is also represented on the OWG, though not on the GGE. Iran shares the Russian and Chinese position on national sovereignty in cyberspace. Officially, Iran also advocates the establishment of international and regional institutions to spearhead international efforts against cyber terrorism and cyber fraud (including in the SCO and UN frameworks).

In the 2018 Global Cybersecurity Index, Iran ranks 60th with a score of 0.641, making it a "middle-ranking" state. Nevertheless, the country has a formidable cyber potential. Amid its ongoing confrontation with the United States and Israel, Iran invests a lot of resources in strengthening its cyber capacity, which offers it an asymmetric advantage. Cybersecurity became an especially relevant concern for Iran after the country's uranium enrichment facility in Natanz was attacked with the US-Israeli Stuxnet malware in 2010. That attack triggered the launch of a national cybersecurity program led by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). In 2012, Iran also set up the Supreme Council on Cyberspace.

One of the obvious drawbacks of Iran as a BRICS membership candidate is that the country is strongly hostile to the United States and some of the Middle Eastern states. That hostility also spreads to cyberspace. Tehran is actively involved in cyber espionage and destructive cyberattacks against the government agencies and businesses of the United States, Israel, the Gulf monarchies, and several European states. Iran's admission to BRICS would not only compromise the bloc's image on the international arena but also jeopardize its prospects for cooperation with the other Middle Eastern states. That is why offering Iran membership would hold back the joint BRICS effort on information security and many other areas.

Egypt

Egypt is one of the African continent's leaders in terms of cybersecurity, ranking second to Mauritius and fourth among the Arab nations. In the 2018 Global Cybersecurity Index, it ranks a global 23rd with a score of 0.842 points, the highest score among all the BRICS membership candidates except Turkey, and is categorized as a "high-ranking" country. According to the CEI indicator for 2020, Egypt is also classified as a country with a middle level of exposure to cyber threats, ranking 48th with an index of 0.548. In 2014 the country set up the Supreme Council for Cybersecurity. Cairo has also hosted one of the Arab world's largest cybersecurity conferences, headlined "Cybersecurity in an Era of Digital Transformation", on an annual basis since 2017.

As for international cooperation, Egypt voted against the US draft and supported the Russian draft resolution on international information security at the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly, which means that the country shares Russian and Chinese approaches to global information security. Also, after the dissolution of the UN GGE on IT advances in the context of international security in 2017 and its later reconstitution in accordance with a US resolution, Egypt did not resume its participation in that body – but it has been actively involved in the work of the OWG.

In March 2019, a delegation of Russian IT companies led by Konstantin Noskov, Russian minister for digital development and communications, paid an official visit to Cairo, where it generated much local interest in Russian cybersecurity products. In our opinion, Egypt's accession to BRICS would significantly strengthen the combined potential of the bloc in the area of information security. Egypt is clearly ready for cooperation on information security in the BRICS framework.

Indonesia

At the 73rd UN General Assembly, Indonesia backed both the Russian and the US draft resolutions on international information security. In 2017, Russia and Indonesia conducted a bilateral cyber dialogue. Also in 2017, Indonesia signed a memorandum of mutual understanding on cybersecurity with India. In 2020, Russia and Indonesia plan to sign an agreement on cybersecurity cooperation. An agreement to that effect was reached during Russian-Indonesian consultations during which the parties discussed specific areas of cooperation, including the implementation of joint responses to cyber threats, efforts to foster an information security culture, cooperation on information sharing, etc. They also discussed regulations governing the work of the UN Open Working Group and the UN Group of Governmental Experts. It is important to note at this point that of all the BRICS membership candidates discussed in this paper, Indonesia and Mexico are the only countries that participate in both the OWG and the GGE. It is therefore safe to conclude that Indonesia is fully ready to back Russian initiatives on information security at the UN, and is already actively contributing to international efforts on information security. In the 2018 GCI rating, Indonesia ranks 41st with a score of 0.776, making it a "high-ranking" country. Nevertheless, the Indonesian cybersecurity system is still in the process of formation. The country set up its National Agency on Cybersecurity and Cryptography as recently as 2017.

In 2018, it adopted the National Cybersecurity Strategy. It has yet to put in place a proper legislative and regulatory cybersecurity framework, which could be an obstacle to its accession to BRICS. Due to the above-mentioned reasons, the country belongs to the group with a high risk of exposure to cyber threats according to CEI 2020, ranking 59th with an index of 0.617. According to this indicator, Indonesia is too far behind other candidate countries to join the BRICS.

Conclusion

In our view, the most promising candidate for BRICS membership is Indonesia. Unlike the rest of the candidates, the potential areas of cooperation between Indonesia and Russia, which is one of the key BRICS members, have already been identified. These areas could be replicated in the BRICS format. Another candidate that can make a major positive contribution to the bloc's efforts is Egypt.

Egypt's and/or Indonesia's accession to BRICS could be an indicator of the bloc's ability to integrate new members and engage them in multilateral cooperation on information security.

As demonstrated in this paper, Egypt would bolster the overall BRICS potential on information security, whereas Indonesia would help to promote a shared BRICS approach to information security on the international arena. That would be fully in line with the Declaration of Ufa, which states that the BRICS members recognize "the potential of the developing states in the area of information and computer technologies, as well as the important role of those states in addressing the issues related to information and computer technologies in the framework of the Development Agenda from 2015 onwards".

Sergey Sebekin - instructor at Irkutsk State University.

(To be continued)

India
Source: brics2021.gov.in

Minister for Tourism Shri G. Kishan Reddy chaired the BRICS Tourism Ministers' Meeting on 13 July 2021, as part of India's BRICS Chairship. The Ministers of all the member countries viz. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa participated in the meeting.

India organized the BRICS Tourism Ministers' Meeting as an effective means to promote tourism cooperation among BRICS countries. The meeting reviewed the intra BRICS Tourism cooperation. The significant aspect of the meeting was the adoption of the Ministers' Communique, an outcome document on cooperation and promotion of tourism between the BRICS countries. The Ministers' Communique recognized that the COVID-19 pandemic has severely endangered public health and has presented immense challenges to the implementation of sustainable development goals.

Tourism Minister Shri G Kishan Reddy stressed on the importance of the BRICS member States to have a good understanding of each other's tourism products and offerings so as to encourage further growth of tourist inflow between the BRICS member countries. Shri Reddy also mentioned that the common tourism products in BRICS countries such as heritage & culture tourism, nature, wildlife, Eco tourism etc., present an opportunity for greater cooperation and exchange of information and best practices.

Further, to promote tourism for the future, it was recognized that BRICS alliance for Green Tourism can accelerate the recovery and development of tourism on sustainable lines. Some of the key elements of the BRICS alliance for green tourism are mainstreaming sustainability into the tourism sector policies, conservation efforts, sustainable development goals, shift towards renewable source of energy, conservation efforts for green tourism which will encourage investment in nature based solutions and supporting the fragile eco systems.

The BRICS Tourism Ministers' Meeting also highlighted the importance of strengthening cooperation in tourism in the areas of promoting responsible and sustainable tourism, investment in tourism infrastructure, close interaction between tourism enterprises and human resource development. The Ministers resolved to work together to realise the full potential of BRICS countries through cooperation in the tourism sector.

India
Source: brics2021.gov.in

The Republic of India organized First Meeting of Working Group on Energy Efficiency on 13- 14 July 2021 under its presidency of BRICS for the year 2021. Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Ministry of Power hosted the virtual meetings through video conferencing. The two-day event had senior energy officials from all the BRICS nations. Additional Secretary (IC), M/o Power provided the key note address for the meeting.

Day-1 of the meeting had discussions taking forward the identified mutual technology interests in electric power industry as per BRICS Energy Technology Report 2020 prepared under Russian presidency. Senior Officials from NTPC Limited, Power System Operation Corporation Ltd (POSOCO), Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd, and Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) gave an overview of selected areas of interest in electric power industry. The topics included use of biomass in order to generate its basis electric and thermal energy at TPPs in the steam-power cycle; Automatic regulation of lighting, based on illumination, time of day and number of people in room; Integration of various IT systems at different hierarchical levels of a power system; Increasing the efficiency of steam turbines by raising the parameters of sharp steam; and IEC 61850 Process Bus based Full Digital Substation Implementation. Representatives from BRICS nations shared respective initiatives undertaken by their countries on the identified mutual technology interests. Director-General, Bureau of Energy Efficiency moderated the session.

On Day-2, discussions were held on BRICS Indian Presidency Outcome documents including BRICS Energy Report, BRICS Energy Technology Report and draft Communique for the BRICS Energy Ministers meeting scheduled to be held in August, 2021. Representatives from each member nation gave overview of their national energy sector development. During the meeting, member countries agreed in-principle on India's proposal for updated version of report on BRICS energy sector. India also proposed to prepare a BRICS Energy Technology Report with a focus on demand side areas such as buildings, transport and industry. Member countries deliberated on the zero draft of the communique for the BRICS Energy Ministers meeting. The broad themes of the communique were agreed in-principle by the member countries after detailed deliberations and it was decided to finalise the communique prior to the BRICS Energy Ministers meeting.

India
Source: brics2021.gov.in

Union Minister for Labour & Employment Shri Bhupender Yadav chaired the BRICS Labour & Employment Ministers' Meeting on 15 July 2021 under India's Presidency. Ministers of the member countries viz. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa participated in the meeting.

India organized the BRICS Labour & Employment Ministers' Meeting to exchange views on the impact of Covid-19 on global labour market, enhance information sharing, discuss and agree upon specific areas of cooperation between BRICS Member countries. Discussion on four priority areas of cooperation took place namely, Promoting Social Security Agreements amongst BRICS Nations; Formalisation of Labour Markets; Participation of Women in the Labour Force; and Gig and Platform Workers: Role in the Labour Market.

The significant aspect of the meeting was the adoption of the BRICS Labour & Employment Ministers' Declaration. The Ministerial Declaration recognized that the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the efforts made to address unemployment, decent work deficits and inequality. It also illustrates the strong determination of BRICS Member countries to recover with stronger national economies, inclusive labour markets and social protection systems.

In his welcome address, Shri Bhupender Yadav stressed one enhancing the intra-BRICS solidarity and promoting sustained, inclusive, full and productive employment and decent work for all. He highlighted the path breaking reforms by Government of India in amalgamation, simplification and codification of its labour laws into four labour codes, namely "The Code on Wages 2019", "The Code on Social Security 2020", "The Industrial Relations Code 2020" and "The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code 2020". The new Labour Codes provide integrated pathways towards robust formalization of the labour market, increasing participation of women in the labour force and enhancing the role of gig and platform workers in the labour market. The Minister further emphasised on need for signing of Social Security agreements amongst BRICS nations to promote welfare of the international migrant workers.

On the issue of "Promoting Social Security Agreements amongst BRICS Nations", BRICS Ministers have resolved to carry out exchange of information among BRICS countries on employment and social security for cross-border labour flows and initiate social security agreements between BRICS nations within a reasonable time frame. On the issue of "Formalisation of Labour Markets", member countries reiterated their commitment to enhance the transition from informality to formality as a means towards improving living and working conditions, productivity and job growth and strengthening efforts to reduce poverty through access to quality employment and social protection.

BRICS countries also agreed that the sustained participation of women in the labour market and strategies for the promotion of women participation in remunerative, productive and decent work are top priorities in the national policy agenda. To enhance the role of gig and platform workers in the labour market, the BRICS Ministers supported the development of the digital economy, including digital delivery of services, while acknowledging the role of digital platforms in providing resilience to national economies in the face of crisis such as COVID19.

India
Source: brics2021.gov.in

1. We, the BRICS Tourism Ministers of the Federative Republic of Brazil, the Russian Federation, the Republic of India, the People's Republic of China, and the Republic of South Africa, met on July 13, 2021 via video conference, under India's BRICS Presidency to discuss the sustainable and resilient recovery of travel and tourism to ensure its contribution to global economic recovery.

2. We acknowledge that tourism continues to be one of the sectors hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic adversely affecting the international tourist arrivals and consequent job losses in tourism sector. We also acknowledge that Covid-19 pandemic has severely endangered public health security and presented immense challenges to the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

3. We emphasize that the resumption of travel and tourism is crucial for global economic recovery because of the direct and indirect economic impact this sector has on others. Travel and tourism are key drivers for sustainable and balanced growth and development and offer a valuable contribution to the SDGs.

4. We recognize that tourism can be a powerful tool for community development and reducing inequalities if it engages local populations and all key stakeholders in its development. Tourism is one of the driving forces of global economic growth and currently provides for 1 in 11 jobs worldwide.

5. We envision that the present crisis provides us an opportunity to rethink tourism for the future, and forge BRICS Alliance for Green Tourism to promote measures, which can shape a more resilient, sustainable and inclusive tourism sector.

6. We recognize that BRICS alliance for Green Tourism can accelerate action in the following key areas:

a. Mainstreaming Sustainability – by incorporating principles of sustainable tourism in travel and tourism sector policies and introduce measurement of sustainability for destinations and tourism enterprises

b. Sustainable Development Goals – by adopting green tourism, the tourism sector can contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goals

c. Shift to Renewable Sources of Energy – by encouraging sustainable modes of travel and use of renewable energy for accommodation and hospitality sectors

d. Support conservation efforts – Green tourism will encourage investment in naturebased solutions and supporting fragile ecosystems.

e. Creating Jobs – Investments in transforming tourism value chain for making them green and sustainable will create new job opportunities in tourism sector

f. Social Inclusion – focus on inclusive growth with support and involvement of vulnerable groups particularly women and youth through capacity building and empowerment. It will require to repurpose tourism as a supporter for community.

g. Needs of Micro, Small and Medium enterprises (MSMEs) - to encourage MSMEs to adopt green and sustainable tourism practices development will be require to be addressed.

h. Focus on health and hygiene - post COVID scenario, greater focus should be on health, safety and hygiene and therefore wellness tourism especially Yoga can play an important role.

i. Promoting off beat destinations – which naturally promote social distancing such as nature and eco-tourism, wildlife tourism, wellness retreats, mountaineering and trekking, among others.

7. We emphasize the importance of cooperation in tourism, and hospitality sectors and encourage the citizens of BRICS countries to travel to each member country. We also emphasize to enhance intra-BRICS tourism cooperation through information sharing, exchange programmes for cooperation in Human Resource Development, visits of Tour Operators/ Media/ Opinion Makers for promotion of tourism, experience sharing in the areas of promotion, marketing, destination development and management and participation in travel fairs/ exhibitions.

8. We resolve to work together and realize the full potential of BRICS countries through cooperation in the tourism sector. We express our thanks to the Indian BRICS Presidency for its leadership and agree to continue our cooperation to ensure further progress.

Russia
Source: tass.com

According to the Foreign Ministry, the two top diplomats reiterated their mutual commitment to stronger coordination within the UN, the G20, BRICS and other international organizations

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi have discussed information security, the situation in Central Asia and the Iran nuclear deal at a meeting on the sidelines of the high-level international conference "Central and South Asia: Regional Connectivity. Challenges and Opportunities" in Tashkent.

"A thorough exchange of views on topical global and regional problems, including international information security, the situation in Central Asia and the Asia-Pacific region and Iran's nuclear program, took place," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday. "Particular attention was paid to the current situation in Afghanistan. They reaffirmed their commitment to facilitating the Afghan settlement process through the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group, taking into account the results of its meeting held within the framework of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers session."

According to the Foreign Ministry, the two top diplomats reiterated their mutual commitment to stronger coordination within the UN, the G20, BRICS and other international organizations. "The foreign ministers spoke highly of the outcome of the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member countries held in Dushanbe on July 13-14 in the context of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the SCO marked this year. They highlighted the organization's pivotal role in strengthening security and ensuring economic development in Eurasia, noted its growing influence on the global stage and indicated their desire to facilitate its further development," the ministry stressed.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the meeting took place in a confidential and constructive atmosphere typical of Russian-Chinese relations. "The two ministers noted that the existing bilateral ties surpassed such a form of interstate cooperation as military-political alliances of the Cold War era," the report said.

India
Source: pib.gov.in

Union Minister for Labour & EmploymentShriBhupenderYadavchaired the BRICS Labour & Employment Ministers' Meetingtoday under India's Presidency. Ministers of the member countries viz. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africaparticipated in the meeting.

India organized the BRICS Labour & Employment Ministers' Meetingto exchange views on the impact of Covid-19 on global labour market, enhance information sharing, discuss and agree upon specific areas of cooperation between BRICS Member countries. Discussion on four priority areas of cooperation took place namely, Promoting Social Security Agreements amongst BRICS Nations; Formalisation of Labour Markets; Participation of Women in the Labour Force; and Gig and Platform Workers: Role in the Labour Market.

The significant aspect of the meeting was the adoption of the BRICS Labour & Employment Ministers' Declaration. The MinisterialDeclaration recognized that the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the efforts made to address unemployment, decent work deficits and inequality. It also illustrates the strong determination of BRICS Member countries to recover with stronger national economies, inclusive labour markets and social protection systems.

In his welcome address, ShriBhupenderYadav stressed onenhancing the intra-BRICS solidarity and promoting sustained, inclusive, full and productive employment and decent work for all. He highlighted thepath breaking reforms by Government of Indiain amalgamation, simplification and codification of its labour laws into four labour codes, namely "The Code on Wages 2019", "The Code on Social Security 2020", "The Industrial Relations Code 2020" and "The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code 2020". The new Labour Codes provide integrated pathways towards robust formalization of the labour market, increasing participation of women in the labour force and enhancing the role of gig and platform workers in the labour market. The Minister further emphasised on need for signing of Social Security agreements amongst BRICS nations to promote welfare of the international migrant workers.

On the issue of "Promoting Social Security Agreements amongst BRICS Nations", BRICS Ministers have resolved to carry out exchange of information among BRICS countries on employment and social security for cross-border labour flows and initiate social security agreements between BRICS nations within a reasonable timeframe.On the issue of "Formalisation of Labour Markets", Member countries reiterated their commitment to enhance the transition from informality to formality as a means towards improving living and working conditions, productivity and job growth and strengthening efforts to reduce poverty through access to quality employment and social protection. BRICS countries also agreed that the sustained participation of women in the labour market and strategies for the promotion of women participation in remunerative, productive and decent work are top priorities in the national policy agenda.To enhance the role of gig and platform workers in the labour market, the BRICS Ministers supported the development of the digital economy, including digital delivery of services, while acknowledging the role of digital platforms in providing resilience to national economies in the face of crisis such as COVID-19.

Russia
Source: www.mid.ru

Question: Now, watching the developments in Afghanistan, many experts believe that the hasty withdrawal of US troops from the country was a planned action aimed at escalating tensions in the zone of Russia's geopolitical interests. Do you agree with this statement?

Do you think that some time later you will have to deal directly with the Taliban as the Afghan administration?

Sergey Lavrov: I do not believe in conspiracy theories. I heard that perhaps this hasty withdrawal was in pursuit of some kind of geopolitical goals. We should not speculate about it. The Americans left, as US President Joe Biden confirmed, because they considered their mission complete. He tried to present the matter in the best possible light but everyone understands that the mission failed. This is admitted in the open, in the US as well.

Terrorism has not disappeared anywhere. ISIS and al-Qaeda affiliates have strengthened their positions in Afghanistan. Drug production has reached a record high: Afghanistan accounts for 90 percent of the world's drug production. Practically nothing is being done to counter it.

The creation of the Afghan National Security Forces – the country's armed forces – can only be considered as such conditionally. According to statistics, the Afghan Government has 300,000 military personnel. The strength of the Taliban is three to four times less than this. Nevertheless, you can see the outcome.

We are not interested in chaos in that country and not only because we do not want it to spill over into neighbouring, allied states but also because we wish well for the Afghan people. We want these friendly people to live in peace, in a steadily developing society without any threats of terrorism or drug trafficking in their country.

We will continue working with the Americans in the extended Troika format (Russia, US, China plus Pakistan), as well as with all other countries that can influence the situation in Afghanistan, including our partners from Central Asia, India, Iran and the US. We have a Moscow format that includes all the main players.

We are not working to help one party in Afghanistan prevail over another because this would be an unstable, fragile and temporary solution. We have already been through this. Our main message in contacts with the sides, all our efforts are aimed at making this dialogue inclusive. It must lead to a political settlement and be conducted with the participation of all political, ethnic and other groups in Afghanistan without any exception. This applies to the Taliban as part of the Pashtun ethnic group, Uzbeks, Hazaras, and Tajiks – all those who live in Afghanistan. This is the goal of our efforts as members of the Moscow format and the extended Troika.

The current conference is largely aimed at creating favourable external conditions for reconciliation in Afghanistan. In turn, this is very important for the main goal of this conference, notably, the development of future cooperation projects that will connect Central and South Asia.

Hardly anyone will seriously consider investing in Afghanistan as long as the current deterioration continues there. But if it becomes peaceful and reliable for the advent of business, capital and infrastructure projects, this will greatly help to ensure that the common transport, logistics and other systems in this enormous area function effectively.

Question: Russia plans to work with any country that can influence the situation in Afghanistan. Recently, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry stated that it was about to convene a conference, and issued invitations. Will the Russian Foreign Ministry attend this, and if so, at what level?

What can you tell us about the situation in South Africa whose President Cyril Ramaphosa said protests and provocations, including slogans calling for ethnic confrontation, were willfully provoked? What do you think about this situation? Are Russian interests affected in any way given the BRICS partnership?

Sergey Lavrov: We have nothing to do with these processes in the first place, especially the violent protests in the South African Republic and/or any other country in the world for that matter.

With regard to forthcoming events on Afghanistan, there will be many of them. An Abdullah Abdullah-led group of Afghan politicians that does not include government representatives is planning a trip. Abdullah is Chairman of the Afghan High Council for National Reconciliation. As far as I know, a delegation including other ethnic Afghan groups – Tajiks, Uzbeks and others – is expected to accompany him. They will go to Doha to meet with the Taliban. After that, they planned to travel to Islamabad. That's what Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told me about it. They wanted to do this as soon as possible, but will now have to postpone it until July 25.

The participants are discussing other formats on the sidelines of the conference. There could be many of them at this point. Everyone wants to boost the political process that has long been treading water (most do so with the best intentions). We think there's no need to come up with any new agreements to do this. We just need to implement what has already been approved by, above all, the Afghan government and the Taliban.

Question: Following the talks in Dushanbe and Tashkent, do you think the Central Asian countries will heed Moscow's advice to not allow US military bases on their territories? Which countries can complement the extended Troika format? Did Moscow promise any assistance to Kabul during your meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani?

Sergey Lavrov: I don't have any obligations towards the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Like the Taliban, President Ghani is obliged to start a serious political process. Having reminded them of this, we expressed hope that all the parties to this situation will be acting upon the agreements, which, among other things, have been reached with the participation of the international community.

As for the plans of the United States, they are not hiding them, but expressing them instead. First, they are trying to persuade the Central Asian countries and Pakistan to accommodate part of the military infrastructure that the Americans are withdrawing from Afghanistan. Pakistan and Uzbekistan have officially stated that this is out of the question. They will not place this kind of infrastructure on their territories. We have also discussed this in our bilateral contacts. None of our allies indicated plans to expose their territories and people to this risk during a ministerial meeting of the five Central Asian countries and Russia. We have also discussed another US initiative where they will try to take the Afghans who collaborated with them out of Afghanistan and place them temporarily or permanently in the Central Asian countries. Initially, they were talking about 10,000 people. Recently, and I know this from discussions at various US think tanks, that figure could go up to 100,000 by the end of the year. That came up in today's conversation with my Central Asian counterparts as well. They are well aware of the risks that these plans entail. They will probably make the right decision based on their own interests.

We mean that the Troika discussed, in particular, the candidacies of India and Iran. I believe this would boost this format's capabilities. We'll see how it goes from here.

Question: Today, you met with leader of Uzbekistan Shavkat Miziyoyev. Which issues did you discuss and what did you agree on? Did this conference live up to your "macro expectations"?

Sergey Lavrov: I don't know about any expectations. We came here for an interesting discussion and a substantive talk on how this broadly representative gathering could help promote cooperation and projects connecting Central and South Asia.

We have close relations with almost all countries in these two regions and we are carrying out major infrastructure, energy and other projects with the majority of them. We are interested in our partners' visions for cooperation in these areas in the future.

Several correct, in our opinion, initiatives were proposed that can help promote practicable projects more effectively. I want to specially mention the significant speech by President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Miziyoyev, who identified ten areas in which this connectivity can be implemented in specific projects with maximum effectiveness, based on centuries-old history, the experience that has accumulated over the past centuries and the use of modern technology. This is a good combination, which can help achieve the best results.

Switzerland
Source: www.ilo.org

The ILO's Global Call to Action for a human-centred recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, adopted by the membership at the International Labour Conference in June, has been endorsed by the Labour and Employment Ministers of the five BRICS economies.

Press release | 15 July 2021 GENEVA (ILO News) – The Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Guy Ryder, has welcomed the endorsement by the Labour and Employment Ministers (LEMM) of the BRICS countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – of the ILO's Global Call to Action for a human-centred recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, adopted by last month's International Labour Conference.

Describing the Declaration adopted by the LEMM as "a concrete demonstration of your commitment to repair the damage of the crisis," Ryder said, "[the Global Call] outlines a comprehensive agenda to ensure that the recovery is inclusive, sustainable and resilient, and based upon fundamental principles and rights at work. This approach is essential. Unless we address the inequalities that have deepened during this crisis, there is a real risk that its economic and social consequences will cause long-term scarring."

The Global Call to Action for a human-centred recovery was adopted unanimously by ILO Member States in June 2021, at the International Labour Conference.

The LEMM Declaration, issued at the end of the Ministers' virtual summit on 15 July 2021, expresses great concern at the pandemic's negative effects on unemployment, decent work deficits and inequality, and states their strong determination to recover with stronger national economies, inclusive labour markets and social protection systems.

Their Declaration highlights four key pillars for labour and employment policy responses to the pandemic; promoting social security agreements between BRICS nations, formalisation of labour markets, women's labour force participation, and the role of gig and platform workers.

Ryder welcomed the Ministers' commitment to deepen social security cooperation and promote agreements between themselves, saying "this could make a real difference for the millions of workers who travel to other countries to find work."

The Director-General also praised the pledge to improve the situation of women in the labour force and to accelerate progress on shifting informal economy workers to the formal economy, adding that, "if we are to address these issues effectively we need concrete policies and action. Creating an economic recovery will not be enough by itself."