BRICS Centre for Industrial Competencies

The BRICS Center for Industrial Competencies (BCIC) was launched at a signing ceremony at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) headquarters attended by UNIDO Director General Gerd Müller and representatives from BRICS Plus countries as well as other relevant stakeholders and potential further partners.

Requested and supported by the BRICS Plus countries, which collectively represent more than 40% of the world’s population and more than 35% of global GDP, the BCIC embodies these nations’ shared commitment to combining their efforts and resources to foster inclusive and sustainable industrial development.

Director General Müller stated: “The BRICS Centre for Industrial Competencies that we have launched today is a great new platform to unite the BRICS countries’ national efforts and centres into a larger multilateral network. It will be a platform for knowledge and technology exchange and through it UNIDO will help all partner countries to benefit from Industry 4.0, digitalization and innovation. We will promote new public-private partnerships and help BRICS countries to become even more competitive in global markets.”

Representatives from the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China, whose support and funds mobilization efforts have been key in the establishment of the BCIC, jointly expressed their enthusiasm for deeper cooperation and encouraged the BRICS Plus nations to join the Centre, both to accelerate and to benefit from the Centre’s strategic initiatives.

UNIDO stands ready to support BRICS Plus countries in bringing together their existing national centres into a network to achieve maximum impact in their sustainable economic and industrial development by enhancing skills development for Industry 4.0 and innovation ecosystems across the BRICS. 

For more information, please contact:
Aleksei Savrasov ,Industrial Development Officer - a.savrasov@unido.org
Division of Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence (DAI)

Meeting in Brasilia discusses joint actions to strengthen the sustainable use of space and expand exchange of data and technology.

Leaders of the space agencies of the BRICS countries met this week in Brasília to strengthen international cooperation in three main topics: reducing technological asymmetries among member countries; promoting sustainability in the use of space; and advancing the BRICS Virtual Constellation of Remote Sensing Satellites.

At the opening of the meeting, Brasil’s Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Luciana Santos highlighted the strategic nature of the cooperation among bloc countries. “We are dealing with extremely strategic actions that are an important integration factor. The agencies of the countries that make up BRICS are gathering to define how they can strengthen their cooperation — especially in the areas of space and Earth observation,” she stated.

Santos also emphasized that space has been gaining a central role in the development of solutions for sensitive fields such as health, agriculture, and meteorology. “We need to master technologies that allow us to create effective alternatives to the challenges we face, especially in the face of global warming,” she added.

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The Brazilian Ambassador chaired the proceedings of the meeting at the Itamaraty Palace (Rio de Janeiro). With full quorum from both member states and partners, progress was made on key agendas that will inform the discussions of BRICS Heads of State and Government at the July Summit.

The first BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting following the group’s expansion concluded on Tuesday, April 29, with the release of the Brazilian Presidency Declaration. The 62-paragraph document reflects the maturation of key priority issues under discussion within the group, following two rounds of Sherpa meetings held in February and last week. This document will serve as a basis for the Leaders’ Declaration, which will be discussed at the Summit scheduled for July 6-7, also to be held in the city of Rio de Janeiro.

"We discussed the role of the Global South in advancing multilateralism. This vision reflects the conviction that the global challenges of hunger, energy transition, digital exclusion, and the climate emergency cannot be overcome without a new architecture of international cooperation centered on solidarity, development, and peace," stated Brasil’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Mauro Vieira, who chaired the proceedings.

The Presidency Declaration is the result of collaborative efforts among the highest diplomatic authorities of the group’s member states. Ethiopia and Egypt raised objections to certain sections of paragraph 8.

During the two days of the Ministerial Meeting, discussions were held on issues related to global and regional crises, the reform of international institutions for more inclusive and sustainable governance, and the role of the Global South in strengthening multilateralism. The full participation of member states (Brasil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, , Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates), as well as all partner countries (Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan), reinforces the active interest in coordinated action on the priorities of the Global South.

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