The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the value of digital solutions in responding to global challenges swiftly. The panel examined developments in digital public goods and explored measures that the BRICS countries can take to support their
deployment, bearing in mind the challenges in accessibility and availability in infrastructure and governance. Intellectual property rights were also pointed out as a persistent challenge in the BRICS.
There was consensus on the importance of establishing joint standards for digital development. It was suggested, for example,
that the BRICS needed to formulate a public policy to make internet access equitable and inclusive (especially for people in
remote areas), adapt available internet at low cost and create a unified market to reduce the cost of digital goods.
The panel agreed and recommended that digital goods should be mainstreamed and that the BRICS Think Tanks should be fully financed by the BRICS NDB to undertake digital research, monitoring and impact evaluation activities.