Realisng the BRICS Long-Term Goals. This project is a continuation of the proposal made by the BTTC Members in 2015 titled “Towards a Long Term Strategy for BRICS”. Under the Russian Presidency in 2015, BTTC members decided to build on the theoretical perspectives brought out in the proposal and put forth practical and implementable models for BRICS cooperation. This project, like its predecessor, focuses on five pillars:
- Promoting cooperation for economic growth and development,
- Political and economic governance,
- Social justice, sustainable development and quality of life,
- Peace and security, and
- Progress through sharing knowledge and innovation.
The BTTC members decided that each of the five think tanks — one from each member nation — that would undertake the project, would author a chapter on one of the five pillars. These chapters were then shared with all five members for their inputs and suggestions, making them a collaborative and peer-reviewed process. Topic 1 was taken up by the China Centre for Contemporary World Studies; Topic 2 by the Observer Research Foundation, India; Topic 3 by the South Africa BRICS Think Tank; Topic 4 by the Russian National Committee on BRICS Research; and Topic 5 by the Institute for Applied Economic Research, Brazil.
The Delhi Action Plan of the Delhi Declaration (29 March 2012) included under New Areas of Cooperation to explore (Section 17) a commitment to a general academic evaluation and future long-term strategy for BRICS. This commitment was translated, by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in 2012, into a document entitled “A long-term vision for BRICS”, which formed the basis of the document “Towards a long-term strategy for BRICS: Recommendations by the BRICS Think Tanks Council” presented to the BRICS Leaders at the Fortaleza Summit (15 July 2014). Section 66 of the Fortaleza Summit Declaration reads:
We welcome the BTTC Study Towards a Long-Term Strategy for BRICS: Recommendations by the BTTC. We acknowledge the decision taken by the BTTC, taken at its Rio de Janeiro meeting in March 2014 to focus its work on the five pillars upon which the BRICS long-term strategy for cooperation will rest. The BTTC is encouraged to develop strategic pathways and action plans that will lead to the realization of this long-term strategy.The five pillars upon which the long-term strategy will rest are: promoting cooperation for economic growth and development; peace and security; social justice, sustainable development, and quality of life; political and economic governance; and progress through knowledge and innovation sharing.
Continuing on from the Fortaleza Declaration, the BTTC embarked on a further in depth study of the Long Term Strategy. This study comprised of expanding on the five pillars of research that were identified. These Pillars are (1) Promoting cooperation for economic growth, (2) Peace and Security, (3) Social Justice, Sustainable Development and Quality of Life, (4) Political and Economic Governance and (5) Progress through knowledge and innovation sharing. The accompanying document provides the proposals raised by the BTTC and which were submitted to the Heads of State Summit in Ufa. The Ufa Declaration of 9 July 2015 has further committed to the work of the Long Term Strategy for BRICS.
We welcome activities of BRICS Think Tanks Council (BTTC) and the Long-Term Strategy for BRICS Report as well as the 7th Academic Forum in Moscow for expanding BRICS cooperation. We value this permanent platform for in-depth expert opinion and look forward to further consolidated high quality research, analysis, as well as effective think-tank discussions on issues of mutual interest. The BTTC should further strive to enhance cooperation in future-oriented research, knowledge sharing, capacity building and policy advice between think tanks in BRICS countries.
