BRICS civil society submits its proposals to group for first time

For the first time since the group's inception, civil society representatives were given an official opportunity to directly make proposals to the chief negotiators of the member countries – during the second Sherpa meeting. This is reported by Toda Palavra, a partner of TV BRICS.

Ten selected groups representing a broad spectrum of civil society – from youth and trade union organisations to business, academia, and local governments – spoke in an innovative format. They presented concrete proposals on key topics such as health, education, global governance, sustainable development and the role of women in the economy.

"Our task is to listen to society, understand its expectations and make sure that BRICS solutions truly reflect the interests of the peoples"

Mauricio Lyrio Brazilian BRICS Sherpa

Among the key initiatives were a proposal to formalise the BRICS Civil Council, and the expansion of funding for social programmes through the New Development Bank. There was also a call for the active participation of young people in shaping the future of the group. All proposals will be included in official documents and handed over to BRICS leaders at the upcoming summit on 6-7 July.

Brazil's initiative has already received positive feedback, including from South Africa, whose representatives expressed their willingness to adopt a similar format.