Representatives of BRICS, SCO, Africa and Latin America to discuss digital development of society at International IT Forum

Delegations from dozens of countries have arrived in the Russian city of Khanty-Mansiysk for the XV International IT Forum with the participation of BRICS and SCO countries. The event is being organised under Russia's chairmanship of BRICS in 2024. TV BRICS is the international media partner of the event.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov delivered a welcoming speech at the forum's opening ceremony. He spoke about the projects concerning interstate co-operation in the digital sphere.

"In May 2024, on Russia's initiative, a global intergovernmental register of contact points was created. This measure is designed to facilitate direct communication through competent authorities in case of computer attacks. A similar mechanism is expected to be launched in the BRICS framework in the near future"

Sergey Lavrov Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs

At the plenary discussion "Trust in the Digital World", which opened the forum, the participants discussed issues of interstate cooperation in the era of technological development, including the creation of digital platforms in key sectors of the economy.

Angola's Ambassador to Russia Augusto da Silva Cunha in an exclusive commentary to TV BRICS said that the republic cooperates with the Russian side in several areas: in mining, energy, agriculture, education and space exploration.

"For example, Russia and Angola have launched the Angosat-2 satellite. In the future, there are plans to discuss joint training in the space industry. Many technicians and managers who supervised the launch of the satellite have either already been educated in Russia or were trained just before it was sent into orbit"

Augusto da Silva Cunha Angola's Ambassador to Russia

Iranian Deputy ICT Minister for Technology and Innovation, Meysam Abedi named TV BRICS promising areas for interaction between BRICS members.

"Iran has recently joined BRICS. The countries of the association, in addition to co-operation in areas such as energy and infrastructure, can forge ties in IT and innovation, development of artificial intelligence, blockchain. Now we are interested in developing humanitarian exchanges: contacts in education, transfer of experience in digitalisation of industry and development of AI projects"

Meysam Abedi Iranian Deputy ICT Minister for Technology and Innovation

The business programme of the forum also includes sessions on "BRICS, SCO, Africa and Latin America Cooperation Guidelines for the Development of the Digital Economy. Digital Diplomacy", "Neuro(in)networks: how to create drivers, not barriers?", as well as the panel discussion "New technologies in the media industry: technological development of the industry and new media content", which will be attended by media managers from the BRICS countries as part of the BRICS Global Media Tour. 

The discussion will be moderated by Janna Tolstikova, CEO of TV BRICS. The speakers will discuss the introduction of modern technologies into media production, including artificial intelligence, new formats of work, as well as the role of media in the development of international partnerships in science and digitalisation.

The BRICS Global Media Tour is the media network's own annual project, which brings together media industry executives and leading experts. This time, representatives from BRICS and BRICS+ countries came from Egypt, China, Brazil, Cuba, Vietnam, India, Saudi Arabia. Media tour participants from Ethiopia, Venezuela, Iran and South Africa will be watching the events remotely.

"We are pleased to be in such a wonderful city as Khanty-Mansiysk and to take part in the BRICS Global Media Tour. One of the main topics of the forum was artificial intelligence. We gathered to discuss the most topical issues. "It is useful for sharing knowledge, so that we learn from each other and can improve our professional skills and our product," stated Ding Deqi, Deputy Bureau Chief of Eurasian Regional Bureau of Xinhua News Agency in Moscow.

"Russia has many people of different nationalities and cultures. Such diversity teaches valuable co-operation skills. This experience should be taken into account when building a multipolar world," Bui Duy Trinh, Head of the Vietnam News Agency representative office in the Russian Federation, shared his impressions.

The International IT Forum has been held in Khanty-Mansiysk since 2008. This year's programme includes more than 50 events to be attended by over 3,000 people from 47 countries and 61 regions of Russia.