The meeting of BRICS Sherpas and Sous-Sherpas was held on December 8-9 in Moscow. The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Russian Sherpa in BRICS Sergei Ryabkov, Deputy Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Foreign Policy Planning Department, Russian Sous-Sherpa in BRICS Pavel Knyazev, Chairperson of the Russian Chapter of the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance Anna Nesterova and other experts.
During the meeting, participants presented the outcomes of the Russian BRICS Chairmanship in 2020 and cooperation in the main areas – politics and security, economics and finance, cultural and humanitarian contacts.
Anna Nesterova reported on the first achievements of the BRICS WBA and further steps towards strengthening cooperation among female entrepreneurs.
The year 2020 has witnessed the establishment of the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance, including the nomination of the WBA National Chapter Members, identifying the priorities and definition of the future areas of cooperation, agreement and adoption of the Declaration on the Establishment of the BRICS WBA. The Alliance members also provided recommendations and specific initiatives/ideas to inspire and help women, which can be further developed and implemented as multilateral WBA projects.
Activities of the Alliance will provide a powerful impetus for the development of new partnerships in such areas as innovative development, healthcare, food security and environmental sustainability, inclusive economy, creative industries and tourism.
The Brazilian Chapter would like to develop programs to expand access to financial and digital services for young entrepreneurs. Russian initiatives include the establishment of the BRICS Digital Literacy School and BRICS WBA Financial Literacy Platform. China supports the holding of the WBA Women’s Innovation Contest to increase women’s entrepreneurial activity in the five BRICS countries. The Indian side proposes the creation of a BRICS Women’s Business Alliance Venture and Innovation Platform, aimed at supporting women’s startups. The importance of the financial resources was also marked by the South African Chapter, which supports the establishment of a Women Entrepreneurship Fund by exploring formal engagement with the New Development Bank.
Anna emphasized that with the help of the Alliance, over 45 million women-owned SMEs in the BRICS countries will receive new export opportunities and international cooperation. Russian Chairmanship in BRICS marked the beginning of a great joint work within the Women’s Business Alliance. We will create a global platform for promoting women’s business both in the BRICS countries and beyond.
During the meeting, Anna Nesterova also presented the BRICS WBA Handover Report to the Indian Side.