Brix Presidents. Brix - what kind of organization is this? Composition and goals of Brix. New stage of cooperation

All the gold in the world...

The BRIC organization was founded in June 2006 in St. Petersburg during the economic forum. All countries included in the organization are considered to be rapidly developing. At first, they simply wanted to interact in the economy: in matters of financial cooperation, the provision of loans, participation in various economic undertakings and projects. Then, sensing signs of the weakening of the European Union, the influence of the United States on the processes taking place in the world, its leadership, the heads of the BRIC states (South Africa joined the union in 2011) decided that it was time for them to try to transform “their growing economic power into greater geopolitical “influence” (Wikipedia). For example, at the last BRICS summit in Ufa, a decision was made to create the BRICS Development Bank, which is opposed to the World Bank.

The World Bank- one of the world's largest sources of assistance to the poorest groups of the population and the poorest countries. Helps developing countries fight poverty and achieve stable, sustainable and equitable economic growth

Which countries make up the BRICS?

• Brazil
• Russia
• India
• China

Brazil

Located in South America. Area 8500000 sq. km. The population is about 200 million people. The capital is Brazil. Largest cities: Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Recife, Belo Horizonte, Curitiba, Salvador. Currency unit- real.
The extraction of iron and manganese ore, non-ferrous metals, oil, bauxites, mechanical engineering, chemical, petrochemical industry, and metallurgy are developed.
Crops: coffee, cocoa, sugar cane, bananas, soybeans.
Growth rate: 1976 - 8.7%, 1977 - 4.7%, 2008 - 5.1%; 2009 - 4.9%; 2010 - 7.5%. Gross domestic product per capita 2013 - $11,199.

China

Located in Central and East Asia. Area 9597000 sq. km. The population is just over 1.2 billion people. The capital is Beijing. Largest cities: Shanghai, Tianjin, Chongqing, Xianggang (Hong Kong), Wuhan, Guangzhou, Harbin. Monetary unit - yuan.
Developed prey iron ore, coal, oil, non-ferrous metals, metallurgy, textile, light industry, industry engineering.
Agriculture: rice, sweet potato, wheat, sugar cane, sugar beets, tea, tobacco, cotton are grown.
GDP in 2013 was 17,617 billion dollars, per capita - 6,626

India

Located in South Asia, on the coast indian ocean and the Arabian Sea. Area - 3287590 sq. km. The population is over a billion people. The capital is Delhi. The largest cities are Bombay (Mumbai), Calcutta (Calcutta), Madras (Chennai), Hyderabad (Hyderabad or Hyderabad), Bangalore (Bengaluru). The monetary unit is the rupee. One of the first places in the world for the extraction of manganese ore and mica. There are reserves of iron ore, coal, bauxite, oil. Agriculture: sugarcane, peanuts, tea, jute, cotton, rubber, spices, coffee.
GDP growth rates: 1971 - 4.2%, 1972 - 1.7%, 1973 - 0.4%, 1975 - 5%, since 1990 on average - 6%, 2003 - 8.3%.
GDP for 2014 was $7,376 billion, 2013 GDP per capita was $1,548.

Republic of South Africa

Located in the south of the African continent, washed by the waters of the Indian and Atlantic Ocean. Area - 1221000 sq. km. The population is 46,000,000 people. Capital Pretoria. Largest cities: Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein. The monetary unit is the rand.
Leading place in the world for the extraction of gold, diamonds, chromium, platinum, manganese. Uranium, iron ore, and copper are also mined. Agriculture: wheat, sorghum, tobacco, citrus fruits, sugarcane. GDP for 2014 - 701366, GDP per capita 6936

Russia's GDP, 2014, 3565 billion dollars, per capita - 14680

US GDP, 2014, 17617 billion dollars, per capita - 52392

BRICS (BRICS) - a group of five rapidly developing countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Until 2011, the abbreviation BRIC was used in relation to the organization. On February 18, 2011, after the accession of the Republic of South Africa, the BRIC group was transformed into BRICS (BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa). Exist different views on the prospects of this informal club, especially in world politics.

It is symbolic that the abbreviation is very similar to English word, which translates as "bricks". The BRICS countries are indeed becoming building material for the framework of the world economy, on the strength of which sustainable global development will largely depend.

BRICS members are characterized as the most rapidly developing large countries. The advantageous position of these countries ensures that they have a large number important resources for the global economy:

Brazil - rich in agricultural products;

Russia is the world's largest exporter mineral resources;

India - cheap intellectual resources;

China - in last years more and more confidently takes the leading positions in the world export of industrial products;

Republic of South Africa - natural resources.

In 2001, the abbreviation BRIC first appeared. It was launched in a report by a group of experts from the American investment bank Goldman and Sax. The author of the term was the analyst D. ONill. In 2003, the bank published a comprehensive forecast study, which indicated that by 2050 the economies of the BRIC countries would surpass the economies of the Western countries in size, and then these states would begin to exert a dominant economic, and possibly political influence on world development. The next few years have shown that there is no need to wait until 2050, everything is happening much faster. The forecast for 2003 indicated that the BRIC countries would account for 10% of world GDP by 2010, but in fact already in 2007 their figure exceeded 15%.

Development of cooperation between the leading countries developing world thwarted stereotypes. Political elite of these states, including Russia, habitually looked at the West, and perceived each other according to the residual principle. All 1990s. it was believed that the BRIC countries did not represent any fundamental interest for each other. The well-known liberal economist Yevgeny Yasin recently stated about BRIC: “BRIC’s place in the world economy is: China is the workshop of the world, India is the bureau of good offices, Brazil is the world’s farm, and Russia is the world’s stoker (energy supplier).” For example, Brazil in our country has been associated with football, carnival and instant coffee since Soviet times, and almost no one knew that this country had already become a major industrial power, the world's third largest aircraft manufacturer.

Practical interaction within the framework of BRIC began in September 2006, when, on the initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the first meeting of the heads of foreign affairs agencies in this format took place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York. Its outcome was the confirmation by the participants of their interest in the development of multifaceted quadripartite cooperation.

The second meeting at the level of foreign ministers of the BRIC countries took place again "on the sidelines" of the session of the UN General Assembly in New York on September 24, 2007. It decided to hold annual full-scale meetings of the heads of foreign affairs agencies in turn in each of the countries, to launch a consultation mechanism at the level of deputy foreign ministers, as well as to establish regular contacts through embassies in key multilateral diplomacy locations, primarily in New York. Thus, the foundation was laid for bringing quadripartite cooperation through the Foreign Ministry on a permanent basis.

On July 8, 2008, on the sidelines of the G8 events in Japan, at the initiative of the Russian side, a brief meeting of the leaders of the four countries took place, at which they agreed to prepare a full-scale BRIC summit.

In addition to inter-MFA contacts, a dialogue was established between the ministries of finance. On November 7, 2008 in São Paulo on the eve of the financial G20 events, the first meeting of the heads of financial departments of the four countries was held - a joint communiqué was agreed outlining common approaches to the problems of the world economy, including the causes and ways to overcome the global financial crisis. An agreement was reached to hold regular meetings of the finance ministers of the BRIC countries, as well as contacts between their deputies.

An important role in the development of the quadripartite dialogue was the initiative line of the government of St. Petersburg, which organized in May 2008 international conference"BRIC: a breakthrough in the global economy of the 21st century" with the participation of representatives of municipal authorities and leading universities of St. Petersburg's sister cities in Brazil (Rio - de Janeiro), India (Mumbai) and China (Shanghai and Qingdao). An agreement was reached to hold such conferences annually.

For an informal discussion of topical issues of world development and quadripartite cooperation, a public forum of the BRIC countries was created. The first conference "BRIC countries on political map World: New Challenges" with the participation of representatives of expert - political centers and foreign ministries of the four countries was held in Moscow on December 8 - 9, 2008.

In June 2009, Yekaterinburg hosted the first summit of the heads of state of the BRIC four. It carried out the development of coordinated positions of 4 countries on a wide range of international issues and the strengthening of the institutional foundations of the coalition group. Firstly, its transfer to a regular annual basis was recorded. The next summit will be held in Brazil in 2010. Secondly, the parties agreed to jointly defend their interests in the international arena based on the principles of equality, support for multipolarity and supremacy international law. Thirdly, positions were agreed on to combat the global economic crisis. Finally, fourthly, cooperation on a wide range issues (science, education, economics, energy). The BRIC format allows you to prevent the dominance of any one country, for example, China, and allows you to make decisions on an equal basis. Now BRIC is rapidly becoming a separate independent and, perhaps, the most promising direction of the foreign policy of the Russian Federation.

Following the summit, the heads of state of the BRIC group adopted a joint statement, as well as a separate document on global food security.

In the outcome documents of the summit, the parties expressed their interest in further coordination of interaction in the process of forming a multipolar world, support for ideas and initiatives regarding new system sustainable growth, in strengthening and greater coordination of cooperation in the energy sector with the participation of producers, consumers and energy transit countries.

The leaders of the four countries approved proposals for the further development of the dialogue in the BRIC format. An agreement was reached that not only meetings of foreign ministers, but also of finance ministers and heads of central banks would be held on a regular basis. The summit also received support for the start of a dialogue between the four countries on international security issues.

The summit participants discussed topics such as interaction in the context of international efforts on overcoming the global financial and economic crisis and the tasks of post-crisis development, including within the framework of the G20 summit processes, topical issues of countering new challenges and threats, including international terrorism and nuclear security, climate change issues, new promising areas of cooperation in the BRIC format . Among the regional issues are the Iranian nuclear program, the Middle East settlement and the situation in Haiti.

As a result of the consultations, the BRIC leaders adopted a joint statement, which reflected a common vision of the current stage of world development. In addition, within the framework of the summit, Vnesheconombank, the China Development Bank, the National Bank for Social and Economic Development of Brazil and the Export-Import Bank of India signed a Memorandum of Cooperation.

Despite the difficulties and problems that the BRIC countries face in developing contacts with each other, in general, the process is going well and showing positive dynamics. The BRIC alliance has become a significant factor in international politics, testifying to the major shifts taking place in the balance of power on the world stage.

In 2011, the fifth country, the Republic of South Africa, was admitted to the organization. With acceptance South Africa the name of the integration association has changed - from BRIC it has turned into BRICS. The question of joining the alliance of new members from among the major developing countries was on the agenda. The most obvious candidates for this role are Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, and Turkey.

The BRICS summit, which took place in March 2013, ended with universal assurances of mutual friendship for a long time, but when moving from general cooperation plans to specific details, it turned out that the parties have completely different views on the implementation of the same goals. On the eve of the summit officials expressed the hope that a final decision would be made on the establishment of the BRICS Development Bank. These hopes did not come true.

As a result of the summit, it can be said that plans for further convergence of the economy and politics of the BRICS have become an order of magnitude greater. Thus, the leaders of the BRICS countries signed a package of documents, including the Ethekvin Declaration and Action Plan, as well as a declaration on the establishment of a consortium of expert centers of the BRICS countries.

What is BRICS?

BRICS is an informal interstate association of the Federative Republic of Brazil, Russian Federation, Republic of India, Chinese People's Republic and the Republic of South Africa.

The initiator of the creation of the association was the Russian side.

The basis of the influence of BRICS in the international arena is the growing economic power of the member states, their importance as one of the main driving forces for the development of the global economy, a significant population, and the availability of rich natural resources.

The share of BRICS in 2013 accounted for about 27% of global GDP (according to the purchasing power parity of national currencies). The total population of the BRICS states is 2.88 billion people (42% of the world's population), the territory is 26% of the earth's land.

History of the creation of BRICS

The first ministerial meeting in the BRIC format took place at the suggestion of Russian President Vladimir Putin on September 20, 2006 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York. It was attended by the Foreign Ministers of Russia, Brazil, China and the Minister of Defense of India, who expressed interest in developing multifaceted cooperation in a quadripartite format.

On May 16, 2008, at the initiative of Russia, the first meeting of the BRIC foreign ministers took place in Yekaterinburg. As a result, a joint communiqué was adopted, reflecting the common positions of the parties on topical issues of world development.

A new important step towards the formation of a new association was taken on July 9, 2008, when, on the sidelines of the G8 summit in Toyako (Japan), on the initiative of the Russian side, a meeting was held between Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Prime Minister Indian Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese President Hu Jintao.

The first BRIC summit was held at the suggestion of the Russian side on June 16, 2009 in Yekaterinburg. As a result of the meeting, a joint Statement of the leaders was adopted. It defines the goals of the association's activities: the development of “consistent, active, pragmatic, open and transparent dialogue and cooperation between our countries. The dialogue and cooperation of the BRIC countries not only serve the common interests of emerging market economies and developing countries, but also the construction of a harmonious world in which lasting peace and common prosperity would be ensured.” The document outlined the common vision of the BRIC partners on ways to bring the world economy out of the financial and economic crisis.

A milestone in the development of the association was the entry into the BRIC of South Africa. The consensus of the member countries on this matter was recorded on September 21, 2010 during the meeting of the foreign ministers of the BRIC countries in New York "on the sidelines" of the 65th session General Assembly UN. In April 2011, this country took part in the unification summit for the first time.

What countries are included in the association?

Russian Federation, People's Republic of China, Republic of India, Federative Republic of Brazil, Republic of South Africa.

The member states are authoritative members of leading international organizations and structures (the UN, the G20, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Group of 77), as well as regional associations: the Russian Federation - the Commonwealth independent states, Collective Security Treaty Organization, Eurasian economic union; Russian Federation and China - Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Asia-Pacific economic cooperation; Brazil - the Union of South American Nations, the Common Market of South America, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States; South Africa - African Union, Southern African Development Community; India - South Asian Regional Development Association.

What is BRICS doing?

The most important joint steps taken by the BRICS states in 2009-2014 were the development of a common position on a number of regional problems, such as Libyan, Syrian, Afghan, Iranian nuclear program, as well as on financial and economic issues, such as the reform of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, participation in the replenishment of IMF credit resources to strengthen its anti-crisis potential, the creation of a mechanism for cooperation between development banks, which provides for the opening of credit lines in national currencies, the establishment of an Alliance of exchanges of countries BRICS.

The external relations of the BRICS are successfully developing, the beginning of which was laid in Durban during the meeting of the five countries with the leadership of the African Union and the leaders of the eight leading integration associations Africa. On July 16, 2014, the second meeting in this format was held in Brasilia, this time with the heads of state and government of the countries South America. This practice makes it possible to find important points of contact between the BRICS and the leading new "centers of power" that are emerging in the world.

The most important outcome of the 6th BRICS Summit (Fortaleza and Brasilia, Brazil, July 15-16, 2014) was the signing of the Agreement on the Establishment of the New Development Bank and the Agreement on the Establishment of the BRICS Conditional Foreign Exchange Reserve Pool. Together, these institutions will have resources of $200 billion.

The leaders also made a key decision to launch full-format negotiations on the draft strategy for economic cooperation of the BRICS countries and the draft roadmap for trade, economic and investment cooperation of the BRICS countries proposed by the Russian side.

In addition, further joint steps were agreed on in such topical areas of cooperation as conflict resolution, the reform of the International Monetary Fund, the fight against the drug threat, the use and development of information and communication technologies (ICT) based on international cooperation and universally recognized norms and principles of international law, creating conditions for barrier-free trade.

How is work carried out within the framework of BRICS?

Relations between BRICS partners are built on the basis of the UN Charter, generally recognized principles and norms of international law, as well as the following principles agreed between the members of the association at the 2011 summit: openness, pragmatism, solidarity, non-bloc nature, non-direction against third parties.

The work of the BRICS is based on the Action Plans adopted at the annual summits since 2010.

The system of interaction formats of the BRICS member states includes annual planned summits (2010 - Brazil, 2011 - China, 2012 - India, 2013 - South Africa, 2014 - Brazil), meetings of leaders "on the sidelines" of the G20 summits » (2010 - Canada, 2011 - France, 2012 - Mexico, 2013 - Russia, 2014 - Australia), meetings of high representatives in charge of national security, meetings of foreign ministers (“on the sidelines” of the session of the UN General Assembly), finance ministers and heads of central banks (“on the sidelines” of the autumn and spring sessions of the boards of governors of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, as well as “on the sidelines” of meetings of finance ministers " G20”), ministers of agriculture, ministers of health, sherpas and sous-sherpas of the BRICS countries, heads of statistics and competition agencies, senior officials on issues of scientific, technical and innovation cooperation, meetings of working groups on cooperation in the fields of agriculture, healthcare, information security, science and innovation, meetings of heads of higher (supreme) courts, heads of central election commissions, representatives of the administrations of partner cities and regions. In total, as of November 2014, there are 23 formats of cooperation at various levels.

An important role in the mechanism of cooperation between the BRICS states is played by the working interaction of their permanent missions to the UN in New York, with international organizations in Geneva, in Vienna and at UNESCO in Paris.

In addition to joint activities through the executive and judicial authorities, within the framework of the association, interaction between business organizations and scientific centers is carried out.

How many meetings of the BRICS leaders have already taken place?

On this moment six meetings of the leaders of the BRICS countries took place:

What is the BRICS Chairmanship?

The host country of the next summit is the chairman of the BRICS association and ensures the coordination of all the current activities of the association.

For the period from April 1, 2015 to February 15, 2016, the BRICS chairmanship passes to Russia. Its goals and priorities are set out in the concept of the Russian Federation's chairmanship in BRICS, approved by President Vladimir Putin.

The main event of the chairmanship - the summit of the BRICS heads of state - will be held on July 8-9 in Ufa (Republic of Bashkortostan, Russian Federation).

Group 11 ": general characteristics

"Group of Eleven" (N-11, Next Eleven) - the generalized name of 11 modern states: Bangladesh, Vietnam, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Turkey, Philippines, South Korea, identified by Goldman Sachs analyst Jim O'Neill as countries with a high probability of turning their national economies into major locomotives international system economic relations of the XXI century, along with the BRICS countries. The term was coined in the agency's annual report on December 15, 2005.

The countries of the group mainly intersect with the newly industrialized countries (NICs) that have completed earlier and are now industrializing.

It should be noted that 7 out of 11 countries are simultaneously the leading countries of the Islamic world.

BRICS is a group of five rapidly developing countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa). The abbreviation BRIC was first proposed by Jim O'Neill, an analyst at Goldman Sachs, in November 2001. Until 2011, the abbreviation BRIC was used in relation to the organization. In connection with the accession of South Africa to BRIC on February 18, 2011, since that time the group has become known as BRICS. According to Goldman Sachs, by 2050, the combined economies of the group's countries will exceed the combined size of the economies of the richest countries in the world (the G8).

The sequence of letters in a word is determined not only by euphony, but also by the fact that the word itself in the English transcription of BRICS is very similar to the English word bricks - “bricks”, so this term is used as a designation for a group of countries, due to the growth of which will largely ensure the future growth of the world economy and stock markets in particular.

Goldman Sachs did not assume the existence of coordination of economic policies between the BRIC countries. Moreover, it was not supposed that the BRIC countries form some kind of economic bloc or an official trade association, like the European Union. However, over time there have been indications that "the four BRIC countries are seeking to form a political club" or "alliance" and thus transform "their growing economic power into greater geopolitical 'influence'". One recent sign is the 2008 Foreign Ministers' Summit in Yekaterinburg, as well as the 2009 BRIC Summit in the same place.

BRICS members are characterized as the most rapidly developing large countries. The favorable position of these countries ensures the presence in them of a large number of resources important for the world economy:

Brazil - rich in agricultural products;

Russia is the world's largest exporter of mineral resources;

India - cheap intellectual resources;

China is the owner of cheap labor resources;

Republic of South Africa - natural resources.

These are the main resources on which the economies of these countries rely. The high population of countries (43% of the world's population) determines the cheapness of labor in them and, accordingly, high rates of economic growth.

Ultimately, it is predicted that the significant size of these economies in the future will allow them to transform economic growth into political influence, which will lead to the formation of a new economic elite and reduce the influence of the “golden billion”.

Goldman Sachs claims that the economic potential of Brazil, Russia, India and China is such that they could become the four dominant economies by 2050. The thesis was proposed by Jim O'Neill, Global Economist at Goldman Sachs. These countries occupy over 25% of the world's land area, 40% of the population and have a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of $15.435 trillion. In almost every comparison, they will be the largest global object. These four countries are among the largest and fastest growing emerging markets. However, Goldman Sachs did not claim that the four countries would form a political union. However, these countries have taken steps to increase their political cooperation.

The BRIC thesis (based on Dreaming of BRIC: The Path to 2050) suggests that Brazil, Russia, India and China have changed their political systems to enter the system of global capitalism. Goldman Sachs Predicts China and India Will Be Dominant Global Commodity Suppliers industrial use and services, while Brazil and Russia will also become the dominant suppliers of raw materials. Collaboration is thus likely - as a logical step for BRIC, because Brazil and Russia together logically form suppliers to India and China. Thus, BRIC has the potential to form a strong economic bloc, similar to the G8 states. Brazil is dominant in the production of soybeans and iron ore, while Russia has the potential for huge supplies of oil and natural gas. The Goldman Sachs thesis thus documents that commodities, jobs, technology, and companies are moving away from the US as their center.

For 2011, the five BRICS countries occupy fairly high positions in many economic, social, political and military ratings. For example, China is the second largest economy in the world. In most categories, the BRICS countries rank very high.

The establishment of political relationships within the framework of BRIC began in September 2006, when during the 61st session of the UN in New York a meeting of the foreign ministers of the four countries was held. In the future, three more meetings took place, including a full-scale meeting in Yekaterinburg on June 16, 2009.

The first (brief) meeting of the BRIC heads of state took place on July 9, 2008 in Toyako Onsen (Hokkaido, Japan) after the G8 meeting. The meeting was attended by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Chinese President Hu Jintao, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and agreed to hold a full-scale summit of the BRIC heads of state in 2009.

After that, the finance ministers of the BRIC countries met twice (in Sao Paulo on November 7, 2008 and in London on March 13, 2009), and on May 29, 2009, Russian President D.A. Medvedev met in the Kremlin with representatives of the BRIC countries responsible for security issues (Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Nikolai Patrushev, Minister and Head of the Secretariat for Strategic Affairs under the President of the Federative Republic of Brazil Roberto Mangabeira Unger, National Security Adviser to the Prime Minister of the Republic of India Mayankote Kelath Narayanan and member of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, Dai Bingguo).

The heads of the BRIC countries gathered for their first summit on June 16, 2009 in Yekaterinburg. Countries were represented by Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (Brazil), Dmitry Medvedev (Russia), Manmohan Singh (India) and Hu Jintao (China). During the summit, two meetings were held: first in a narrow format, and then - negotiations with the participation of members of the delegations. Dmitry Medvedev made a statement on behalf of the heads of state of the BRIC countries. In addition, two statements were adopted: the Joint Statement of the BRIC Leaders; BRIC Joint Statement on Global Food Security.

The second summit of the leaders of the BRIC countries took place on April 15-16, 2010 in the capital of Brazil, the city of Brasilia. As a result of the summit, it was reported on the signing of a number of interstate agreements, and on the most important issues raised: overcoming the consequences of the crisis, and creating a new financial order, in particular, in terms of the right to greater influence in international organizations such as the World Bank and the IMF. BRIC members (2010): Luis Inacio Lula da Silva (Brazil), Dmitry Medvedev (Russia), Manmohan Singh (India), Hu Jintao (China).

The third BRICS summit was held on April 13-14, 2011 in the Chinese resort city of Sanya, located on the island of Hainan. At this summit, the official inclusion in the group of its fifth member, South Africa, took place. During the meetings of the now five presidents, various issues of mutual cooperation were touched upon. The BRICS countries once again spoke in favor of the early accession of the Russian Federation to the WTO, a comprehensive reform of the UN, and a peaceful settlement of the Libyan issue. As a result of the summit, a joint declaration was signed, which formed the main directions of world politics and an action plan for the coming year. The countries agreed on economic cooperation using national currencies. BRICS members (2011): Dilma Rousseff (Brazil), Dmitry Medvedev (Russia), Manmohan Singh (India), Hu Jintao (China), Jacob Zuma (South Africa) – 1st meeting of South Africa at the BRICS summit.

The fourth BRICS summit was held on March 28-29, 2012 in the capital of India - New Delhi. The meeting was devoted to the problems of the global economy, anti-crisis measures, as well as the problem of resolving the situation around Syria and Iran. The parties also discussed the possibility of creating a joint development bank and mechanisms for rapprochement of their stock markets. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at the summit spoke about his vision of the strategic goal of the BRICS. This, according to Russian leader, "the gradual transformation of the BRICS into a full-scale mechanism of interaction on the most important issues of the world economy and politics." The idea of ​​creating a new world development bank means, first of all, a gradual rejection of the euro and the dollar in settlements between countries and provides for the process of strengthening national currencies. The BRICS Presidents instructed their finance ministers to study the feasibility and viability of this initiative. BRICS members (2012): Dilma Rousseff (Brazil), Dmitry Medvedev (Russia), Manmohan Singh (India), Hu Jintao (China), Jacob Zuma (South Africa).

The Fifth BRICS Summit took place on March 26-27, 2013 in Durban, South Africa. Topic: "BRICS and Africa: partnership for development, integration and industrialization". As a result of the summit, the Ethekween Declaration and the Ethekween Plan of Action were promulgated. The declaration assesses the current global political and economic situation, reflects general approaches BRICS countries on topical issues of multilateral cooperation. The Action Plan specifies the work of the BRICS for the coming year, and also includes new promising areas of interaction. In the presence of the BRICS leaders, agreements on cooperation in the field of "green economy", co-financing of infrastructure projects in Africa and the Declaration on the establishment of the BRICS Business Council were signed. The signing of the Declaration on the establishment of the Consortium of Expert Centers of the BRICS countries and the release of a joint statistical publication of the BRICS countries was also announced. Before the start of the summit, a working breakfast was held between the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa with representatives of the business community. On the same day, the BRICS leaders met with the heads of African states. During the meeting, Vladimir Putin noted that the BRICS countries jointly defend the rights and interests of Africa and other countries with economies in transition, stand for increasing their role and influence in the global governance system, in particular in international financial and economic organizations. BRICS members (2013): Dilma Rousseff (Brazil), Vladimir Putin (Russia), Manmohan Singh (India), Xi Jinping (China), Jacob Zuma (South Africa).

The economic and political hegemony of the US and the EU has been shaken. The BRICS group, which brings together five major countries, changed the world order towards multipolar international relations.

The abbreviation BRIC was proposed in 2001 by economist Jim O'Neill in relation to the four countries of the world that were noted for economic growth and GDP (gross domestic product) growth: Brazil, Russia, India and China. In 2009 South Africa joined the group and it became known as BRICS. The term soon became widely used to refer to the united emerging economies that, after the financial crisis of 2008, became the main engines of world development. This alliance called into question the undisputed hegemony of the United States and European Union, and also contributed to the strengthening of the trend of expansion of the poles in international relations.

The BRICS countries are home to 43% of the world's population. They have a huge territory - almost 38.5 million km2.

The headquarters of the new BRICS bank will be located in Shanghai (China)

Four of them are among the top ten economies in the world with the highest GDP: China is the second position (after the United States), India is the third, Brazil is the seventh, Russia is the ninth. South Africa has smallest weight, but is key as it is the only African country in the group. Together, the economies of these five states already account for 21% of the world's GDP and drive 20% of international investment. According to forecasts, by 2050 the BRICS countries may become the world's leading economies. Their active development not only gives them a significant weight in the world economy, but also enhances their political role. This was observed in the war in Syria, when the position of the BRICS countries in the UN prevented open intervention in the conflict by the US and NATO.

In 2006, the first joint meeting of Brazil, Russia, China and India was held, and in 2011 South Africa joined them. Since that time, a number of meetings have taken place, aimed mainly at implementing joint plans and demonstrating unity and power. But in 2014, the BRICS countries moved from words to deeds, starting to launch projects.

BRICS Development Bank

At a general meeting in Brazil in July 2014, the BRICS countries approved the creation of their own Development Bank. This is new financial institution is born, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin, in order to provide the participating countries with greater independence from the financial policies of Western countries. According to Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, this bank is founded not for the purpose of domination, but to solve the problems of unemployment and social inequality, which are a consequence of the financial crisis.

China has the second most developed economy in the world.

Another motive that prompted the BRICS countries to create the Development Bank is that, according to the members of the union, the organizations that establish the world economic order (the World Bank and the International monetary fund), serve only the economic interests of the United States and the European Union and block the participation on an equal footing of other developing countries that are gaining weight in the international arena. Due to the impossibility of being involved in these organizations, the BRICS countries decided to create their own similar organizations. New bank, which is in the organization phase, will be headquartered in Shanghai, China. It is assumed that the authorized capital will amount to 100 billion US dollars. In the first years, each country will contribute $2 million. The BRICS countries explain that the bank will accept new members, and their number in decision-making bodies could reach 55%.

Many experts believe that India and China will become the main suppliers of services and industrial goods in the world. The economies of both countries are characterized by active development and have great potential to claim world domination.

moderate development

The five member countries of the BRICS group have not stopped their development in recent years, despite the fact that they suffered from the financial crisis, and Russia also from international sanctions, although economic growth slowed down significantly. Among the BRICS countries, China has the highest GDP - 7.7% of world GDP, followed by India - 5%, Brazil - 2.5%, South Africa - 1.9% and Russia - 1.3%. In 2010, development indicators were much better: China - 10.4%, India - 10.3%, Brazil - 2.5%, Russia - 4.5%, South Africa - 3.1%.

DO YOU KNOW THAT…

In the BRICS countries low rates unemployment rate: China - 4.1%, Brazil - 5.7%, Russia - 5.8%, India - 8.8%. The exception is South Africa with 24.9%.

This financial organization is the support of infrastructures, which are the main object of investment for the founding countries (Brazil, Russia, China, India and South Africa). The desire of the BRICS countries to strengthen the union will make it possible in the future to implement the previously planned projects, including the possible creation of a common currency and a single banking system or its own rating agency. Thus, they have already begun to form a common space. One of the pillars of the BRICS countries is that they complement one another through their core productive qualities: the Brazilian economy is based on agriculture, Russia - on minerals, India - on inexpensive intellectual resources, China - on powerful industry, South Africa - on natural resources. The macroeconomic indicators of the BRICS countries are constantly growing, and the welfare of the general population is gradually increasing. But all countries suffer from an unequal distribution of wealth. This is one of the social challenges. Another important challenge is the creation of a multipolar world without individual hegemonies, as well as diplomacy, which is not based on the military resolution of various conflicts.

Huge potential

BRICS members carry out numerous projects within their own countries to modernize obsolete infrastructures and build new ones. This attracts investors from all over the world, which is especially important in the context of the global crisis. For example, by 2018, Brazil is expected to invest over $400 million in industrial and hydroelectric installations, bridges, airports, railways, highways, oil refineries, oil pipelines and other infrastructures. In addition, the BRICS countries are attractive to investors, since their policies allow a significant part of the population to be pulled out of poverty, which can be turned into future consumers of goods.