VIENNA, 5 April 2018 - The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has held an eighth round of consultations with the Permanent Missions of the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) at its headquarters in Vienna.

The participants discussed the progress of the UNIDO project; “Promote the development and cooperation of SMEs between China and other BRICS countries through e-commerce development” and the promising initiatives to strengthen alliances for waste-to-energy technologies and innovation, as well as the facilitation of trade and expansion of export opportunities through harmonization of standards and methods within the BRICS countries.

The participants commended the achievements made as part of the e-commerce project, including the preparation of a Joint Study Report on e-commerce development in BRICS, the organization of international consultations and expert group meetings on SME cooperation through e-commerce and technology transfer, which led to the expansion of the project from BRICS to developing countries, cooperation with the Alibaba Group and broadening partnerships with agencies on e-commerce and e-trade activities.

Moreover, the BRICS representatives demonstrated a significant interest in initiatives on waste-to-energy technologies and the harmonization of standards and methods within BRICS countries. It was agreed that by using UNIDO as a systematic cooperation platform for sharing competences among BRICS countries, the initiatives can be quickly and effectively integrated within national networks and projects supporting waste-to-energy technologies, circular economy, standardization and quality infrastructure.

For further information, please contact:

Victor Zagrekov

Senior Advisor

UNIDO Department of Programmes, Partnerships and Field Integration

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