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Goa Statement on Environment:
Second Meeting of BRICS Environment Ministers
September 16, 2016, Goa
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- We, the Environment Ministers and senior officials of the Federative Republic of Brazil, the Russian Federation, the Republic of India, the People‟s Republic of China and the Republic of South Africa, met in Goa, India on 15 - 16 September 2016 at the Second BRICS Environment Ministers meeting. Our discussions, under the overarching theme "BRICS Partnership for Building Responsive, Inclusive and Collective Solutions", were inspired by a shared desire to strengthen mutual cooperation in the area of environment to achieve equitable, inclusive and sustainable development.
- We deeply appreciate the initiative taken by the Russian Federation for hosting the first meeting of BRICS Environment Ministers in Moscow last year and recall the decisions taken during that meeting identifying areas of mutual interest and possibilities of cooperation. We acknowledge the support that we received from our leaders in Ufa declaration of 2015 and the efforts made during the interim period by the countries in fostering cooperation on environmental issues.
- We note the emerging global environmental challenges and opportunities that the global community faces today. We recognise that eradication of poverty must be our first priority as it is the poor who bear disproportionate burden of environmental degradation caused by unsustainable and inequitable consumption of resources and emphasize the need for sustainable lifestyles. BRICS countries constitute significant part of world‟s population, land area and natural resources; thus,the choices that we make have global significance.
- We reaffirm our commitment to the Principles of Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, 1992 including Equity, and Common but Differentiated Responsibilities.
We welcome the adoption of Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development which isa positive milestone in the global efforts to promote effective sustainable development solutions. We acknowledge that the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires transformative leadership that aims to "leave no one behind‟.
- We welcome the adoption of Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and look forward to its ratification by all countries and resolve to work for its full implementation. We emphasize that the countries working on their domestic processes of ratification should continue to be included in the decision making process, in case early entry into force of the Paris Agreement is achieved.
- We welcome the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development which reaffirmed strong political commitment to address the challenge of financing and creating an enabling environment at all levels for sustainable development. All sources of finance, technology transfer and capacity building are critical for addressing global environmental issues. We call upon developed countries to honour their commitments relating to means of implementation and facilitate the operationalization of Agenda 2030 with a clear roadmap.
- We have agreed on a Memorandum of Understanding and constituted a Joint Working Group on Environment providing impetus to our mutual cooperation on a sustained basis. We have also agreed to meet and convene a meeting of the Joint Working Group annually.
- We recognize the importance of abatement and control of air and water pollution. We have agreed to share with each other our technical expertise on air quality and water pollution as well as conservation and management of water resources and rivers through joint projects and network of our regulatory and technical institutions.
- We recognize that efficient management of various categories of waste is key for healthy ecosystem and quality of life of our people. We have agreed to enhance our mutual cooperation for efficient management of waste.
- We acknowledge the rich biodiversity of BRICS countries and its significance for sustainable livelihood and development. We note the considerable experience of our technical institutions and agree to promote closer cooperation among the expert bodies for sustainable management of biodiversity and achieving Sustainable Development Goals. We also take note of China‟s interest in hosting the CoP-15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 2020.
- We welcome South Africa‟s hosting the 17th Conference of Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), from 24 September to 5 October 2016 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg. In addition, we noted that a Ministerial Lekgotla will be held on the 23 September 2016, which will discuss the nexus between the Agenda 2030 SDGs and CITES with a special focus on how CITES can advance the achievement of the SDGs.
- We have resolved to develop a platform for sharing environmentally sound technologies as a new international mechanism for public private partnership that can assist in addressing environmental challenges in our countries and promote innovations, knowledge management and capacity building including by means of a common website, a network of technical institutions and to undertake joint projects in areas of mutual interest.
- We express our gratitude to Government and people of India for hosting the second meeting of the BRICS Environment Ministers and the Government of People's Republic of China for offering to host the next meeting.
Source: Official website of the 2016 BRICS Summit
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