Third Meeting of BRICS Environment Ministers Tianjin Statement on Environment

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4 th Draft, revised based on discussion on 22 June 2017
Tianjin, China, June 23, 2017

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, held the Third BRICS Environment Ministers' Meeting in Tianjin, China from June 22 to 23, 2017. We reaffirm our commitment to the implementation of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development as well as the Paris Agreement.
We reviewed and appreciated the progress made subsequent to the First and Second BRICS Environment Ministers' Meeting hosted by Russia and India at Moscow and Goa respectively.
We reaffirmed the importance of BRICS Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Environmental Cooperation to be signed at an appropriate time, and expressed the interest of developing a framework agreement on environmental cooperation in the future.
We discussed major challenges and opportunities towards achieving sustainable development in its three inter-related and indivisible dimensions: economic, social and environmental at country, regional and global levels.
We reiterate our commitment to the principles of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development of 1992, including equity, dignity and common but differentiated responsibilities.
We urge full implementation of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on financing for sustainable development, including the Technology Facilitation Mechanism. The official development assistance, technology transfer and capacity building remain the key means in addressing global environmental challenges. We reaffirm our call to developed countries to honor their commitments relating to means of implementation and operationalization of Agenda 2030 with a clear roadmap.
We underscore the need for means of implementation of Paris Agreement, including transfer of technology from developed to developing countries as one of the most critical enabler for climate actions.
We also urge developed countries to honor their commitments and take the lead in providing the financial assistance on climate actions as reflected in UNFCCC Agreements.
We appreciate that the conservation and sustainable use of the rich biodiversity of BRICS countries is of special significance for the global environment and to achieve the internationally agreed targets and goals, including SDGs and Aichi targets.
We resolve to enhance cooperation in the field of biodiversity conservation, sustainable use and equitable sharing of benefit, and also promote cooperation in biodiversity-related international conventions and fora including on endangered species. We will closely cooperate to ensure the success of COP15 of CBD to be held in China in 2020.
We reiterate our intention to promote cooperation within BRICS in the area of pollution prevention, in particular air pollution, which will help achieving Agenda 2030 and is in line with the UNEA 3 theme of "towards a pollution free planet".
In our efforts to address the issues raised and in following the guidance given by our leaders, and to provide impetus to fulfilling our commitments in Moscow and Goa Statements with the aim of developing the Environmentally Friendly Technology Platform, we realized the importance of concrete actions on cooperation, such as the proposals to develop the BRICS Clean Rivers Umbrella Program and the BRICS City Partnership for Environmental Sustainability Initiative.
We welcome the hosting by Brazil of the 8th World Water Forum in Brasilia, on 18-23 March 2018, which will promote a timely debate among all stakeholders on the theme "sharing waters".
Realizing the global significance of addressing desertification, land degradation and drought, we pledge our full support to the successful COP 13 of the UNCCD taking place in Erdos, Inner Mongolia, the People's Republic of China, on 6-16 September 2017.
We welcome the hosting by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Ministry of Urban Development, the Government of India of an international workshop on 3R's (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) in collaboration with UNCRD on 21-24 December 2017.
We acknowledge that the Year of Environment was declared by the Russian Federation in 2017 and expect its outcome to contribute to the better state of environment.
We also welcome the collaboration of United Nations Environment Programme in the BRICS environmental cooperation.
We express our heartfelt appreciation to the government of the People's Republic of China and Tianjin Municipal government and its people for hosting the Third BRICS Environment Ministers' Meeting.

Source: Itamaraty