Under the auspices of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (IDCPC), China NGO Network for International Exchanges (CNIE) hosted in Beijing the BRICS Civil Society Organisations Forum 2022 with “Bringing into Play the Role of BRICS Civil Society in Building Development Partnerships” as its theme on 20 May. Chen Zhou, Vice Minister of IDCPC, delivered a keynote speech at the opening session. Li Jun, Vice President of CNIE and former Vice Minister of IDCPC, made concluding remarks at the closing session.

In his speech, Chen Zhou stated that the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government attach great importance to and actively support people-to-people exchanges and cooperation among BRICS countries. General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that the BRICS countries need to stay committed to promoting people-to-people and cultural exchanges. Chen Zhou noted that civil society exchanges and cooperation among BRICS countries are of great significance for promoting high-quality BRICS partnership. Civil society organisations in BRICS countries need to make concerted efforts to safeguard the well-being of their peoples with a people-centred approach, address global governance challenges by upholding true multilateralism, enhance people-to-people connectivity through intensified exchanges, and build human community with a shared future through solidarity and cooperation.

Fifteen participants representing civil society organisations in BRICS countries spoke on issues relating to the three topics of “Strengthening People-to-People Cooperation to Improve People’s Livelihood and Well-being”, “Multilateralism and Participation in Global Governance”, and “Improving People-to-People Exchanges and Connectivity”. At the event, a special presentation was also made by the Economic Justice

Network of South Africa as the host of the next BRICS Civil Society Organisations Forum.

BRICS civil society organisations representatives at the forum spoke highly of the important role China plays in BRICS cooperation and applauded the Global Development Initiative proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping. In their view, the forum this year has built greater civil society consensus among BRICS countries and injected dynamic impetus to the institutionalisation of the BRICS Civil Society Organisations Forum. They called on civil society organisations to work together and contribute more wisdom and strength to the deepening of the BRICS cooperation, reform and improvement of the global governance system, and the speedy realisation of the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

As a constituent event of the BRICS Political Parties, Think Tanks and Civil Society Organisations Forum 2022, the forum has attracted extensive attention across various civil society sectors in BRICS countries. A total of over 300 civil society organisations representatives from China, Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa participated in this online forum.