Conference “BRICS Partnership for the Digital Economy Development: Prospects of Seamless Cross-Border Cooperation”

Synergy of digital and space technologies for the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals

The BRICS countries possess cutting-edge competencies for the development of both digital and space technologies.

Space technologies appear to be direct beneficiaries of advanced digital technologies – whether these be robotics, microelectronics, additive technologies or Big Data analytics. Digital technologies open up new opportunities for creating digital twins and digital threads for space equipment, facilitate emergence of leading space systems and services – especially if technical and regulatory barriers are overcome.

At the same time, space-based data, packed into products and services, serves as an enabler of resolving socio-economic development tasks. According to the UN assessments, space technologies positively impact all the 17 SDGs, contributing to accumulation, processing and verification of raw data and making up informed decisions.

As part of the session, speakers will discuss the interlinkage between digital and space economy, and how, if combined, these elements trigger innovation, productivity growth and sustainable development.

E-commerce: role in stimulating intra-BRICS trade

E-commerce market in BRICS is gradually growing. In 2023, its volume for the grouping has reached 1,173 trillion US dollars. The share of e-commerce in GDP of the BRICS countries varies from 1.5% to 17%.

The witnessed growth is accompanied with numerous risks, primarily associated with violation of consumers’ rights. In this context, the BRICS countries introduce innovative and digital solutions, integrating the latter in e-government systems. Meanwhile, the members launch pre-trial mechanisms of dispute resolution, including in online format, provide leverages for platform-based procedures.

In parallel to the efforts to increase trust in e-commerce, the BRICS countries adopt measures to expand the affordability and inclusivity of existing sales channels, especially for MSMEs.

The session will embrace the issues of most effective mechanisms of protecting consumers’ rights, experience of BRICS in pre-trial dispute resolution (including cross-border transactions), and export opportunities of BRICS marketplaces with a focus on the future options for promoting the products of BRICS MSMEs.