BRICS countries this week renewed their commitment to progress energy efficiency, conserve resources and tackle climate change at the second meeting of the BRICS Working Group on Energy Saving and Improvement of Energy Efficiency. Held in Beijing, China, under China’s 2017 Presidency of the BRICS Summit, the event represented an important step in facilitating cooperation on energy efficiency between BRICS countries, which was set out in the “Memorandum on Mutual Understanding in Energy Saving and Governmental Agencies of BRICS Responsible for Energy and Energy Efficiency” and the “Joint Statement on Energy Saving and Energy Efficiency amongst BRICS Countries”, previously agreed to by members.

Vice-Minister Yong Zhang of China’s National Development and Reform Commission and Vice-Minister Anton Inyutsyn of Russia’s Ministry of Energy called on BRICS countries to play a leading role in improving energy efficiency and designing a better, energy efficient future in a collaborative manner. Discussions also centred round energy efficiency policies, key energy efficiency collaboration projects, best energy efficient technologies and practices, and energy saving and energy efficiency databases.

The BRICS – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – are all members of the (IPEEC).

2^nd Meeting of the BRICS Working Group on Energy Efficiency and Improvement of Energy Efficiency, Beijing, China, 5 June 2017.

Vice-Minister Yong Zhang, National Development and Reform Commission of China.