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He highlighted the UAE’s development of a national strategy aligned with the United Nations
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) under the Sendai Framework and SDGs 2015-2030,
which includes customised policies for various demographic groups.

He added that the UAE actively participates in international forums and organisations, engages
in constructive dialogue through platforms representing developing and emerging economies,
and supports many countries globally.

Al Shamsi concluded by stressing the importance of investing in disaster risk management and
shifting from disaster response to disaster prevention by fostering a culture of risk reduction and
focusing on prevention programmes, particularly in vulnerable areas, noting the success of the
UAE’s early warning systems established in 2017.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the delegation witnessed the signing of the Kazan Declaration,
which reflects agreement on joint policies to confront emergencies and crises, and which
stressed the importance of strengthening the state’s role in the BRICS Group in terms of
emergencies, crises and disasters.

In addition to organising official visits to both the Russian Federation and Belarus to exchange
experiences and visit universities and training centres to benefit from specialised training in the
two countries.

The creation of a BRICS digital payment platform, BRICS Bridge, will help increase mutual trade
between the member countries, Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko
said.

“The Russian Finance Ministry and the Central Bank of Russia together with BRICS partners
are working on the BRICS leaders’ report on now to upgrade the international forex and financial
system. It will contain a number of initiatives and recommendations. Consideration of this report
may result in creating a BRICS multilateral digital payment platform (BRICS Bridge), which will
help bridge the gap between the financial markets of the BRICS member countries and increase
mutual trade,” Matviyenko said at the BRICS Parliamentary Forum in St. Petersburg on Friday.
Work on an independent payment system, “immune to political pressure, abuse and external
sanctions interference”, is ongoing as a follow-up to the decisions adopted at last year’s BRICS
summit in South Africa, she said as quoted by Russian news agency Interfax.
If this system is created, it may use digital currencies of the BRICS central banks, and their
exchange rate will be tied to the value of national currencies, Matviyenko said.

“In addition, this digital settlement and payment platform will be decentralised, that said, no
participants will be able to restrict the activities of others. If the Russian-proposed initiative is
approved, the BRICS countries will have to conduct coordinated legislative work to put a
national digital currency into circulation and use it in cross-border settlements,” she said.

https://www.gulftoday.ae/business/2024/07/26/uae-joins-brics-trade-ministers-to-call-for-greater-
cooperation