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relevant authorities of the BRICS countries to exchange experience and sensitive 

information should be considered.

All five countries express grave concern over the fact that terrorists increasingly 

use globalisation processes to promote their cause and inflict greater damages on 

peoples of the world. Among these instruments special attention should be given 

to the mobilisation of terrorist supporters through information and communication 

technologies, in particular the internet and other media. 

2.8 Countering drug trafficking and international organised crime

In recent years drugs have evolved into a truly global phenomenon, with trans-

national drug crime becoming one of the leading illegal activities in the world. 

All the BRICS countries have a common problem in drug trafficking, and drugs 

are produced in the territories of three of them – India, China and South Africa – 

mostly cannabis and synthetic drugs. According to a UNODC (2011) report, 

India might supply up to 3 per cent of the global heroin market. Possessing a very 

sophisticated pharmaceutical industry, India also produces new psychoactive 

substances and different forms of ephedrine. China is among the main producers 

of acetic anhydride globally, which is one of main precursors for heroin production.

With regards to drug use, Brazil occupies second place in the world in cocaine 

consumption, with around 18 per cent of the world’s volume going there. Different 

data suggest that between 3 million and 6 million Brazilians use drugs (Bradley, 2012). 

Russia is among the countries that suffers most. It occupies third place in the 

world in terms of drug use, with around 8.5 million people using drugs at least 

occasionally, and 630,000 heavy drug users registered officially. Around 100,000 

people die of drug abuse annually. Russia is also the leader in heroin use in the 

world, with Afghan opiates supplying up to 30 per cent of the total drug market 

in Russia. China occupies third place in heroin use, with steady growth over the 

last years. India is the main heroin user in South Asia, occupying 8

th

 place in the 

world. The trend in South Africa seems to be most alarming, with the number of 

drug users growing by 600 per cent over the last decade and currently representing 

up to 15 per cent of the total population (Sara, 2013). South Africa is among the 

leaders in cannabis use. In all five BRICS countries the use of synthetic drugs is 

growing, with youth being the most affected.

All five countries are also major transit countries for drug trafficking. Around 

70 per cent of cocaine transit from Latin America to Europe goes through Brazil 

(UNODC, 2013). China is a drug transit country en route to North America. 

Russia is the transit country for Afghan drugs to Europe. South Africa is considered 

the most favoured transit point for cocaine going from the Andean States and 

heroin from Afghanistan to Europe (Federal Drug Control Service, 2012).

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Thus it is clear that drug trafficking is a common problem for all the BRICS 

countries. While not all of them are drug producers, all five suffer from growing 

drug use and transit.

Meanwhile international experience demonstrates that cultivation of narcotic 

plants mainly occurs in regions affected by low levels of economic development 

and local armed conflicts and which are generally out of or very weakly under 

government control. This means that the problem cannot and should not be 

resolved merely by police enforcement measures.

Therefore, a reliable long-term solution to the problem of cultivation of narcotic 

plants should not only address the demand side in more advanced economies, but 

also ensure security and sustainable socio-economic development of the depressed 

regions. This multifaceted task requires effective international cooperation.

In 1998 the UN General Assembly addressed the world drug problem as a 

development issue in which prevention and elimination of cultivation of the illicit 

crop might be attained by supporting rural development and acknowledging the 

importance of sustained national economic growth.

Alternative development projects managed by the drug control community 

have achieved both development and drug control outcomes in specific geographical 

areas where more conventional development agencies are often not even present, 

despite the prevailing levels of poverty and conflict. Experience demonstrates that 

improvements in the income and quality of life of communities often accompany 

alternative development projects as levels of opium poppy or coca cultivation fall.

At the same time, in recent years many efforts by the development assistance 

agencies to reduce poverty, promote sustainable human development and improve 

the lives and livelihoods of those residing in illicit drug crop producing areas have 

often failed. Traditional development models such as “profit maximising for illicit 

drug farmers” do not work in this case.

Nevertheless, many alternative development projects still neglect the causal 

factors of booming drug economies, focusing mainly on crop substitution, so the 

main push factors for drug economies, such as violence, weak statehood and a deficient 

judicial system, and a lack of infrastructure and market access, are disregarded. 

The effect of such projects is that short-term, illicit drug cultivation increases, 

and poverty returns again after a couple of years. A wider process of economic 

and political development including State formation in areas of limited statehood 

is required to ensure a sustainable reduction in illicit crop cultivation. 

Alternative development programmes should be undertaken with a full understanding 

of the overall objectives of ensuring security, fighting corruption, building 

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the capacity of national governments and promoting comprehensive economic 

and social development.

In December 2013 the UN Guiding Principles on Alternative Development were 

adopted; they emphasise the need for an integrated, multidisciplinary, complementary 

and balanced approach based on the principle of a common and shared responsibility.

A comprehensive review of the existing models of alternative development 

programmes and development assistance programmes implemented in illicit drug 

crop producing areas is needed. A considerable overlap between alternative development 

and poverty eradication programmes makes this work even more urgent in view 

of the intergovernmental process on the post-2015 development agenda and the 

UN-led international cooperation against the world drug problem. This review 

can provide a platform for synergy between all key stakeholders in development 

and drug control communities, as well as experts and civil society representatives 

in the relevant areas of concern.

2.9 Information security and cyber security

Today the BRICS countries constitute one of the largest and most rapidly growing 

segments of the global internet community, accounting for 38 per cent of the world’s 

internet audience. The total contribution of the internet sector to BRICS economies 

in 2013 topped USD 500 billion, and yet the forecasts say it will double by 2015. 

TABLE 1

Country

Population (March 

2014, millions)

Internet users (June 

2013, millions)

Global ranking with 

regards to internet 

use

Internet connectivity 

(June 2013, %)

Share of world 

internet users (%)

Brazil

201,032

99,358

5

49.4

4.1

Russia

143,666

75,926

6

52.8

3.2

India

1,242,580

151,599

3

12.2

6.3

China

1,363,780

568,192

1

41.7

23.6

South Africa

52,981

20,012

25

37.8

0.8

BRICS

3,004,039

915,087

38.8

38.0

Source: Demidov (2014).

At the same time, these remarkable statistics only emphasise the under-

representation of the BRICS nations in the field of global internet and cyber 

governance. Neither the global discussion on the transition of the oversight of 

critical internet functions nor the attempt to set global rules to stop uncontrolled 

government surveillance of the internet has been properly dealt with. In fact, none 

of the BRICS areas of cooperation, as represented by the BTTC “pillars”, can be 

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truly successful without addressing information and communication technology 

(ICT) security issues, because finance, economic growth, security, science and 

education today are equally dependent on the internet and other ICTs (Orlov, 

2014). The subject of ICT as an element for sharing knowledge and innovation 

is dealt with in Chapter 5 of this document.

The trans-border nature of the internet makes the BRICS format free 

from its most serious weaknesses such as clashes of regional interests and 

mismatches of geographically determined agendas. Instead, the internet brings 

BRICS countries and their stakeholders together, and this is a chance that 

should not be missed.

Acknowledging massive e-surveillance as a direct consequence of a systemic 

malfunction of the internet architecture in its present form might imply 

far-reaching technical consequences. Even ignoring policymakers and the issues 

of trust in international relations, this conclusion might trigger significant revision 

and update of the technical backbones of the internet. This includes the work of 

basic internet protocols (HTTP, TCP/IP) and traffic encryption standards.

Therefore, the Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM) implemented in the 

BRICS framework might be a good tool for responding to a number of information 

security issues. One example is leveraging the cooperation of Computer Emergency 

Response Teams (CERTs) (or creating a BRICS CERT or a BRICS Computer 

Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT) as a part of CBMs, which also helps 

to counter trans-border cybercrime and cyber terrorism.

2.10 Joint IT-infrastructure and internet projects

There is enough experience, technological background, financial resources and 

political leadership to move the agenda on ITC themes forward more dynamically. 

The BRICS countries must investigate means of increasing digital connectivity 

among the members states. Next steps might include major software development 

initiatives that might bring together market demands and certain policy imperatives 

for the BRICS countries. Therefore, the BRICS countries could join their 

human, financial and technological resources to develop better security standards 

for internet protocols, protected operating systems and applications. 

In the Statement to the BRICS Summit in Fortaleza, Just Net Coalition 

experts identified four possible areas of synergies for BRICS nations in the ICT field, 

including “the development of new open Internet platforms and tools including in 

the areas like search, operating systems, data storage and cloud services given that 

they have the necessary skills, large internal markets and political motivation to 

break with the current mass surveillance and rent-seeking based business models” 

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(Just Net Coalition, 2014). Looping the issue back to e-surveillance, those joint 

activities might also include elaboration of not only protected internet protocols 

but also new cryptography standards and products, including market-oriented 

solutions for “civil cryptography”.

2.11 Maritime security

While there is considerable difference between the five BRICS countries with regard 

to their maritime activities and the volume of their mercantile fleets, several of the 

countries have been affected by attacks by maritime pirates.

Thus far, not much substantive work has been conducted by BRICS to fight 

maritime piracy. At the international level, 2008 saw the UN Security Council 

unanimously adopt a resolution allowing States to send warships to Somali 

territorial waters. Among the BRICS nations, this right was exercised by China, 

India and Russia (Bellish, 2012). This resulted in 2012 seeing a lower incidence 

of pirate attacks (75 against 237 in the previous year). Nevertheless, this is not the 

best possible and rational solution to the problem – the costs of warship convoys 

are way too high. There is an estimated loss for the world economy in the range 

of USD 7 billion to USD 12 billion annually.

This problem is still lacking the legal framework to be effectively countered. 

Among the issues requiring answers is how to release hostages and cargoes 

captured by pirates; what the procedures to punish those involved in piracy 

should be, and whether there are means to ensure the effective prevention of 

pirate activities.

As a future-oriented approach BRICS should address the issue of ocean 

governance and hold consultations thereon.

2.12 Illegal migration

While BRICS brings together five of the largest emerging economies, the countries’ 

socio-economic structures and the dynamics and goals of economic development 

differ drastically, complicating the formulation of any coherent common policies, 

including in the area of migration.

Migration represents one of the critical issues for all BRICS members. 

They have a number of common problems and policy goals, even though their 

migration challenges vary significantly. 

The problems of illegal immigration and human trafficking articulate other 

issues, related to immigration and frequently widely publicised and not 

infrequently exaggerated by the media, government authorities and political activists.