The Joint BRICS Website (the website of the BRICS Virtual Secretariat) is developed as a free online public resource created to cover the activities of the BRICS.
The basis for the development of the website is The Memorandum of Understanding on the Creation of the Joint BRICS Website of 9 July, 2015.
The Joint BRICS Website is the BRICS official resource giving objective reliable information on the BRICS activities.
PROJECT MISSION:• strengthening comprehensive cooperation between Member States of the BRICS • developing relations between the foreign policy departments of the BRICS Member States • harnessing the achievements of information and communication technologies with a view to developing cooperation among Member States of the BRICS association and their peoples • disseminating information on the BRICS values, goals and practical activities among its Member States and the international community
PROJECT GOALS:• disseminating information on the activities of a State which currently chairs the BRICS, including its priorities and chairmanship programme, information on previous and upcoming events of the Chairmanship and BRICS-related keynote addresses by the leaders of the Chair State• providing information on the BRICS Member States participation and on the events they hold within framework of the association • disseminating information on the activity of business and non-governmental organizations aimed at promoting the BRICS objectives • disseminating media publications on the BRICS activities • informing the public about the history of the BRICS and decisions adopted by the association TARGET AUDIENCE OF THE WEBSITE:• employees of the foreign policy departments of the BRICS Member States, diplomatic community of other countries, representatives of international organizations • international expert community, representatives of Information and Analysis Centers and scientific organizations • politicians and public figures, civic activists • journalists, media personnel • students, studying youth
EXPERIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY USED:• the software architecture of the portal is based on the "open source" principles • to ensure that all states have an equal opportunity to upload content into the website, the team of programmers developed a content management interface, well known in the international community of programmers and webmasters that meets the BRICS principles of transparency and democracy
WEBSITE DESIGN AND FUNCTIONING PRINCIPLES: equal unrestricted access of all countries to editing the portal content which suggests the possibility of the representatives of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of each country to post freely any information materials in the national modules, as well as News Feed of the portal (in any section, on any subject and in any language)
informational attractiveness of the home page and main news block shall be maintained by the drafting group of the Party which serves as the BRICS Chair; the home page opens in English by default; when selecting another language, a version with materials available in that language opens at the main page
indication of the origin of the published informationin the website every post is labeled with the flag of the country on whose behalf it was placed; the country on whose behalf this information was posted takes the responsibility for the content of the published information, as well as its compliance with national and international law
INFORMATION SOURCES• official documents of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and other authorities of the BRICS countries• statements by Heads of State and Government, Ministries of Foreign Affairs and other authorities of the BRICS countries• Press Service Announcements, releases and other information materials of the BRICS countries' authorities, embassies, national news agencies• interviews with representatives of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, public authorities, parliamentarians, non-governmental organizations, experts• materials of national centers for the study of the BRICS and other Think Tanks• materials of national (state-run and private) media about the BRICS• notes and articles by the BRICS website drafting groups on the BRICS activities
WEBSITE MANAGING BOARDThe Board is formed to manage the BRICS website and is headed by the representative of the Chairman State. In its work the Board is being guided by the principle of consensus.Its competence includes determining focus areas of the website activities for the long term and resolving issues of its operation.The Board’s decisions may be taken by absentee voting. The Board will meet preferably by teleconference or videoconference.
RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PARTIESTHE PARTIES HAVE THE RIGHT TO:• have an easy and full access to information published on the BRICS website, as well as information on the website software;• participate on an equal footing in resolving issues of the BRICS website management applying the principle of consensus;• upload relevant information that the Parties consider necessary to the national modules of the BRICS website, and the period of the BRICS chairmanship – to the module of the incumbent Chair.THE PARTIES SHOULD: • maintain properly their national modules; • upload official, public release documents in connection with BRICS events in relevant national languages to the BRICS Official Document ArchiveTHE CHAIR STATE SHOULD:ensure that the Chairmanship module has proper content (information about priorities and program of activities of the chairmanship, information on BRICS issues, speeches of state leaders etc.) in the national language and in English
ADMINISTRATORS RIGHTS • each country has an administrator login for full access to the management of its national section and news feeds, as well as for the appointment of additional website editors• the chairing country has an administrator login for managing Chairing State section and main news block• administrator of the national page also can publish posts in the main news block of the site