At the occasion of the 5th BRICS Ministers of Environment Meeting, held in São Paulo, Brazil, on 15 August 2019, the Ministers have discussed the importance of addressing the environmental challenges faced by urban populations in the BRICS countries. In this regard, they have decided to put in practice cooperation among the five countries as follows:

1. For the implementation of the Best Available Technologies (BAT) in the BRICS countries the Parties decided to work on the compilation of the BRICS BAT reference guide which could be made available for all Participants. This compendium may be published in the format of a Reference Book(s).
2. To fulfill this mandate, within a 3-month period, an expert group will be created consisting of representatives from each country, and a working plan of action shall be prepared for adoption in the next Ministerial Meeting in Russia in 2020.
3. To initiate cooperation projects for the development of urban environment programs leading to concrete results by 2020, and to seek support from the New Development Bank (NDB) and multilateral financing organizations to provide a long-term strategy to address those important needs.