As Brics turns 20, India aims to deliver a chairship of substance

The 20th anniversary of Brics is approaching, and India has been tasked with chairing the grouping for the first time in its expanded form. With 11 member countries and 10 partner countries, Brics now represents nearly half of the world's population, about a quarter of global output and roughly a quarter of world trade. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized the theme of "Humanity First" at last year’s summit, which led to the chairship concept of "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Co-operation and Sustainability."

This theme is underpinned by four working pillars: health, agriculture, food, energy and disaster preparedness; innovation through startups, MSMEs, research, digital public infrastructure and artificial intelligence; multilateralism and global governance reform; and sustainability through clean energy, adaptation and nature-based solutions.

India has been working tirelessly to make this vision a reality, with over 400 meetings held across 35 ministerial and heads-of-agency tracks, as well as various other tracks. These meetings took place in nearly 30 cities, with more than 20 ministerial and heads-of-agency meetings on various subjects ranging from foreign affairs to education, culture, tourism, finance and central banking. Additionally, there were numerous business engagements involving MSMEs, startups and women entrepreneurs.

The outcomes of these efforts have been tangible. This year, Brics AgriN, a network on agricultural inputs and genetic resources, was launched, along with centers of excellence on agro-ecology and regenerative agriculture. The development of a digital centre of excellence for smart grids and energy storage, Brics Connect, a mission for a healthy lifestyle, expert working groups on traditional, complementary and integrative medicine, and voluntary principles for climate-resilient urban infrastructure have also been established. Moreover, the urbanization track resulted in the first ministerial declaration in Brics' history.