New Delhi BRICS Summit: Making BRICS future-ready

The upcoming New Delhi BRICS Summit on September 12 and 13, 2026, will gather leaders from BRICS member countries, partner nations, and invited stakeholders, alongside heads of several international organizations. India eagerly anticipates hosting South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa at the event. The summit's theme, "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability," echoes Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Humanity First" vision, emphasizing India's dedication to prioritizing people in the BRICS agenda.

Since its inception, BRICS has grown to include 11 member countries and 10 partner nations, expanding its global influence to about 49% of the world's population, 40% of global GDP, and 26% of global trade. This growth has solidified BRICS' role in addressing the concerns of the Global South. The organization now operates through 35 Ministerial and Heads-of-Agencies tracks, tackling issues of mutual interest and concern.

India's Chairmanship of the BRICS Summit prioritizes a people-centric approach, focusing on resilience, innovation, cooperation, and sustainability. In the Resilience pillar, India aims to enhance collective strength in healthcare, agriculture, food security, energy, disaster risk reduction, and supply chains. The Innovation pillar seeks to boost collaboration in areas such as start-ups, MSMEs, technology, research, digital infrastructure, and artificial intelligence.

The Cooperation pillar underlines the importance of strengthening multilateralism, reforming global governance, and advancing development-related cooperation across BRICS tracks.

India's Chairmanship is particularly focused on clean and renewable energy, climate action, and sustainable consumption, areas that are crucial for developing nations grappling with development, energy access, and environmental sustainability. Several initiatives have already been proposed, including the establishment of a BRICS Network of Centres of Excellence on Agro-ecology and Regenerative Agriculture and a BRICS Network on Digital Agriculture.

These efforts will facilitate the exchange of knowledge, technology, and best practices to create more resilient and sustainable agricultural systems. Additionally, health-related initiatives like the Expert Group on Traditional, Complementary, and Integrative Medicine, as well as the Expert Group on a BRICS Integrated Early Warning System, demonstrate India's commitment to bolstering preparedness against future pandemics.

These initiatives collectively demonstrate BRICS' evolving focus on practical cooperation, institutional mechanisms, and tangible outcomes. By keeping the organization people-focused, India believes that BRICS can effectively leverage its growing weight to promote concrete benefits for its member countries and peoples.