Context
- India is holding the BRICS Presidency in 2026 and is set to host the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on 12–13 September 2026.
- This marks India’s fourth BRICS Chairship, following 2012, 2016 and 2021, under the 2026 theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”
What is BRICS?
- BRICS is a platform for cooperation among major emerging economies on political, economic, financial and social issues.
- It provides a forum for advancing the interests of the Global South and promoting a more representative and balanced global order.
- Its cooperation covers areas such as development, finance, technology, trade, climate action, agriculture, health, security and people-to-people exchanges.
- BRICS advocates greater representation and equity in international institutions, including the WTO, IMF and World Bank.
Origin and Evolution
- The acronym BRIC was coined in 2001 by Goldman Sachs in its paper “The World Needs Better Economic BRICs.”
- BRIC was formally established in 2006 as a political cooperation forum comprising Brazil, Russia, India and China.
- The first BRIC Summit was held at Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009.
- South Africa joined the grouping, transforming BRIC into BRICS.
Expansion of BRICS
- Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and UAE became full members in January 2024.
- Indonesia became the 11th full member in January 2025.
Partner Countries
- Ten countries joined the Partner Country framework during 2025:
- Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
BRICS Presidency
- The Presidency rotates annually.
- The Presidency begins on 1 January and ends on 31 December.
- The country holding the Presidency sets annual priorities, organises the BRICS Summit and steers ministerial and working-group meetings.
Key Outcomes of India’s 2026 BRICS Chairship
Agriculture
- BRICS Centres of Excellence on Agro-Ecology
- BRICS Network on Digital Agriculture
- BRICS AGRIN – cooperation on seeds, germplasm and agricultural inputs.
Health
- BRICS Mission for Healthy Lifestyle and Roadmap for 2026–2029.
- BRICS Expert Working Group on Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM).
- Greater focus on mental health through the BRICS Training Hub Network and Centres of Excellence, with NIMHANS India as coordinating centre.
Climate & Sustainable Development
- Principles for climate resilience through people-centric and community-based adaptation.
- Cooperation on traditional and indigenous knowledge systems.
- Sustainable Lifestyles Week and institutional knowledge-sharing networks.
Skilling
- BRICS CONNECT for Skilling – cooperation on:
- Social security
- Women’s workforce participation
- Skills and employability
- Digital public infrastructure.
Energy
- BRICS Guiding Principles on Energy Storage and Smart Grids adopted.
- BRICS Digital Centre of Excellence for Smart Grids and Energy Storage launched.
Urban Development
- BRICS Urban Mobility Hub
- BRICS Voluntary Principles for Climate Resilient Urban Infrastructure
- BRICS Urban Research and Knowledge Network.
MSMEs & Start-ups
- BRICS MSME Cooperation Portal
- BRICS Incubator Network
- BRICS Startup Innovation Fund
- BRICS Science and Research Repository.
Trade & Supply Chains
- BRICS Logistics Supply-Chain Cooperation Framework
- GVC Action Plan 2026–2030 for cooperation on Global Value Chains.
- Proposed BRICS Agreement on Cooperation and Mutual Administrative Assistance in Customs Matters.
- MoU on standardization among BRICS National Standards Body Heads.
Youth & Sports
- BRICS Youth Cooperation Framework 2026
- Sport Technology Cooperation institutionalised through a new Working Group.
| Important CTC from this article: BRICS |