India Hosts 18th BRICS Summit 2026: Members, Theme, Presidency & Important Facts

BRICS Member Countries 2026

As of 2026, BRICS has 11 full members.

11 BRICS Member Countries

1. Brazil
2. China
3. Egypt
4. Ethiopia
5. India
6. Indonesia
7. Iran
8. Russia
9. Saudi Arabia
10. South Africa
11. United Arab Emirates (UAE)

The current membership gives BRICS a wide geographical presence across Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.

The 11 members collectively represent approximately:

• 49.5% of the global population
• 40% of global GDP
• 26% of global trade

BRICS 2026 Theme

India’s theme for its 2026 Chairship is:

“Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”

The theme reflects India’s emphasis on:

• Resilience
• Innovation
• Cooperation
• Sustainability
• Institutional effectiveness
• Development
• Global South priorities

India’s BRICS Presidency 2026

India assumed the Chairship on 1 January 2026.

This is India’s fourth BRICS Presidency, following its previous Chairships in:

• 2012
• 2016
• 2021
• 2026

Three Broad Pillars

India’s BRICS agenda operates around three broad pillars:

1. Political and security cooperation
2. Economic and financial cooperation
3. Cultural and people-to-people exchanges

India has sought to make the expanded BRICS framework more practical, development-oriented and responsive to the interests of the Global South.

BRICS 2026 Major Initiatives and Outcomes

India’s Chairship has produced sector-specific cooperation across multiple areas.

Agriculture Cooperation

Agriculture remains an important area because BRICS countries include major producers and consumers of agricultural commodities.

BRICS Centres of Excellence on Agro-Ecology focuses on:

• Joint research
• Knowledge sharing
• Capacity building
• Climate-resilient agriculture

BRICS Network on Digital Agriculture promotes the use of:

• Artificial Intelligence
• Geospatial technology
• Internet of Things
• Data analytics
• Digital decision-support systems

BRICS AGRIN is a voluntary framework for cooperation involving areas such as:

• Seeds
• Germplasm
• Agricultural inputs
• Farmer-centric agricultural development

Health Cooperation

Health cooperation is another important component of India’s Presidency.

BRICS Mission for Healthy Lifestyle includes a 2026–2029 roadmap focusing on preventive health, healthy lifestyles and non-communicable diseases.

Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine cooperation includes:

• Policy dialogue
• Research
• Evidence generation
• Academic exchange
• Digital knowledge platforms
• Protection of traditional knowledge

Mental-health cooperation has also received attention, with NIMHANS India serving as the coordinating centre for the relevant network initiative.

Climate and Sustainable Development

Sustainability and climate resilience are central to India’s 2026 agenda.

Important areas include:

• Climate resilience
• Community-based adaptation
• Sustainable lifestyles
• Knowledge sharing
• Research and innovation
• Traditional and indigenous knowledge

The 12th BRICS Environment Ministers’ Meeting held under India’s Chairship adopted a Joint Ministerial Statement and launched four knowledge compendiums.

Science, Technology and Innovation

Science and technology have emerged as major areas of BRICS cooperation.

Chennai Declaration: The 14th BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation Ministerial Meeting under India’s Chairship adopted the Chennai Declaration.

The declaration emphasised:

• Resilient science systems
• Future-ready cooperation
• Research infrastructure
• Knowledge sharing
• Innovation
• Global South priorities
• Young innovators
• Collaborative research

Trade and Economic Cooperation

Trade and economic cooperation form a major part of India’s BRICS agenda.

Jaipur Consensus: The 16th BRICS Trade Ministers’ Meeting was held in Jaipur in August 2026.

Important outcomes included:

• Progress towards the Strategy for BRICS Economic Partnership 2030
• Jaipur Consensus and Guiding Principles for MSME credit
• Greater trade in services
• Resilient and diversified global value chains
• Support for MSME internationalisation
• Efforts to reduce the trade-finance gap

MSME Cooperation

India has given special attention to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.

Important MSME Initiatives include:

• BRICS MSME Cooperation Portal
• BRICS Incubator Network
• BRICS Startup Innovation Fund
• MSME finance cooperation
• Internationalisation of MSMEs

These initiatives aim to improve access to finance, technology, markets and entrepreneurship.

Industry Cooperation

The 10th BRICS Industry Ministers’ Meeting was held in Jaipur under India’s Chairship.

Major areas include:

• MSME cooperation
• Photovoltaic industry
• Startups
• Logistics
• New Industrial Revolution
• Innovation-led growth

India also proposed the BRICS Incubator Network and BRICS Startup Innovation Fund.

Education Cooperation

Education has been an important people-centric component of India’s Chairship.

The 13th BRICS Education Ministers’ Meeting concluded in Bhubaneswar in August 2026 with the adoption of the 13th BRICS Education Ministers’ Declaration.

Areas of cooperation included:

• Academic leadership
• Institutional development
• Faculty exchanges
• Scholarships
• STEM education
• Academic collaboration
• Traditional and indigenous knowledge systems

The meeting also discussed strengthening the BRICS Network University and academic cooperation.

Digital and Communications Cooperation

The 12th BRICS Communications Ministers’ Meeting was held in Pune in August 2026.

India’s ICT track was guided by the theme “Innovate, Cooperate and Transform (ICT) for a Resilient Future.”

The four major ICT pillars were:

• Sustainable and resilient digital and ICT ecosystems
• Cybersecurity and trustworthy ICT
• Digital skilling and capacity building
• Innovation, startups and entrepreneurship

Transport and Logistics Cooperation

The 3rd BRICS Transport Ministers’ Meeting was held in Nagpur in July 2026.

Major areas include:

• Sustainable Aviation Fuel
• Transport decarbonisation
• Urban mobility
• Logistics supply chains
• Circularity in infrastructure
• BRICS Railway Research Network

The meeting adopted a Ministerial Declaration.

Culture Cooperation

The XI BRICS Culture Ministers’ Meeting was held in Bhopal in August 2026.

The meeting adopted the Bhopal Declaration, establishing a practical framework for strengthening cultural cooperation among BRICS members and partner countries.

The Culture Track included working-group meetings in Varanasi and Bhopal before the ministerial meeting.

Energy Cooperation

Energy cooperation under India’s Presidency includes:

• Smart grids
• Energy storage
• Knowledge sharing
• Capacity building
• Policy and regulatory exchanges
• Pilot projects

BRICS Energy Priorities: The focus is on creating more resilient, reliable and sustainable energy systems while supporting the transition to cleaner technologies.

BRICS CONNECT for Skilling

BRICS CONNECT is focused on skills, employability and capacity building.

Areas of focus include:

• Employability
• New skills
• Emerging technologies
• Social security
• Women’s workforce participation
• Digital public infrastructure

Exam Point: BRICS CONNECT cooperation is voluntary and non-binding.

Urban Development Cooperation

Urban cooperation is another important component.

BRICS Urban Mobility Hub focuses on:

• Sustainable urban mobility
• Technical cooperation
• Knowledge sharing

BRICS Urban Research and Knowledge Network promotes:

• Applied urban research
• Cross-border learning
• Institutional collaboration

Climate and disaster risks are also being considered in urban planning and infrastructure development.

Global Value Chains and Logistics

BRICS is working towards resilient and diversified supply chains.

Logistics Supply-Chain Cooperation Framework covers:

• Transport logistics
• Supply-chain resilience
• Cargo and shipping
• Technical cooperation
• Localised manufacturing
• Climate-resilient logistics

GVC Action Plan 2026–2030 focuses on:

• Market opening
• Economic diversification
• Resilient supply chains
• Efficient global value chains

Customs Cooperation: BRICS members have worked towards cooperation and mutual administrative assistance in customs matters.

Expected benefits include:

• Faster trade
• Lower transaction costs
• Trade facilitation
• Secure borders
• Ease of doing business
• Tackling illicit trade

Youth and Sports Cooperation

India’s Presidency also emphasises youth and people-to-people engagement.

BRICS Youth Cooperation Framework 2026 provides opportunities for:

• Youth dialogue
• Experience sharing
• Leadership
• Future cooperation

Sport Technology Working Group promotes:

• Best-practice exchange
• Technical information
• Institutional experience
• Research cooperation

BRICS Expansion 2024–2026

BRICS has experienced significant expansion in recent years.

BRICS Partner Countries

BRICS has also established a Partner Country category.

Partner Countries

The countries that joined the framework during 2025 include:

• Belarus
• Bolivia
• Cuba
• Kazakhstan
• Malaysia
• Nigeria
• Thailand
• Uganda
• Uzbekistan
• Vietnam

Why Are Partner Countries Important?

The framework allows countries to participate more closely in BRICS cooperation without becoming full members.

Areas of cooperation include:

• Trade
• Finance
• Climate action
• Sustainable development
• South-South cooperation

BRICS History: From BRIC to BRICS

The term BRIC was coined in 2001 by Goldman Sachs.

It originally referred to:

• Brazil
• Russia
• India
• China

The first BRIC Summit was held in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009.

BRIC to BRICS Timeline

India’s Previous BRICS Presidencies

India has previously held the BRICS Presidency three times — in 2012, 2016, and 2021.

India’s BRICS Presidency — 2012

• Summit: 4th BRICS Summit
• Venue: New Delhi
• Date: 29 March 2012
• Theme: “BRICS Partnership for Global Stability, Security and Prosperity”
• Major Outcomes:
  • Adoption of the Delhi Declaration
  • Steps towards the establishment of the New Development Bank (NDB)
  • Enhanced cooperation in agriculture, health, and science

India’s BRICS Presidency — 2016

• Summit: 8th BRICS Summit
• Venue: Goa
• Date: October 2016
• Theme: “Building Responsive, Inclusive and Collective Solutions”
• Major Focus Areas:
  • Counter-terrorism
  • Renewable energy
  • Agriculture
  • Railways
  • Sports and youth cooperation
  • BIMSTEC outreach

India’s BRICS Presidency — 2021

• Summit: 13th BRICS Summit
• Format: Virtual
• Date: 9 September 2021
• Theme: “BRICS@15: Intra-BRICS Cooperation for Continuity, Consolidation and Consensus”
• Major Outcomes:
  • BRICS Counter-Terrorism Action Plan
  • Digital Health Summit
  • BRICS Vaccine Research and Development Center
  • Cooperation on the BRICS Remote Sensing Satellite Constellation

Significance of BRICS for India

The BRICS Summit 2026 provides India with a major platform to engage with emerging economies and strengthen its position in the Global South.

Why Is BRICS Important for India?

• Strengthens India’s Global South leadership.
• Provides a platform for global governance discussions.
• Expands economic and financial cooperation.
• Supports technology and innovation.
• Strengthens South-South cooperation.
• Creates opportunities for trade and investment.
• Supports India’s broader multilateral diplomacy.
• Provides opportunities for cooperation in health, agriculture, climate and energy.

BRICS and the Global South

BRICS has increasingly emerged as an important platform for Global South cooperation.

Its expanded membership brings together countries with different economic structures, development experiences, resources and geopolitical priorities.

BRICS Can Contribute To

• More inclusive global governance
• Development cooperation
• Climate action
• Technology cooperation
• Energy security
• Financial resilience
• Economic diversification
• South-South cooperation

Challenges Before BRICS

The expansion of BRICS also creates several challenges.

• 1. Diverse National Interests
  • Member countries have different economic and foreign-policy priorities.
• 2. Consensus Building
  • A larger membership can make consensus-building more complicated.
• 3. Geopolitical Differences
  • Strategic interests among members are not always aligned.
• 4. Institutional Coordination
  • A wider agenda requires stronger coordination mechanisms.
• 5. Converting Representation into Results
  • The growing size and influence of BRICS must translate into practical and measurable outcomes.

Conclusion

BRICS has evolved from the original four-country BRIC concept into a much broader platform for political, economic, financial, technological, social and development cooperation.

The expansion of the grouping has increased its geographical and economic significance while also creating new challenges related to consensus and institutional coordination.

BRICS 2026 is particularly important because India is holding the Presidency for the fourth time. Through its 2026 agenda, India is focusing on resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability, while seeking to strengthen BRICS’ role in the Global South.

CGPSC Mains Practice Questions

Q1. Discuss the evolution of BRICS from an economic grouping into a broader platform for Global South cooperation.

Q2. Examine India’s role in shaping BRICS and discuss the major priorities of its 2026 Presidency.

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