Context

• The 18th BRICS Summit, hosted by India in New Delhi on September 12–13, 2026, comes at a time of geopolitical turbulence, wars, weakening global governance and shifting alliances.
• With 11 prominent members and around 10 partner countries, BRICS has emerged as a major transcontinental grouping whose collective economic output in purchasing power parity exceeds that of the G7.
• At the same time, artificial intelligence and quantum computing are becoming instruments of strategic competition.
• India therefore seeks to use its chairmanship to strengthen BRICS through resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability.

India’s BRICS Moment

• India’s extensive preparations reflect the organisational experience gained from hosting the G20 Summit in 2023.
• Around 350 meetings, including 22 at the ministerial level, have been organised across different Indian cities.
• BRICS traditionally rests on three pillars: political and security cooperation, finance and economic cooperation, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
• India’s current emphasis is particularly focused on the latter two pillars, where practical cooperation can deliver tangible developmental benefits despite political differences among members.
• The diversity of BRICS makes such an approach valuable.
• Its members differ in their political systems, economic structures and technological capabilities, but share several developmental challenges.

India’s Vision

• Building Resilience and Driving Innovation
  • Strengthening Resilience
    • India has promoted initiatives aimed at strengthening collective resilience.
    • The BRICS Digital Centre of Excellence for Smart Grids and Energy Storage can support modern energy systems, while the Logistics Supply Chain Cooperation Framework can reduce vulnerabilities arising from disruptions in global trade.
    • The Centres of Excellence on Agro-Ecology and Regenerative Agriculture can contribute to food security, sustainable agriculture and climate resilience.
    • Together, these initiatives can facilitate knowledge sharing, capacity building and adoption of best practices.
  • Promoting Innovation
    • India has also encouraged technological and scientific collaboration through proposals for a start-up innovation fund, incubator network, digital public infrastructure repository and science and research repository.
    • Greater cooperation in research infrastructure and mega science projects can help bridge technological disparities among BRICS members.
    • Such collaboration is increasingly important as countries compete for technological and scientific leadership in AI, quantum computing and other emerging technologies.
• Deepening Cooperation for Inclusive Development
  • BRICS cooperation must ultimately translate into improvements in citizens’ lives.
  • Proposals to revitalise the multilateral trading system, establish centres of excellence on mental wellness and create a BRICS urbanisation forum can address major economic and social challenges.
  • Initiatives for women’s digital empowerment, education, youth skilling and MSME cooperation can expand employment, entrepreneurship and economic participation.
  • Such measures can ensure that BRICS benefits extend beyond governments and large corporations to ordinary citizens.
• Sustainability and Climate Resilience
  • Sustainability occupies an important place in India’s agenda.
  • Cooperation is proposed in areas such as combating desertification, disaster management, forest-fire preparedness and sustainable aviation fuels.
  • Particularly significant is the emphasis on people-centric and community-based climate adaptation.
  • While global climate diplomacy often focuses on mitigation, developing countries also require stronger adaptation mechanisms to protect vulnerable communities and livelihoods.
  • This approach connects climate policy with human welfare and recognises that environmental resilience must be built at the community level.

BRICS and the Multipolar World Order

• BRICS increasingly represents the aspirations of countries seeking greater strategic autonomy and a more representative global order.
• For India, the grouping complements its foreign-policy objectives of strategic flexibility and multipolarity.
• However, BRICS must carefully manage its internal differences.
• Its members have divergent geopolitical interests, and excessive focus on strategic rivalry could undermine practical cooperation.
• The grouping should therefore avoid becoming dominated by geopolitical disputes that do not advance collective interests.
• Its long-term credibility will depend on concrete outcomes rather than political declarations. 

Conclusion

• The 2026 BRICS Summit provides India with an opportunity to strengthen the grouping as a platform for inclusive development, technological cooperation, climate resilience and sustainable growth.
• Its growing economic and political significance gives it considerable potential to influence the international order.
• India’s emphasis on resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability can give BRICS a more people-centric character.
• If members successfully convert ambitious proposals into practical outcomes, BRICS can strengthen strategic autonomy, promote development and contribute to a genuinely multipolar world order.