India’s fourth BRICS presidency puts focus on turning a larger bloc into a stronger platform for cooperation

India’s fourth BRICS chairship will culminate with the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on Sep 12 and 13, bringing together leaders from member and partner countries as well as outreach invitees for discussions on cooperation and global and regional issues.

The summit is being held at Bharat Mandapam under India’s chairship theme, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, which reflects Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a people-centric approach guided by the principle of “Humanity First”, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

The two-day meeting is expected to focus on strengthening cooperation among BRICS countries on shared priorities, alongside an exchange of views on global and regional developments of mutual interest.

The summit marks the culmination of an extensive programme of engagements conducted by India during its 2026 chairship. More than 350 meetings and high-level engagements have been organised across over 25 cities, with the objective of advancing cooperation across the three core pillars of the grouping: political and security issues, economic and financial matters, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

The MEA said these engagements, along with business-to-business and people-to-people initiatives, have sought to advance practical and development-oriented outcomes within the grouping.

India assumed the BRICS chairship on January 1, 2026, marking its fourth term at the helm of the grouping. The country previously chaired BRICS in 2012, 2016 and 2021.

The 2026 chairship also coincides with BRICS completing 20 years since its establishment, giving added significance to India’s stewardship of the grouping this year.

BRICS currently comprises Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates. The grouping’s partner countries include Belarus, Cuba, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

Over the years, BRICS cooperation has expanded beyond its original economic focus to cover a wide range of areas. These include counter-terrorism, climate change, food and energy security, trade, agriculture, labour and employment, telecommunications and the international economic and financial system.

The grouping has also been engaged with issues concerning the international financial architecture and the World Trade Organisation.

The summit in New Delhi will therefore serve as the latest high-level platform for BRICS members and partners to take forward discussions across these areas, following a year of meetings and engagements hosted by India.

The MEA has also highlighted the symbolism of India’s BRICS chairship logo, which combines the colours of BRICS member countries with a “Namaste” gesture representing warmth, respect and harmonious collaboration.

With India hosting its fourth chairship and BRICS marking two decades since its establishment, the New Delhi summit brings the grouping’s 2026 engagements to its central leaders-level meeting.