Introduction to BRICS
India has taken over the BRICS+ presidency for 2026, demonstrating its highly enriching founding membership and opportunity to boost the intergovernmental association as a leading geopolitical force in the Global South. With its presidency set to begin in 2026, India has already outlined its framework of priorities for BRICS.
Background of BRICS
Brazil took over the BRICS presidency from Russia in 2025 and India is set to assume its presidency in 2026. Currently, BRICS comprises 10 nations: Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The BRICS Leaders meetings are held once a year on a rotational basis. Several ministerial meetings are held in the nation that holds the BRICS presidency, including meetings between foreign ministers, finance ministers, central bank governors, trade ministers, and energy ministers.
India’s Priorities for BRICS
"With India’s presidency in 2026, which is estimated to be a comprehensive and promising eventful year for BRICS, India has already outlined its framework of priorities, as it did during its G20 presidency several years ago," Kester Kenn Klomegah, an independent researcher and writer on African affairs in the EurAsian region, wrote in Modern Diplomacy. In close coordination with members and partner states within the BRICS association, India has to ensure the balance of multifaceted interests and ensure or establish mutual trust in the multipolar world system.
Goals of BRICS
The goal of transforming into a full-fledged international organization must go beyond addressing current geopolitical challenges and the necessity to develop effective ways of engaging in global development to reflect multipolarity. During the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 2025, PM Modi announced that India would give a "new form" to BRICS during its presidency in 2026. He proposed redefining BRICS as “Building Resilience and Innovation for Cooperation and Sustainability” and stressing a people-centric approach, drawing parallels with India’s G20 presidency.
Global Impact of BRICS
Since its inception, BRICS has undergone a transformation and has gone through several stages of qualitative change. The organizers are still touting the expansion as part of a plan to build a competing multipolar world order that uses Global South countries to challenge and compete against the Western-dominated world order. There is obvious interest in this consensus-based platform and hundreds of economic and political areas for cooperation and for collaborating, including politics, economic development, education, and scientific research. The New Development Bank finances various projects in member countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
Expansion of BRICS
On January 1, 2024, five new members officially entered BRICS, namely Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Ethiopia. At a BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, in October 2024, it was decided to establish a category of BRICS partner countries. The first countries to become partners were Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan. The expanded BRICS+ generates 36% of global GDP. That, however, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit, the collective size of the economies of BRICS+ will overtake the G7 by 2045. Today, collectively, BRICS comprises more than a quarter of the global economy and nearly half the world’s population.
Conclusion
In conclusion, India’s presidency of BRICS in 2026 is a significant opportunity for the country to shape the global agenda and promote its priorities. With its framework of priorities already outlined, India is set to play a key role in shaping the future of BRICS and promoting cooperation among its member countries. As BRICS continues to expand and grow, it is likely to play an increasingly important role in global affairs, and India’s leadership will be crucial in shaping its direction.
