India’s BRICS Chairship Produces More Than 50 New Initiatives
India’s BRICS chairship has resulted in more than 50 initiatives covering a wide range of areas, including counterterrorism, artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, health security, trade, taxation, energy and climate resilience.
According to the official 2026 BRICS outcomes and initiatives factsheet, the programmes have been structured around four key pillars of India’s chairship — resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability.
The chairship has also promoted extensive people-to-people engagement involving academics, diplomats, scientists, young people, cultural practitioners and parliamentarians from BRICS member countries.
Focus on Resilience and Security
Under the resilience pillar, BRICS members have expanded cooperation in areas such as agroecology, regenerative agriculture, combating synthetic drugs and tackling transnational organised crime.
The anti-drug initiative focuses on synthetic drugs, new psychoactive substances and the diversion of chemical precursors. It also encourages greater information sharing and the development of early-warning mechanisms.
BRICS countries have additionally agreed on approaches to improve disaster preparedness, including the use of early-warning information for risk assessment, forecasting and the timely dissemination of alerts.
Voluntary principles for climate-resilient urban infrastructure have also been introduced, encouraging countries to incorporate climate and disaster risks into urban planning and strengthen interconnected infrastructure systems.
Strengthening Global Health Cooperation
Health security has become another important part of the BRICS resilience agenda.
The grouping has established a sub-working group focused on developing an integrated early-warning system for preventing and responding to major infectious disease outbreaks.
An operational framework is also being developed to connect national public health institutes and promote cooperation in disease surveillance, laboratory systems, data analytics, workforce development and applied research.
New Trade and Supply Chain Initiatives
Trade cooperation is another major area of focus, with initiatives aimed at supporting the internationalisation of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and strengthening participation in global value chains.
A proposed BRICS Global Value Chain Action Plan for 2026–2030 includes mechanisms such as a Technical Council, BRICS Connect and a joint study.
BRICS members are also working on a logistics and supply-chain cooperation framework designed to improve multimodal connectivity and strengthen coordination between member economies.
Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation
The innovation pillar places significant emphasis on artificial intelligence and digital technologies.
A BRICS digital agriculture network is expected to promote the use of AI-powered decision-making systems, geospatial technologies, Internet of Things-enabled monitoring and advanced data analytics in agriculture.
Another proposed initiative would use AI-based visual identification and matching technologies to help trace missing and stolen cultural objects that enter circulation through auctions, heritage markets and exhibitions.
BRICS countries are also exploring voluntary cross-border cooperation on digital public infrastructure, particularly among members with established technological capabilities.
Support for Startups and Research
The chairship has also produced initiatives designed to strengthen entrepreneurship and scientific cooperation.
A proposed BRICS Startup Innovation Fund aims to address financing challenges faced by startups, while a BRICS Incubator Network would connect business incubators and national agencies to improve market access and encourage innovation-led entrepreneurship.
The innovation agenda also includes a BRICS Science and Research Repository, which would facilitate the sharing of research outputs, datasets, scientific infrastructure and expertise.
A Youth Startup Platform and a 2026–2030 action plan for research infrastructure and megascience projects are also among the initiatives.
The research plan is intended to strengthen the BRICS Global Research Advanced Infrastructure Network and support large-scale scientific and research projects across member countries.
Expanding Law-Enforcement Cooperation
Under the cooperation pillar, BRICS has advanced several initiatives focused on law enforcement and international cooperation.
These include a repository for informal cooperation in tracing fugitive offenders, a network connecting law-enforcement practitioners and an expert network focused on asset recovery.
The mechanisms are designed to improve informal information sharing while complementing existing formal extradition and international cooperation procedures.
Counterterrorism cooperation has also been identified as a key area within the expanded BRICS agenda, reflecting the grouping’s growing focus on security alongside economic and technological cooperation.
Overall, India’s BRICS chairship has sought to broaden the grouping’s agenda beyond traditional economic cooperation by creating practical mechanisms covering technology, security, health, trade, climate resilience, research and sustainable development.
