India Chairs BRICS 2026: PM Modi Calls for a More Inclusive World Order

On 14 May 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Foreign Ministers and senior delegates from BRICS member countries in New Delhi. He stated that under India's Chairmanship — meaning India is currently leading and organising the grouping's activities — BRICS will work to strengthen multilateralism (the idea that countries should cooperate through shared international institutions rather than acting alone), promote sustainable development, and build a more inclusive world order. He shared these remarks on X and in person at meetings held alongside the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting.

These meetings are taking place at Bharat Mandapam, a major convention centre in New Delhi, over 14–15 May 2026. External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar opened the ministerial proceedings by emphasising that peace and security remain central concerns for the world today, and that recent conflicts make dialogue and diplomacy more important than ever.

But what exactly is BRICS? The name originally stood for the first letters of five large emerging economies — Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa — that began meeting together in the 2000s to discuss economic issues and reform of global governance. Over the years, the grouping expanded significantly. Today, BRICS has eleven members: Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates. It now covers three broad areas: political and security cooperation, economic and financial cooperation, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

India officially took over the BRICS Chairmanship on 1 January 2026, succeeding Brazil. This is the fourth time India has held this position — it previously did so in 2012, 2016, and 2021. India's theme for its chairmanship is