India is hosting the 18th BRICS Summit in 2026. India took over the Chairship of BRICS on 1 January 2026.
This will be the fourth time that India is hosting the BRICS Summit after 2012, 2016, and 2021.
There are 4 main pillars of India's BRICS Chairship 2026, which are Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation, and Sustainability.
This year, it will be held from 12 to 13 September 2026 at the Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
Let’s explore this article in detail and learn all about what BRICS is, know how many BRICS member countries are there. Also, learn in detail about India's BRICS Chairship 2026 Key Pillars and how BRICS 2026 supports sustainable development.
18th BRICS Summit 2026: Key Details
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Aspects
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Details
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Summit
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18th BRICS Summit
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Year
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2026
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Host Country
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India
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India’s Chairship
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1 January 2026 onwards
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Summit Date
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12 to 13 September 2026
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Venue
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Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi
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Chairship Theme
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Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability
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Main Approach
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People-centric and Humanity First
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India’s BRICS Chairship
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Fourth time
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What is BRICS?
BRICS, which stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, is the major group of developing countries that stand together to work on common issues.’
This group was expanded over the years. The BRICS 2026 page of MY Bharat lists Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the UAE as BRICS member countries.
These countries work together with a major focus on the economy, trade, finance, technology, health, education, environment, and people-to-people cooperation.
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BRICS Member Countries
Source: brics2026
As part of the expanded BRICS grouping, the member countries are:
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No.
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BRICS Member Country
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1
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Brazil
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2
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China
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3
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Egypt
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4
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Ethiopia
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5
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India
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6
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Indonesia
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7
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Iran
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8
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Russia
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9
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Saudi Arabia
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10
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South Africa
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11
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United Arab Emirates
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BRICS Partner Countries
The BRICS partner countries listed for the 2026 BRICS framework are:
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No.
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BRICS Partner Country
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1
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Belarus
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2
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Bolivia
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3
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Cuba
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4
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Kazakhstan
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5
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Malaysia
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6
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Nigeria
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7
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Thailand
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8
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Uganda
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9
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Uzbekistan
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India's BRICS Chairship 2026 Key Pillars
In 2026, India is hosting the BRICS Summit for the fourth time as chairship with the theme of “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation, and Sustainability.”
The four important terms that have been used are India's BRICS Chairship 2026 Key Pillars.
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Key Pillar
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What It Means
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Resilience
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Strengthening economic, social and institutional resilience to deal with global uncertainties, supply-chain disruptions, health challenges and climate-related risks.
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Innovation
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Promoting Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), emerging technologies, fintech, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and knowledge sharing to support inclusive and future-ready growth.
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Cooperation
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Deepening cooperation among BRICS members through better policy coordination, development finance, trade facilitation, reforms in global institutions and people-centric partnerships.
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Sustainability
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Increasing joint efforts on climate action, green finance, clean-energy transitions and sustainable development in line with national and global priorities.
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18th BRICS Summit 2026: Date and Venue
The 18th BRICS Summit will be held on 12 and 13 September 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
This venue is India's major international exhibition and convention centre in New Delhi. It is managed by the India Trade Promotion Organisation under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
How Does BRICS 2026 Support Sustainable Development?
Sustainable Development is one of the important parts of India’s BRICS Chairship 2026. Under this thse are the 4 major SDGs are included, which are given below
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Goal 7 - Affordable & Clean Energy
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Goal 8 - Decent Work & Economic Growth
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Goal 9 - Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure
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Goal 13 - Climate Action
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Goal 17 – Partnerships for the Goals
Under these SDGs, India will focus on the following areas, including sustainable lifestyles, afforestation, forest management, and many other areas; all are given in detail in table format:
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Area
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Meaning
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Sustainable lifestyles
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Using resources carefully and reducing waste
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Afforestation
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Planting and protecting trees and forests
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Forest fire management
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Better prevention and response to forest fires
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Disaster resilience
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Preparing people and places for disasters
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Circular economy
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Reusing and recycling materials instead of wasting them
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Climate adaptation
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Helping people adjust to climate change
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Why is the 18th BRICS Summit important for India?
The summit is important because India gets an opportunity to bring its ideas and priorities to a major international platform.
During India's 2026 Chairship, BRICS meetings have been organised across different parts of India.
As per the Embassy of India, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, “More than 350 meetings and high-level engagements have been held in more than 25 cities during the Chairship.”
These meetings cover different areas, including:
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Economy and finance
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Trade
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Environment
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Agriculture
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Education
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Health
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Youth
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Women
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Labour
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Technology
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Culture
This makes the BRICS Chairship more than just the final leaders' summit. It includes discussions and meetings throughout the year.