The 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum was held in New Delhi on 26 and 27 October 2026 under India’s 2026 BRICS presidency. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla inaugurated the forum at the Parliament House complex. The meeting ended with a Joint Declaration alongside the BRICS Business Forum and Theatre Festival.
What Is BRICS and What Is the 2026 Summit About?
BRICS is an intergovernmental grouping of major emerging economies. The name first came from the initials of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Economist Jim O’Neill coined the term BRIC in 2001 to describe fast growing economies. South Africa joined in 2010, and the name became BRICS.
The first BRIC summit was held in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009. The group was formed to increase economic cooperation and give emerging economies a stronger voice in global decisions. It works through three pillars. These are political and security cooperation, economic and financial partnership, and cultural and people to people exchanges. BRICS has no permanent headquarters or secretariat. The chair rotates every year, and the chair country hosts meetings and sets the agenda.
BRICS expanded in recent years. Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates joined on 1 January 2024, while Indonesia became a full member in January 2025. The Indian presidency in 2026 lists 11 members, including Saudi Arabia, along with 10 partner countries such as Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. Together, members account for nearly half the world population and about 40 percent of global GDP.
The 18th BRICS Summit was held in New Delhi on 12 and 13 September 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan. India assumed the BRICS chair on 1 January 2026. This was India’s fourth chairship after 2012, 2016 and 2021. The 2026 theme is Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability, with a people centric and humanity first approach. The summit adopted the New Delhi Declaration, a detailed consensus document of about 140 paragraphs.
12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum: Dates, Theme and Leadership
The 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum was held in New Delhi on 26 and 27 October 2026. Meetings took place in the Parliament House complex, including the historic Central Hall. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla inaugurated the forum on 26 October and chaired the sessions. Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh joined delegates for the closing group photograph on 27 October.
The theme for the forum was Fostering Parliaments for People-Centric Development. The programme focused on strengthening parliaments as citizen centric institutions. Four high level sessions mirrored India’s BRICS presidency priorities. These were resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability.
The Parliamentary Forum gives lawmakers from member and partner countries a platform to exchange ideas and support BRICS decisions through national laws. The first forum was held in Moscow on 8 June 2015 during Russia’s chairship. The chair rotates every year. The 11th forum was held in Brasilia, Brazil, on 4 and 5 June 2025. India received the chair from Brazil for the 12th edition. At the close in New Delhi, Om Birla handed the forum chair to China, which will host in 2027.
What the New Delhi Joint Declaration Says
The forum concluded on 27 October 2026 with the adoption of a Joint Declaration by consensus. The declaration links parliamentary work to the leaders level New Delhi Declaration adopted at the 18th BRICS Summit in September. It sets a roadmap for closer legislative cooperation in the coming year.
| Area in the declaration | What parliaments agreed to do |
|---|---|
| Parliamentary cooperation | Deepen dialogue, share lawmaking experience and build trust through regular exchanges |
| UN Charter principles | Uphold sovereign equality, mutual respect, non interference in internal affairs and peaceful settlement of disputes |
| Global governance reform | Support reform of the United Nations, including the Security Council, for greater voice to the Global South |
| Counter-terrorism | Condemn cross border terrorism, terror financing and safe havens, with zero tolerance and no double standards |
| Development and technology | Expand Digital Public Infrastructure, guide Artificial Intelligence with ethics and transparency, and advance sustainable development |
| Climate approach | Follow the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities |
Om Birla told delegates that lasting answers come from dialogue, not conflict. He said India believes in peace over war and cooperation over competition. He also urged parliaments to become more effective, transparent and citizen centric. He said responsible use of Artificial Intelligence and digital tools can improve lawmaking and public participation when guided by human values and accountability.
BRICS Business Forum 2026: Trade Push at Bharat Mandapam
The BRICS Business Forum 2026 was held in New Delhi on 11 September 2026 at Bharat Mandapam. The forum is the main private sector event under the BRICS presidency. It takes place just before the leaders summit each year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the leaders session.
The 2026 forum brought together about 2,000 delegates, including 1,100 from India and 900 foreign delegates. More than 600 business to business meetings were held within a few hours through an online matching portal. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said it was the largest BRICS business forum held so far. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, which works with the BRICS Business Council in India, helped organise the industry participation.
Discussions focused on supply chain resilience, farm products and farm science, trade in services and the digital economy. Modi asked the BRICS Business Council to prepare a report on removing the top ten trade barriers among members. He also stressed freedom of navigation, secure sea lanes and safety of seafarers for stable trade. Putin said new emerging economies are reshaping the world economy and criticised Western sanctions and trade pressure.
BRICS Theatre Festival 2026: Shared Stories, Shared Futures
The BRICS Theatre Festival 2026 was organised by the Ministry of Culture in New Delhi from 12 to 14 October 2026. The theme was Shared Stories, Shared Futures. The National School of Drama, set up in 1959 and working as an autonomous body under the ministry since 1975, acted as the nodal agency. The festival opened at the National School of Drama on 12 October.
More than 100 theatre practitioners, scholars, students and cultural representatives took part. Nine countries joined the event. These were India, Thailand, Indonesia, Russia, Vietnam, Iran, South Africa, Kazakhstan and Ethiopia. The programme listed 11 plays by 10 theatre groups. India presented two productions. Russia was represented by two groups. Performances covered classical, contemporary and experimental forms.
| Venue in New Delhi | Role in the festival |
|---|---|
| Abhimanch Auditorium and Sammukh Auditorium at National School of Drama | Opening and key stage shows |
| Kamani Auditorium, LTG Auditorium and Meghdoot Theatre | Main public performances |
| Workshop rooms at the festival venues | Talks on acting methods, stagecraft and artistic vision |
India opened with Samudra Manthan and closed with Louha Purush, based on the life of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Other highlights included Thailand’s Lak Sida, a Southeast Asian telling of the Sita story, and Russia’s Circus on Strings and La Bayadere. The festival builds on the Bhopal Declaration adopted at the BRICS Culture Ministers Meeting in August 2026. India also proposed a voluntary Artist Registry to help artists work across BRICS countries in future.
Why BRICS Matters for India and How Its Bank Works
BRICS was formed to balance a world order long shaped by Western institutions. For India, the group supports three goals. It pushes reform of bodies like the UN Security Council, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. It opens trade, investment and technology links with fast growing economies. And it gives the Global South, the developing countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America, a louder voice.
A common question is where BRICS headquarters is located. BRICS has no headquarters. The New Development Bank, often called the BRICS Bank, is headquartered in Shanghai, China. The bank agreement was signed at the Fortaleza Summit in Brazil in July 2014. The bank started operations in 2015. Its initial authorised capital was 100 billion dollars. Each founding member first subscribed 10 billion dollars and held equal voting power.
The bank funds infrastructure and sustainable development projects in emerging economies. It has regional offices in all founding countries. Membership is open to all United Nations members. Bangladesh, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Algeria and Uzbekistan later joined the bank. The bank now promotes lending in local currencies to reduce dependence on the dollar. This de dollarisation debate remains slow and gradual, as the dollar still forms a large share of global reserves.
| BRICS finance fact | Detail for recall |
|---|---|
| Full form | Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa |
| First summit | 2009 in Yekaterinburg, Russia |
| Expansion | Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, UAE in 2024, Indonesia in 2025 |
| BRICS Bank name | New Development Bank |
| Bank headquarters | Shanghai, China |
| Bank started | Agreement in 2014, operations in 2015 |
Key Takeaways
- The 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum was held in New Delhi on 26 and 27 October 2026 under the theme Fostering Parliaments for People-Centric Development.
- Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla inaugurated the forum, which ended with a consensus Joint Declaration on UN reform and counter-terrorism.
- India chaired BRICS from 1 January 2026 under the theme Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability and hosted the 18th Summit on 12 and 13 September 2026 at Bharat Mandapam.
- The BRICS Business Forum was held on 11 September 2026 with about 2,000 delegates and over 600 business meetings on supply chains and digital trade.
- The BRICS Theatre Festival was held from 12 to 14 October 2026 by the Ministry of Culture with 11 plays under the theme Shared Stories, Shared Futures.
