Brics 2026: India’s Blueprint for Strengthening South-South Cooperation
By Sushil Kumar and Riddhi Lakhiani
This year India assumed the Brics presidency for the fourth time as the grouping enters an important phase in its evolution. India’s chairship is guided by the theme, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, reflecting a people-centric approach rooted in the spirit of “Humanity First”, as proclaimed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Brics Summit 2025. Throughout the year, more than 350 meetings and high-level engagements have been held across more than 25 cities, strengthening cooperation across three fundamental pillars: political and security; economic and financial; and cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
Following its expansion in 2024, Brics has become an influential bloc in the global economy, representing 48 per cent of the world’s population and 32 per cent of global GDP, with a combined GDP of around $32 trillion. It accounts for 26 per cent of global merchandise trade and 22 per cent of global FDI inflows. The significant weight of Brics in the global economy makes development cooperation particularly important. At a time when the global trading system is increasingly marked by protectionist trade measures and rising tariff barriers, developing economies have been disproportionately affected. Against this backdrop, it becomes imperative to strengthen intra-Brics trade and extend cooperation to other developing countries as a strategic priority.
However, development cooperation cannot be limited to trade and production capacities alone. Building resilient economies also requires cooperation in areas that strengthen human and institutional capabilities, including health security, digital transformation, disaster preparedness and skills development. For all these, finance remains an important component, but development cooperation must also focus on building capacities, sharing knowledge and strengthening institutional capabilities.
India’s proposed Global Development Compact (GDC) provides a broader framework for South-South cooperation that goes beyond finance. The GDC, proposed during the third Voice of Global South Summit in 2024, brings together five broad modalities: capacity building for sustainable growth, trade for development, technology sharing, project-specific concessional finance and grants. This approach recognises that finance alone is not sufficient. Developing countries also require appropriate technology, trained human resources and institutional capacity to become self-reliant, while reducing the risk of indebtedness.
The sectoral initiatives undertaken under Brics demonstrate how this broader approach to development cooperation can be translated into practical outcomes. In health, initiatives such as the Brics R&D Vaccine Centre, the Brics TB Research Network and the Brics Integrated Early Warning System for Prevention and Response to Mass Infectious Diseases will strengthen cooperation in vaccine research and disease surveillance, while preparing for health emergencies.
In education, Brics cooperation spans the learning lifecycle, from Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) and Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) to higher education, research and workforce-oriented skills development. Initiatives such as the Brics Network University (Brics NU) and the Brics TVET Cooperation Alliance (BRICS-TCA) promote academic mobility, research collaboration, institutional partnerships and skills development aligned with evolving workforce needs. Complementing these efforts, Brics Connect provides a platform for cooperation on skills, employability, social security, women’s workforce participation and the digital transformation of labour markets.
Cooperation in artificial intelligence, digital transformation, science, technology and innovation, Industry 4.0 and start-up ecosystems highlights the importance of ensuring that developing economies participate in emerging technological transitions. By combining knowledge exchange, institutional cooperation, technology sharing and human capital development, Brics can support productive capacity building across developing countries.
Triangular cooperation can further expand the reach and effectiveness of Brics development partnerships by combining the capabilities, resources and expertise of multiple actors. By bringing together Brics and other developing economies with multilateral institutions and development partners, triangular cooperation can support the transfer of knowledge, technology and institutional experience, while adapting solutions rooted in local contexts. This approach can complement South-South cooperation by mobilising additional resources, strengthening implementation capacity and creating bridges between developing countries and other development partners.
India’s DAKSHIN (Development and Knowledge Sharing Initiative) offers another mechanism for sharing locally relevant solutions. Launched in 2023, DAKSHIN has signed Letters of Association with 164 think tanks from 95 countries of the Global South, including Brics countries, creating a wider network for knowledge exchange, evidence-based policy frameworks and peer learning. It can support the localisation of the Sustainable Development Goals and strengthen development cooperation.
Finally, development cooperation must remain connected to communities. Engagement with civil society, researchers, experts, institutions and the private sector can improve local ownership and ensure that projects respond to grassroots needs. Regional and sector-specific cooperation in agriculture, digital public infrastructure, vocational education, climate resilience, healthcare and infrastructure can further address the developmental needs of developing countries.
India’s Brics chairship therefore offers an opportunity to strengthen South-South cooperation through practical, inclusive and sustainable development partnerships. The Global Development Compact, triangular cooperation, DAKSHIN, digital public infrastructure such as UPI and community-driven development initiatives can together create a more resilient development partnership. The objective of development cooperation should be clear: to build capabilities, share knowledge, mobilise finance and strengthen self-reliance across developing countries.
Dr Sushil Kumar is Assistant Professor, RIS. Riddhi Lakhiani is Research Assistant, RIS.
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