International RelationsImportant2025-12-15

India Formally Assumes BRICS Chairmanship from Brazil

Q: Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding India's 2026 BRICS Chairmanship? 1. India assumed the Chairmanship from South Africa during the 5th BRICS Sherpas Meeting. 2. The core theme for India's 2026 Chairmanship is 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability'.

B. 2 only — Statement 1 is incorrect because India formally assumed the 2026 BRICS Chairmanship from Brazil, not South Africa. Statement 2 is correct as India's chosen theme focuses on resilience, innovation, cooperation, and sustainability.

Why focus: GS2 IR. Clusters with the Rio Summit. Tests specific chairmanship theme and Sherpa track mechanisms via Assertion-Reason format.

In News

What Happened

In December 2025, Brazil officially handed over the BRICS Chairmanship to India during the 5th BRICS Sherpas Meeting. The Indian Sherpa received the traditional gavel, transferring diplomatic leadership of the expanded bloc for the year 2026. India will guide the organization under the theme 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability'.

Why It Matters

This chairmanship allows India to set the agenda for the Global South, particularly emphasizing climate action and ethical artificial intelligence governance. It strengthens India's role as a balancing power in a multipolar world and provides a platform to reform multilateral financial institutions like the New Development Bank (NDB).

Background

History & Context

BRICS originated as a grouping formalized during a meeting on the margins of the UN General Assembly in 2006, expanding to include South Africa in 2010. The bloc recently underwent a major 'BRICS Plus Format' expansion in 2024 to include new member nations like Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE. The chairmanship rotates annually among member states, with India previously holding the position in 2021 before these recent expansions altered the geopolitical weight of the group.

What Changed

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BEFORE: Brazil held the rotating BRICS Chairmanship for the year 2025, guiding the bloc's initial post-expansion consolidation phase. NOW: India assumes the Chairmanship for 2026, taking responsibility for steering the newly expanded BRICS Plus format.
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BEFORE: The BRICS agenda under previous chairs often centered on internal trade settlements and managing institutional expansion. NOW: India's leadership pivots the agenda towards the theme of 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability'.
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BEFORE: Multilateral BRICS discussions lacked a dedicated, cohesive framework for emerging technologies among developing nations. NOW: India plans to introduce structured diplomatic tracks focused specifically on ethical artificial intelligence governance and accelerated climate action across member states.

Prelims Angle

NCERT Connection

This event connects directly to Class 12 Political Science, Contemporary World Politics, Chapter 4: Alternative Centres of Power. It illustrates how organizations like BRICS function as alternative geopolitical forums to Western-dominated institutions, allowing rising powers to champion Global South Multilateralism.

Practice Questions

Q1

Correct Statement(s)

Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding India's 2026 BRICS Chairmanship? 1. India assumed the Chairmanship from South Africa during the 5th BRICS Sherpas Meeting. 2. The core theme for India's 2026 Chairmanship is 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability'.

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