Under the shadow of a changing global order, New Delhi has officially kicked off its fourth BRICS chairmanship
New Delhi hosted the inaugural BRICS Sherpa and Sous-Sherpa meeting, marking the formal commencement of India’s 2026 chairmanship. Led by India’s BRICS Sherpa, Sudhakar Dalela, the meeting brought together representatives from the now 11-member bloc, including recent entrants like Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Indonesia, and the UAE. The session outlined a roadmap for the 18th BRICS Summit, anchored by the overarching theme: “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation, and Sustainability.”
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A Humanity-First Approach to the Global South
India’s chairmanship is being guided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a “people-centric” and “humanity-first” approach. This strategy aims to shift the bloc’s focus from purely state-to-state interactions toward initiatives that directly impact the welfare of the Global South. By prioritising global governance reform, New Delhi is pushing for a more inclusive multilateral system in which the voices of emerging economies are not just heard but also instrumental in shaping international financial and political policies.
The Four Pillars: Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation, and Sustainability
The Sherpas discussed a balanced framework across the three traditional pillars of BRICS: political and security, economic and financial, and cultural exchanges. Under the “Resilience” pillar, India intends to lead efforts to build institutional capacity to weather global supply chain shocks. “Innovation” will focus on the deployment of digital public infrastructure (DPI) and AI, while “Sustainability” aims to accelerate climate action and energy transitions that are sensitive to the national circumstances of developing nations.
Inclusion of Partner Countries and Expanding Influence
In a significant departure from previous years, the meeting saw participation from “partner countries,” including Belarus, which attended a Sherpa meeting for the first time. This reflects the group’s evolving “Greater BRICS” strategy, which seeks to integrate a wider network of nations without necessarily granting full membership. Ambassador Mikhail Kasko of Belarus emphasised his country’s readiness to share expertise in food and water security, while also expressing interest in joining the New Development Bank (NDB) to unlock regional economic potential.
Navigating Divergent Interests and Geopolitics
While the mood in New Delhi was cooperative, the Sherpas must navigate deep internal political divergences. Issues such as the Nile water dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia, and the impact of shifting US trade policies under the Trump administration, loom over the agenda. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, speaking on the sidelines of the process, noted that global governance reform must include a reinvigorated counter-terrorism convention and energy security measures to counter unilateral sanctions that threaten the stability of the bloc’s members.
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The Hinge Point
The 10 February 2026 Sherpa meeting is the exact moment where the “Expanded BRICS” moves from a concept of size to a reality of substance. This is the hinge point because it marks the first time India is steering a 10+ member format, requiring a new level of diplomatic dexterity to find consensus among widely varied economic and political systems. The story changes here because BRICS is no longer just a talk shop for founding members; it is being restructured as a viable alternative to Western-led institutions.
What can no longer remain the same is the slow, consensus-based pace of the old BRICS. By introducing the “Resilience and Innovation” framework, India is attempting to fast-track practical cooperation in technology and finance. This marks the end of the era in which BRICS was defined solely by its opposition to the G7 and the beginning of a period in which its success will be measured by its ability to deliver global governance reform that provides tangible security and economic benefits to its diverse membership.