Twenty years ago, BRICS started with a simple idea: growing economies should team up to make the global system fairer. Today, it has grown into a massive and influential international group. In 2026, India is leading the group for the fourth time and preparing to host the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi this September.
For India, this year is about more than just hosting world leaders. It is about figuring out how this powerful group can actually make life better for everyday people, especially in developing nations.
The Core Theme: “Humanity First”
India has laid out four main goals for its time as the BRICS leader: Resilience (bouncing back from challenges), Innovation (creating new solutions), Cooperation (working together), and Sustainability (protecting the future).
Tying all of these together is one big theme: Humanity First.
This perfectly matches the message India has been sharing with the world for years. It echoes the 2023 G20 theme of “One Earth, One Family, One Future” and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent call for “Democracy First, Humanity First.” The core idea is that international partnerships should focus on peace, people, and helping everyone grow.
Action Beyond the Conference Room
India hasn’t waited for the big September summit to get to work. Throughout the year, the country has hosted over 350 meetings across 25 different cities. These gatherings have brought people together to improve financial ties, boost cultural exchange, and strengthen security, allowing India to help shape what developing nations want from the global economy.
Focusing on Real Solutions over Politics
The world is currently dealing with a lot of political tension and conflict. Naturally, BRICS countries don’t agree on everything, and reaching a consensus on sensitive geopolitical issues—like ongoing conflicts in the Middle East—will be difficult.
However, experts point out that if you put those specific political arguments aside, BRICS nations actually agree on about 90% of the challenges facing the developing world. The goal is to focus on what unites them rather than what divides them.
What Actual Changes Can We Expect?
Instead of getting bogged down in politics, India wants BRICS to focus on practical projects that deliver real results. Some key areas of focus include:
Easier Trading: Creating new cross-border payment systems to make it simpler for these countries to do business with one another.
Digital Money: Exploring the use of digital currencies created by central banks.
Clean Energy: Working together to move away from fossil fuels and transition to green energy.
Helping Each Other Grow: Sharing educational scholarships, medical resources like vaccines, and technical training.
The Road Ahead
One of the biggest hurdles for BRICS is figuring out how to add new member countries, as there still aren’t universally agreed-upon rules for expansion. Additionally, some of the member nations are natural competitors.
Despite this, if major members like India, Brazil, South Africa, and China commit to working together on shared, practical goals, they can overcome these bumps in the road. As the summit approaches, India’s main test will be proving that “Humanity First” is more than just a nice slogan—and that it can be turned into real actions that improve people’s lives.