What happened: BRICS youth engagements under India’s BRICS Chairship 2026

India’s BRICS Chairship 2026 marked the conduct of two youth-related events on 19 August 2026 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat: the BRICS Youth Council Meeting and the BRICS Youth Summit. The events were organised by the Department of Youth Affairs, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India. The chairship theme announced for India’s BRICS Chairship 2026 was “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”.

The BRICS Youth Summit brought together youth delegates, young leaders, officials, and ministers from BRICS member countries and partner countries. The stated purpose was a platform for dialogue, exchange of ideas, and collective action on issues of shared importance to young people. The summit included thematic discussions around the following key priority areas of youth cooperation:

The BRICS Youth Council Meeting, held alongside the Youth Summit, brought together representatives of BRICS member countries to deliberate on priority areas of youth cooperation. The Youth Council deliberated on a Draft Joint Declaration and the BRICS Youth Cooperation Framework, using observations, national experiences, and best practices shared by member countries. The deliberations were aimed at consensus-based outcomes ahead of the BRICS Youth Ministers’ Meeting scheduled for 22 August 2026 in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

Background and earlier position: how BRICS youth engagement functions

BRICS engagement is often organised through multiple tracks, and youth engagement is presented in the government communication as a “people-centric” and “humanity first” approach aligned with broader BRICS framework priorities. Within this structure, the Youth Summit acts as a space for dialogue and idea exchange, while the Youth Council focuses on drafting and deliberating priority areas and documents for later ministerial-level consideration.

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