Outline
- BRICS@15 theme and four headline priorities
- 150-plus meetings across sectors
- Signature “first-ever” initiatives
In 2021, as the BRICS grouping marked its 15th anniversary, the baton of leadership passed to India. This was a moment pregnant with opportunity, and India seized it, steering the bloc under the ambitious theme “BRICS@15: Intra BRICS Cooperation for Continuity, Consolidation and Consensus.” Far from being a mere caretaker, India’s chairship proved to be a period of intense activity and significant breakthroughs, pushing the group’s agenda forward and embedding new areas of cooperation into its framework.
India’s 2021 ‘Firsts’
| Initiative | Why It Mattered |
| Digital Health Summit | Shared tele-medicine blueprints |
| Water Ministers’ Meeting | Hydro-diplomacy enters BRICS |
| Counter-Terror Plan | Converts rhetoric into roadmap |
| Green Tourism Alliance | Sustainability meets industry |
| Agricultural Research Platform operational | Farm science goes multilateral |
| Satellite Constellation agreement | Space data pooled for civilians |
India’s leadership was defined by four clear priorities: the reform of the multilateral system, bolstering counter-terrorism cooperation, leveraging digital tools for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and enhancing people-to-people exchanges. This focused agenda translated into a flurry of diplomatic activity, with over 150 meetings throughout the year, including nearly 20 at the ministerial level across a vast array of sectors from finance and trade to health and energy.
The tenure was particularly notable for a series of remarkable ‘firsts’ that left a lasting legacy. Key among these was the adoption of the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Action Plan, providing a concrete framework for joint action. India also spearheaded the first-ever BRICS Digital Health Summit and a pioneering meeting of BRICS Water Ministers. The operationalization of the BRICS Agricultural Research Platform and the signing of an agreement on a BRICS Remote Sensing Satellite Constellation further demonstrated a commitment to practical, science-driven cooperation. India’s chairship was not just about continuity; it was about injecting new momentum and pioneering initiatives that consolidated the group’s relevance and operational capacity.