India hosts 11th BRICS Foreign Policy Dialogue as Chair for 2026
New Delhi, June 5
As the Chair of BRICS for 2026, India on Friday hosted the 11th BRICS Foreign Policy Dialogue in New Delhi, bringing together heads of Policy Planning departments from member countries to discuss challenges and opportunities in the current global situation.
The Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal, said, "MEA hosted the 11th BRICS Foreign Policy Dialogue on 5th June, 2026 in New Delhi. The heads of Policy Planning departments from the BRICS countries engaged in day long thematic discussions around future forecasting, challenges and opportunities facing BRICS countries in the current global situation and building resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability."
The dialogue provided an opportunity to deliberate on 'BRICS@20'; channelling new and emerging technologies for effective service delivery; accelerating climate action and energy transition; strengthening economic, social and institutional resilience; working together for reforms of institutions of global governance; and people-centric outcomes, as per a statement by the MEA.
Aparna Ray, Joint Secretary (Policy Planning & Research) MEA, led the Indian delegation.
Meanwhile, the BRICS delegation visited Oswali near Ramachandi, Puri, where they observed a safety demonstration.
A delegate member told ANI, "The level of training was very impressive. Visiting the World Heritage Temple was great, seeing how centuries ago people built such precise structures without formal engineering training. Over these three days, the experience has been wonderful -- the food, the people, their warmth, and the hospitality from the airport to the hotels have all been excellent."
Another BRICS delegate member told ANI that she got to learn a lot from the session.
"It was amazing. We learned a lot from the session. We went inside the boat, which was a wonderful experience. I really enjoyed it. It was exciting and interesting to see the artwork... Come to India to visit, and you'll see and learn so much. The food is great here," she said.
— ANI
Reader Comments
The Puri visit and safety demo sounds really impressive! 🌊 The delegates' comments about Indian hospitality and food made me proud. We often take our heritage for granted, but when foreigners appreciate it, it reminds us how special it is.
A well-organized event, but I'm a bit skeptical about how much real change comes from these high-level dialogues. India's chairmanship should push for more concrete cooperation on tech transfer and trade benefits for smaller BRICS nations. The 'resilience' talk needs to translate into actual economic support.
I'm from Canada but I've been following BRICS developments. India hosting this dialogue shows its growing diplomatic clout. The mix of policy discussions and cultural exposure (like the Puri temple visit) is a smart soft power move. Would love to see more joint initiatives on renewable energy come out of this.
While I appreciate the diplomatic success, I wish the MEA also focused on domestic issues like border tensions and economic inequality. Still, global leadership is important. The delegates' comments about Indian hospitality are spot on—our warmth is unmatched!
The BRICS@20 theme is timely. As someone working in tech, I'm excited about the discussion on channeling new technologies for service delivery. India's digital public infrastructure model could be a great template for other member nations. Let's hope this leads to real collaboration.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.