• India will officially assume the chairmanship on January 1, 2026.

• What? Handover of BRICS Presidency from Brazil to India.
• Where? During 4th BRICS Sherpas Meeting, in Brasília(Brazil)
• Effective Date: January 1, 2026
• Symbolic Handover: Amazonian wooden gavel passed from Brazil’s Sherpa Mauricio Lyrio to India’s Sherpa Sudhakar Dalela
• India’s 2026 Pillars: Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation, and Sustainability.

About BRICS Handover:
Symbolic Handover:  Brazil passed a sustainably crafted wooden gavel, made by the Novo Airão community from Amazonian trees, to India’s sherpa, symbolizing environmental consciousness, shared responsibility, and enduring BRICS cooperation.
Transition & Term: Brazil’s Sherpa, Ambassador Mauricio Lyrio, handed over the gavel to India’s Sherpa, Ambassador Sudhakar Dalela, while Brazil remains the formal chair until 31st December 2025.
Brazil’s 2025 BRICS Presidency Achievements:
Theme: Focused on “Strengthening Global South Co-operation for More Inclusive and Sustainable Governance.”
Key Achievements: Brazil launched health and Artificial Intelligence (AI) partnerships, approved the first Climate Finance Framework, advanced trade and multilateral dialogue with expanded 11-member BRICS, and issued the Rio Declaration with 126 commitments.
India’s 2026 BRICS Presidency Priorities:
2026 Presidency: India’s presidency for 2026 will be structured around a “humanity-first approach” proposed by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi. 4 Pillars: The agenda will rest on four central pillars:

• Resilience: Building capacity to withstand global economic shocks and trade disruptions.
• Innovation: Promoting Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and equitable access to AI.
• Cooperation: Strengthening intra-bloc trade and political dialogue on global governance reform.
• Sustainability: Focusing on climate action, disaster risk reduction, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

About BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa):
Formation: BRICS was established as BRIC(Brazil, Russia, India, China) in September 2006 following United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) discussions and was formally institutionalized as an intergovernmental organization in 2009.
Expansion: In September 2010, South Africa joined the group, adding the “S” and renaming it BRICS; later, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE joined in 2024, followed by Indonesia in 2025.