New Delhi, October 26, 2026: The 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum commenced in New Delhi on Monday, bringing together parliamentary leaders, presiding officers, and legislative delegates from across the expanded bloc to advance inter-parliamentary cooperation under the overarching theme: “Fostering Parliaments for People-Centric Development.”
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, serving as the Chairperson of the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum, is presiding over the proceedings and leading a series of bilateral discussions with visiting parliamentary counterparts on the sidelines of the two-day summit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address the forum and meet with delegation heads to underline India’s commitment to inclusive multilateralism and democratic institution-building across the Global South.
Expanded Footprint: 11 Members, 10 Partner Nations
Reflecting the expanded architecture of the BRICS formation, the New Delhi summit has convened representatives from 11 member states alongside 10 invited partner countries.
The agenda aims to build institutional bridges among national legislatures, focusing on democratic oversight, technology sharing, and equitable economic governance in an increasingly polarized global order.
Core Agenda: Four High-Level Thematic Sessions
Over the course of the two-day deliberations, parliamentary delegations are participating in four structured High-Level Sessions organized around four foundational pillars:
- Resilience: Institutional readiness of legislatures to address geopolitical shifts, macroeconomic shocks, and supply-chain vulnerabilities.
- Innovation: Leveraging artificial intelligence, digital public infrastructure (DPI), and legislative transparency tools to make parliamentary processes more accessible to citizens.
- Cooperation: Deepening inter-parliamentary diplomacy, legal harmonisation in cross-border trade, and collaborative mechanisms to counter transnational security threats, with a focused session dedicated to joint counter-terrorism frameworks.
- Sustainability: Aligning parliamentary budgetary appropriations with climate commitments, clean energy transitions, and inclusive social welfare delivery.
In addition to the plenary sessions, the forum features a dedicated assembly of the Chairs of International Affairs Committees representing the parliaments of BRICS member and partner nations. The committee chairs are scheduled to focus on parliamentary diplomacy, legislative capacity-building, and exchanging best institutional practices for scrutiny and global engagement.
