BRICS Civil Forum 2026

Dr. Rajesh Tandon and Dr. Kaustuv Kanti Bandyopadhyay participated in the BRICS Civil Forum 2026, held on 17–18 August 2026 at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.

Organised under the coordination of the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), New Delhi, the Forum was entrusted to RIS by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, which designated it as the nodal institution for organising the BRICS Civil Forum 2026 and leading the Civil BRICS Council.

The Forum was themed “Localising Development for Resilience, Innovation and Sustainability,” aligned with the broader BRICS Chairship 2026 theme, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.” It adopted a people-centric and “Humanity First” approach, emphasising locally grounded development solutions, community participation, and the knowledge and agency of people.

Dr. Tandon chaired the deliberations of the Education thematic group on 17 August, where discussions with delegates from Russia, Brazil and South Africa focused on strengthening equity, quality and access in public education.

On 18 August, he participated in the panel on “People-centric Development,” chaired by Ms Sindhushree Khullar, former CEO of NITI Aayog. In his remarks, Dr. Tandon highlighted the need for substantive devolution and for prioritising locally relevant approaches to inclusion and climate resilience. He emphasised that universal policies and the replication of models from other contexts, without adequate reflection on their local relevance, can create dissonance and disruption.

Dr. Tandon also highlighted the importance of ensuring that recommendations emerging from the Civil Forum reach BRICS Summit leadership. He emphasised that the “civil” nature of the BRICS Civil Forum, rooted in the spirit of people-to-people exchange, needs to be strengthened continuously beyond the Summit cycle. Sustained mechanisms and resources for dynamic civil society exchanges on issues affecting BRICS countries, he noted, can make the Forum more participatory, dynamic and relevant in the future.

Click here to know more about the agenda.