India Sets Global Gender Agenda at BRICS Women’s Working Group Meet

India has set the tone for a stronger global gender agenda by convening the first preparatory meeting of the BRICS Women’s Working Group under its 2026 presidency. Organised by the Ministry of Women and Child Development on April 30 in virtual mode, the meeting brought together representatives from BRICS nations along with key partners such as UN Women and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

The discussions, led by Caralyn Khongwar Deshmukh , Additional Secretary in the ministry, reflected a decisive shift from welfare-based approaches to a “women-led development” model , where women are positioned as drivers of economic growth, governance, and social transformation . The meeting aligned with India’s BRICS theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation, and Sustainability” and identified four priority areas: women in leadership , financial and digital inclusion , entrepreneurship and skill development , and women’s role in climate action, food security, and nutrition .

The significance of this meeting is amplified by the evolving role of BRICS, which now represents a major share of the world’s population and an increasingly influential voice of the Global South. With the grouping expanding and deepening cooperation across sectors, gender equality is emerging as a core pillar of inclusive economic development , rather than a standalone social issue.

Unlike large public conferences, the preparatory meet was a closed-door, delegation-based consultation , involving officials, policy experts, and institutional representatives. While the government has not disclosed the exact number of participants, such working group meetings typically include dozens of delegates from each member nation and partner organisations , focusing on policy outcomes rather than attendance size.

Participating countries welcomed India’s leadership and supported the proposed priorities, emphasising collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and collective action to address persistent gender gaps in leadership, finance, and access to opportunities. The discussions also highlighted the need to integrate women into emerging sectors such as the digital economy and climate resilience frameworks .

The outcomes of this meeting will feed into the upcoming BRICS engagements scheduled in Kochi, where the Women’s Working Group Meeting (July 6–7) and the Women Ministerial Meeting (July 8–9, 2026) are expected to finalise joint policy frameworks and actionable strategies .

With this initiative, India is positioning itself as a key advocate of women-led development on the global stage , signalling a broader shift in how emerging economies approach growth, governance, and sustainability.