Outlining India’s vision for its 2026 BRICS Chairmanship, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address at the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, held in July 2025, underlined the need for fostering BRICS cooperation with a people-centric approach.
He said, “Our goal will be to redefine BRICS as Building Resilience and Innovation for Cooperation and Sustainability. Just as we brought inclusivity to our G-20 Presidency and placed the concerns of the Global South at the forefront of the agenda, similarly, during our Presidency of BRICS, we will advance this forum with a people-centric approach and the spirit of ‘Humanity First.’
Acknowledging the spirit, India hosted the eighth BRICS Youth Energy Summit 2026 this month, under its BRICS Chairship, bringing together young energy professionals, policymakers, academics and representatives of international organisations to discuss ways to strengthen energy cooperation among BRICS countries. This was aimed at a broader, people-centric engagement on the basic theme of “Energy for All”.
The BRICS Youth Energy Summit held just before the 18th BRICS Summit, slated for September 12-23, in New Delhi, on the overarching theme ‘Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation, and Sustainability,’ has in a way set the tone for high-level discussions on India’s priorities on economic cooperation, technology exchanges, and digital infrastructure, particularly AI and sustainability and climate change.
A particularly significant development could be discussions on linking the fast-payment systems and central bank digital currencies of BRICS countries as part of a broader push to deepen trade and financial cooperation, sources said.
India has long striven to ensure universal, affordable, and inclusive access to energy, leveraging innovation and cooperation to build a sustainable future.
The BRICS Youth Energy Summit had young professionals from academia, government institutions, and energy ministries of BRICS member countries, along with representatives of the BRICS Youth Energy Agency (BRICS YEA), Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), the International Solar Alliance (ISA), and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), speaking forcefully on the urgent need for innovative technologies, entrepreneurship, and international collaboration.
According to available details, discussions mainly centred on diversifying energy mixes, building resilient energy supply chains, expanding energy access, innovative financing mechanisms, emerging technologies, and the digitalisation of energy systems, culminating in the ‘Rising Youth Declaration 2026.’
Several participants stressed the need to translate youth engagement into practical outcomes through joint research, technology demonstrations, knowledge exchange, and capacity-building initiatives. The discussions, during some of the key sessions, highlighted broad convergence among BRICS countries on the need for resilient, diversified energy systems and innovative financing to accelerate clean-energy deployment.
In the inaugural panel session, the theme for discussions was ‘The Future Is Young: Leadership for a Transforming World ’, calling upon the young participants to explore ways for engaging BRICS youth leaders to address global challenges and drive innovative, inclusive, and sustainable energy solutions.
Climate leadership and the green transition were hot topics for the summit to develop strategies for advancing the green transition through innovation and entrepreneurship.
Climate resilience, disaster preparedness, and humanitarian response; promoting sustainable lifestyles and responsible consumption. Expanding opportunities in green jobs and the circular economy was vociferously debated.
There was also a session on entrepreneurship without borders, strengthening youth entrepreneurship ecosystems and start-up culture, and expanding access to finance, investment, and business support services.
Leveraging technology and digital platforms to access global markets, advancing social entrepreneurship and impact-driven innovation and supporting women and underrepresented groups in entrepreneurship were other areas of focus
Most importantly, the session on ‘Youth Voices in Global Governance’ focused on strengthening youth participation in governance and policymaking, as well as their engagement in international cooperation and multilateral processes, and marked the culmination of the summit, stressing the vital role of young people in shaping the future of global governance.
