BRICS Adopts First-Ever Women Track Joint Statement

By: Women Entrepreneurs Review Team | Thursday, 16 July 2026

India's BRICS Chairmanship 2026 concluded with the adoption of the first-ever Joint Statement under the BRICS Women Track, which marks a new milestone in strengthening cooperation on women's empowerment within the BRICS member countries. Institutional cooperation and women-led development were also the focus of two India-led projects, endorsed at the meeting.

Ministers, Deputy Ministers and other senior officials of the BRICS countries attended the four-day event, during which the BRICS Women Working Group Meeting and the BRICS Women Ministerial Meeting were held in this regard on the 6th – 9th of July. Discussions were held on promotion of gender equality, strengthening women's empowerment and cooperation in the fields of social, economic and institutional.

The adoption of the first-ever Joint Statement in the context of the BRICS Women Track, reflecting the member countries’ willingness to intensify cooperation and boost women-led development through mutual learning and joint action, was one of the main outcomes of the ministerial meeting.

In the closing session, Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smt. Annapurna Devi said that while each of the BRICS countries was a diverse geographical, socio-economic and cultural background, there are some common challenges faced by them related to the empowerment of women.

“The BRICS Women Ministerial Track offers a valuable forum for dialogue, cooperation and experience sharing to discuss these shared concerns," she added.

At the end of the meeting, Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India, Anil Malik, remarked that the signing of the Joint Statement was a concrete example of the Joint determination of the BRICS members to face challenges together.

Key Highlights

• First-ever BRICS Women Track Joint Statement adopted in Kochi meeting
• India presented two digital solutions for enhancing cooperation in women's empowerment
• Entrepreneurship, digital inclusion, climate resilience and financial empowerment were discussed

The meeting also endorsed two new India-led initiatives to enhance the cooperation in the BRICS Women Track in the long term.

The BRICS Digital Repository of Best Practices will be an integrated repository to document and disseminate the best practices and innovations in policy, program and policy-making in the area of women's empowerment between the member countries. In the meantime, the BRICS Digital Capacity Building Guidelines seek to improve institutional cooperation, facilitate knowledge sharing and build capacities to speed up women's empowerment through ongoing cooperation.

In addition to the ministerial sessions, India also held a series of thematic panel discussions, which featured representatives from policy makers, experts, practitioners and development partners. The sessions focused on key areas of digital inclusion, women entrepreneurship, financial empowerment, climate resilience and food security and nutrition, giving the audience an opportunity to share experiences and find some practical answer to challenges.

The participants also saw an exhibition on development activities of women led in various fields in India. The exhibition showcased programmes run by various ministries and departments, including those for rural livelihood such as SARAS and Lakhpati Didi, a programmes for women's participation in sports (ASMITA), financial inclusion programmes and flagship schemes of the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) such as SHE-Box, One Stop Centres, and the Women's Helpline (SHG).

The conclusion of the BRICS Women Ministerial Meeting was successful, reinforcing the member countries' decisions to enhance institutional partnership, broaden the exchange of knowledge, foster best practices, and contribute to women-led development as a major element of inclusive, resilient and sustainable economic growth.