Behind Closed Doors: How BRICS Sherpas Are Charting 2026’s Global Course

From five voices to eleven, the chorus has grown. Harmony now matters more than volume.

The first meeting of BRICS Sherpas and Sous-Sherpas under India’s chairship

As the world’s fastest-growing major economy takes the helm of a bloc representing nearly half of humanity, BRICS 2026 begins not with a meeting between its Sherpas. Behind every leader’s declaration lies months of painstaking diplomacy, and in New Delhi on 9–10 February 2026, those foundational steps unfolded.

The first meeting of BRICS Sherpas and Sous-Sherpas under India’s chairship marked the formal operational beginning of its presidency. Chaired by Sudhakar Dalela, Secretary (Economic Relations) in the Ministry of External Affairs and India’s BRICS Sherpa, and supported by Shambhu L. Hakki, Joint Secretary (Multilateral Economic Relations) and India’s BRICS Sous-Sherpa, the gathering brought together senior officials from Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Indonesia. Representatives from partner countries also attended, underscoring the expanded framework’s global significance.

On 10 February, the delegates called on India’s External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar, reinforcing political backing for Sherpa-track consultations. In a world shadowed by sanctions, supply-chain shocks, and slowing globalization, coordination has become currency, and the Sherpas are not merely negotiators but architects of consensus.

Dr. Jaishankar Meets BRICS Diplomats

India’s Chairship in a Transformational Year

India assumed the rotating BRICS chair in January 2026, its fourth presidency, at a pivotal moment in the bloc’s evolution. From five founding members in 2009, BRICS has expanded to eleven countries spanning four continents. This enlargement brings together major energy producers, manufacturing hubs, and emerging consumer markets, covering over 46% of the world’s population and contributing more than 36% of global GDP in purchasing power parity terms.

With expansion comes expectation, and expectation demands execution. The February Sherpa meeting in New Delhi was more than a procedural formality. It became a strategic exercise in harmonising priorities, integrating new members like Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Indonesia, and operationalising an enlarged agenda. The first Sherpas’ meeting in New Delhi was crucial in ensuring that the chorus of eleven voices sings in harmony, not discord.

India has framed its presidency as a dual mandate, nurturing both consolidation of previous momentum and a forward-looking pivot. The country seeks to embed new members into existing working mechanisms while preserving cohesion across diverse political and economic systems.

“Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”

India formally unveiled its chairship theme at the meeting: “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.” This four-pillar approach is pragmatic, development-focused, and deliberately non-ideological.

Multiple government ministries presented initiatives across health cooperation, agriculture, labour, disaster risk reduction, environment, energy, innovation, ICT, economic and financial cooperation, as well as security and counter-terrorism. Institutional development of BRICS, increasingly complex after expansion, was also discussed.

Climate negotiations at COP28 in Dubai underscored the urgency of actionable finance and technology transfer for Global South countries, including BRICS members. With the bloc collectively responsible for nearly 40% of global CO₂ emissions, sustainability is more than rhetoric.

Sherpas discussed strategies for balanced energy transitions, technology sharing, and South-South cooperation, reflecting India’s priority of embedding climate action in tangible, development-oriented initiatives.

Member states welcomed the theme, acknowledging that it builds on the cooperative momentum generated under previous chairships while adapting to contemporary geopolitical and economic realities.

The Sherpa Mechanism: Architects of Consensus

In BRICS, Sherpas function as principal negotiators and agenda-setters ahead of leaders’ meetings. Sudhakar Dalela coordinates India’s negotiating positions, steering preparatory consultations and shaping the draft agenda for the 2026 Leaders’ Summit. Shambhu L. Hakki supports this process through detailed policy coordination and oversight of sector-specific tracks, including economic cooperation, development finance, climate, and digital governance.

BRICS India Sherpa Sudhakar Dalela

Other member states have similarly designated senior officials to draft communiqués, negotiate consensus language, and coordinate inter-ministerial processes. The New Delhi meeting initiated a year-long cycle of consultations that will continue across thematic tracks. The future is fragile, and therefore precious; these preparatory negotiations are the scaffolding upon which leaders will later construct durable agreements.

Sous-Sherpa Shambhu L. Hakki

Despite ongoing border tensions, India and China have maintained dialogue through BRICS and the SCO, demonstrating the bloc’s stabilising diplomatic function. In a multipolar world, the Sherpa track is a platform for trust, dialogue, and strategic balancing.

Economic Cooperation and Financial Architecture

Economic coordination featured prominently in New Delhi. India aims to strengthen intra-BRICS trade and investment, enhance supply-chain resilience, and promote manufacturing and digital cooperation. Intra-BRICS trade already exceeded US$ 600 billion annually prior to expansion, and integration of new members is expected to accelerate growth.

The New Development Bank (NDB), with over US$ 35 billion approved in infrastructure and sustainable development projects since 2015, was highlighted as a central instrument. Financing priorities include infrastructure, green energy, and sustainable urban projects, especially in newly admitted member states.

Discussions also touched on expanding local-currency trade settlements and exploring interoperability between central bank digital currencies. While sometimes framed as “de-dollarisation,” India’s position emphasises diversification and resilience, not confrontation with the global financial order. The Sherpas have drawn the map, and the leaders must now chart the course.

Innovation, Sustainability, and Digital Diplomacy

Innovation is a cross-cutting priority. India’s domestic Unified Payments Interface (UPI) processes billions of transactions monthly and links with systems in Singapore and the UAE. Sherpas discussed replicating such platforms across BRICS to enhance AI governance, fintech collaboration, cybersecurity, and startup ecosystems.

Sustainability, the fourth pillar, balances climate finance, technology transfer, and energy transitions. With major energy producers like Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran, and the UAE now part of BRICS, collectively accounting for over 40% of global crude oil production, negotiations aim to align environmental commitments with economic growth imperatives.

From COP28 to Sherpa deliberations, the message is consistent that BRICS can no longer treat sustainability as abstract rhetoric. Actionable collaboration, measurable impact, and shared responsibility are now the currency of legitimacy.

A People-Centric Presidency

India has sought to broaden BRICS engagement beyond state-to-state diplomacy. Presentations on sports cooperation, youth engagement, cultural exchanges, and activities of the BRICS Academic Forum, Think Tank Council, Civil Forum, Business Council, and Women’s Business Alliance were included.

Delegates visited the National Crafts Museum & Hastakala Academy and Swaminarayan Akshardham, blending diplomacy with cultural immersion. The approach signals a people-centric vision: diplomacy embedded in civil society, business networks, and academic collaboration, reflecting that soft power and societal engagement matter as much as policy memoranda.

Strategic Balancing and Global Governance Reform

BRICS 2026 unfolds against a backdrop of geopolitical complexity. India maintains competitive relations with China, defence ties with Russia, and expanding partnerships with Western nations. The bloc offers New Delhi a platform to advance multipolar cooperation without endorsing confrontation.

Reform of multilateral institutions, including global financial bodies, trade governance, and security frameworks, remains a recurring theme. With BRICS countries collectively holding over 25% of global foreign exchange reserves, the bloc wields tangible macroeconomic leverage that can influence global financial governance, especially for the Global South.

From Consultation to Consolidation

The first Sherpas’ meeting was more than an administrative launch; it was a strategic calibration exercise. By embedding its four-pillar agenda into sectoral presentations, institutional reforms, economic initiatives, and people-centric engagement, India signalled that the 2026 Chairship aims for consolidation rather than disruption.

The effectiveness of BRICS 2026 will hinge on how Sherpas and Sous-Sherpas convert thematic commitments into actionable deliverables. The February meeting laid the groundwork by drawing the contours of future agreements, anticipating challenges, and harmonising eleven diverse voices.

From five voices to eleven, the chorus has grown. Harmony now matters more than volume. In a fragile and interdependent world, the decisions made in these quiet corridors of negotiation may resonate far beyond the halls of New Delhi.