New Delhi, August 18: The Department of Youth Affairs, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, will host a series of high-level BRICS youth engagements as part of India’s BRICS Presidency 2026, with the BRICS Youth Council Meeting and Youth Summit scheduled in Gandhinagar on August 19-20, followed by the BRICS Youth Ministers’ Meeting in Visakhapatnam on August 22.
India’s BRICS Presidency is guided by the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, with a people-centric and “humanity first” approach. Youth cooperation is a key pillar of the BRICS framework, with India placing ‘Yuva Shakti’ at the centre of its agenda and highlighting the role of young people in innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainable development.
The upcoming meetings build on engagements including the BRICS Youth Coordination Meeting in March, the Serve BRICS volunteering initiative, the BRICS Youth Entrepreneurship Working Group Meeting in May and a thematic youth session in June.
The BRICS Youth Council Meeting will bring official representatives together to advance institutional dialogue, build consensus on a joint youth statement and cooperation framework, and identify collaborative initiatives. The Youth Summit will bring young leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, volunteers and changemakers from BRICS member and partner countries together to exchange ideas and develop recommendations.
The Youth Ministers’ Meeting in Visakhapatnam will review the outcomes and adopt a Joint Ministerial Statement on Youth Cooperation, reinforcing India’s focus on youth partnerships, innovation, inclusive growth and people-to-people connections across BRICS nations.