Cape Town: While advancing the Global South agenda, India has played a key role in shaping the vision and ethos of BRICS, with political and security cooperation, economic development and cultural exchanges emerging as its core pillars, a report has stated.
It noted that the Indian approach has also strengthened the principle of consensus in agenda-setting and decision-making, while an emphasis on tangible projects has advanced practical cooperation across sectors.
The report noted that India’s chairship of the BRICS will reflect a “shift in geopolitics, an imbalance in geo-economics and challenges to the rule-based multilateral system”.
“While major powers push for global hegemony, developing economies are looking for greater autonomy and space for their economic and diplomatic decisions. India’s leadership of the movement will seek to advance the core objectives of BRICS for coherence and address misperceptions,” a report in South African news website ‘The National’ detailed.
“India will outline a positive agenda for BRICS that promotes growth and development, advances reforms in global governance, and responds effectively to the opportunities and challenges of our times,” it added.
According to the report, India’s initial vision for hosting the 18th BRICS summit points to a “humanity first” and “people-centred” approach.
The theme ‘Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability’ reflects a commitment to addressing shared challenges through balanced and inclusive cooperation. It also highlights the need to strengthen capacities, foster innovation and ensure sustainable development for the benefit of all.
The report highlighted that one such initiative led by India and first unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015 is the vision for the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), encapsulated in the SAGAR doctrine — ‘Security and Growth for All in the Region’.
“The Indian Ocean, PM Modi highlighted, was critical to the future of the world, bearing two-thirds of the world’s oil shipments, one-third of its bulk cargo, and half of its container traffic,” it stated.
According to the report, SAGAR vision has since evolved into MAHA SAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement), extending its focus across the Global South, while including economic diplomacy, technology-sharing and digital connectivity.
“This has allowed the Indian Navy to emerge as a central instrument of India’s expanding maritime outreach with increased naval deployments, exercises and humanitarian missions, increasingly shaping how India engages partners across the Indian Ocean and the wider Global South,” it stressed.
Emphasising that the shift reflects the growing role of maritime routes in global trade, the report said nearly two-thirds of global commerce moves through the Indo-Pacific maritime corridor, with about 90 per cent of India’s trade carried by sea.
“The MAHASAGAR vision is poised to further enhance India’s role in fostering cooperation in the region and demonstrates India’s willingness to continue cooperating with the Global South on issues of mutual interest,” it mentioned.
(IANS)
