BRICS Women’s Ministerial: Kochi, 8

Viksha A

Abstract

The BRICS Women’s Ministerial Meeting held in Kochi, India, brought together all the ministers and senior officials across the BRICS countries to focus on women-led development. The meeting took a step forward under India’s 2026 Chairship theme of resilience, innovation, cooperation, and sustainability. For the first time, the BRICS countries adopted a Joint Statement within the Women’s Track, demonstrating their shared commitment to gender equality and empowerment. Additionally, India has launched two major initiatives, namely the BRICS Digital Repository of Best Practices and the Digital Capacity Building Guidelines, which will enable the countries to share a successful model and promote women’s involvement in the digital economy.

These achievements indicate that BRICS is moving from mere discussion to real and organised cooperation. While focusing on women in the development process, the group is connecting empowerment with inclusive growth, advances in digital technology and climate resilience. Furthermore, India’s contribution and leadership in advancing South-South cooperation have been highlighted, laying the foundation for women-led development in future multilateral agendas.

Keywords: BRICS, Women-led Development, Global South, Multilateralism, Digital Inclusion, Gender Equality, India, South-South cooperation.

1. Introduction

Women’s empowerment has increasingly become an important component of economic development, governance and international cooperation. However, significant differences remain among developing countries in women’s access to employment, finance, technology, political decision-making, entrepreneurship and social protection. These challenges are particularly important for BRICS, whose expanding membership represents a substantial share of the Global South.

Therefore, the policy issue that has been arising is not simply whether BRICS countries will be able to support gender equality, but how BRICS can convert political commitments into sustained institutional cooperation, measurable policy outcomes and practical opportunities for women.

2. Background

The BRICS Women’s Track has emerged as a platform for discussing women’s empowerment within the wider BRICS framework. India’s 2026 Chairship sought to strengthen this track by connecting women’s development with broader priorities such as digital transformation, entrepreneurship, financial inclusion, climate resilience and food security.

The first preparatory meeting of the BRICS Women’s Working Group was conducted virtually in May 2026. It identified areas including governance and leadership, financial and digital inclusion, entrepreneurship and skill development, and women’s role in climate action, food security and nutrition. UN Women and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) were among the knowledge partners involved in the preparatory process.

Venue: Kochi, Kerala

Dates: 6–9 July 2026

Structure: BRICS Women’s Working Group (6–7 July) followed by Ministerial (8–9 July)

Participants: Ministers, Deputy Ministers, senior officials, knowledge partners (UN Women, FICCI)

3. Analysis

3.1 Economic Implications and Opportunities

Women’s empowerment contributes directly to economic growth by boosting their involvement in employment, finance, technology, and entrepreneurship. This enhances the resilience of households and communities. Digital inclusion is especially important because it expands access to markets, education, services, and employment. However, it must be paired with digital literacy, affordable connectivity, financial access, and safe online environments. The BRICS Digital Repository of Best Practices provides a way to share and adapt successful initiatives among member countries. The Digital Capacity Building Guidelines promote partnerships and knowledge exchange. Significant opportunities also exist through women’s entrepreneurship. BRICS cooperation can connect women’s enterprises with finance, training, and regional networks, increasing their independence, creating jobs, and fostering inclusive growth.

3.2 Challenges and Structural Impediments

Despite the positive institutional developments, several challenges could limit the implementation of the BRICS Women’s Track.

First, BRICS countries differ considerably in their economic structures, legal systems, labour markets, levels of digital development and gender policies. A policy that works effectively in one country may not be directly transferable to another. Policy exchange therefore needs adaptation rather than simple replication.

Second, the digital gender divide remains an important concern. Digital platforms can empower women, but unequal access to devices, connectivity, digital skills and financial resources can reproduce existing inequalities. Digital initiatives must therefore reach rural, low-income and marginalised women rather than primarily benefiting already-connected populations. Third, there is a potential implementation gap between multilateral commitments and national action. Joint statements can establish political commitments, but their long-term value depends on national governments incorporating them into policies, budgets and monitoring mechanisms.

Lastly, women’s economic empowerment cannot be separated from structural issues such as unpaid care work, occupational segregation, unequal access to assets and finance, gender-based violence and limited representation in decision-making. Digital and entrepreneurial programmes alone cannot resolve these wider barriers. Furthermore, when we look deeper into this situation UN Women has also pointed out the importance of including women’s experiences, in public infrastructure that is designed in a way that is inclusive of all genders.

Furthermore, women continue to face the dual burden of balancing professional and personal responsibilities. Even when employed, many shoulder disproportionate household and caregiving duties. Unless workplace structures and social policies address this imbalance, training and empowerment programmes will have limited impact.

3.3 India’s Role and Strategic Imperatives

India used its 2026 BRICS Chairship to highlight women-led development as a key pillar of Global South cooperation. Hosting the Women’s Ministerial in Kochi allowed India to showcase a wide range of impactful domestic initiatives. Lakhpati Didi aims to create 3 crore women entrepreneurs by 2027, with a broader target of 6 crore “Lakhpati Didis” under DAY-NRLM, helping SHG members earn over ₹1 lakh annually and move towards sustainable enterprises. SARAS provides national branding and marketing for SHG products, with SARAS Melas and the revamped e-Saras portal connecting rural women to digital marketplaces and ONDC platforms.

ASMITA empowers adolescent girls through education, health, and skills, while SHE-Box offers an online system for workplace harassment complaints, ensuring faster redressal. Over 700 One Stop Centres and nationwide helplines provide integrated legal, medical, and psychological support to women facing violence. Beyond showcasing, India proposed two digital initiatives, the BRICS Digital Repository of Best Practices and Digital Capacity Building Guidelines, as long-term mechanisms for cooperation. The strategic priority now lies in implementation, with measurable indicators and regular reporting to ensure effective functioning. By linking governments, universities, civil society, entrepreneurs, and private-sector institutions, India promotes women-led South-South cooperation and embeds empowerment into broader BRICS agendas.

4. Policy Recommendations

The 2026 BRICS Women’s Ministerial Meeting provides a foundation for moving from political commitments towards practical and measurable cooperation. The following measures could strengthen the effectiveness of the Women’s Track:

1. Establish a BRICS Women’s Development Monitoring Framework: It could develop a common monitoring framework containing measurable indicators on women’s employment, entrepreneurship, financial inclusion, digital access, political participation, STEM participation and climate resilience. Annual progress reports where it could help states identify gaps between commitments and implementation.

2. Operationalise the Digital Repository as a Living Policy Platform: Where it should classify successful programmes by sector, country, target group, cost, implementation model and measurable outcomes. By doing this it would allow policymakers to identify policies that can be implemented and what cannot be in reality by examining the conditions and implications of the policy.

3. Develop a BRICS Women’s Digital Inclusion Programme: This could be done by practical adoption of programmes that particularly focuses on the rural and economically disadvantaged women from being affected by digital divide that later results in the new form of inequality.

4. Strengthen Women-Led Entrepreneurship: BRICS could establish stronger connections between women entrepreneurs, MSMEs, financial institutions, incubators and business networks.

5. Conclusion

The BRICS Women’s Ministerial Meeting in Kochi represents an important development in the evolution of gender cooperation within the Global South. The adoption of the first-ever Joint Statement under the BRICS Women Track and India’s introduction of the Digital Repository of Best Practices and Digital Capacity Building Guidelines indicate a shift from dialogue towards more structured cooperation. However, the success of these initiatives will ultimately depend on implementation at the national level.

Differences among BRICS members, persistent digital inequalities and structural barriers to women’s economic and political participation remain significant challenges. India therefore has an opportunity to convert its 2026 Chairship outcomes into long-term institutional mechanisms for policy learning and South-South cooperation. If effectively implemented, the Women’s Track can help position women-led development not as a peripheral social agenda but as a central component of inclusive growth, resilient economies and a more representative Global South.

References (APA 7th)

Press Information Bureau. (2026, July 8). BRICS Women Ministerial Meeting begins in Kochi. Government of India. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2282544&reg=48&lang=1
Press Information Bureau. (2026, July 9). BRICS Women Ministerial Meeting concludes in Kochi. Government of India. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2282843&reg=48&lang=1
DD News. (2026, May 1). India hosts first BRICS Women’s Working Group meet, focusing on women-led development. Prasar Bharati. https://ddnews.gov.in/en/india-hosts-first-brics-womens-working-group-meet-focus-on-women-led-development/

Acknowledgement

The author extends sincere thanks to the IMPRI team for their guidance.

Disclaimer

All views expressed in the article belong solely to the author and not necessarily to the organization.

About the Author:

Viksha A is currently pursuing a Master’s in International Relations at Loyola College, Chennai, and serves as a Research & Editorial Intern at IMPRI. She is passionate about public policy research and writing, with interests in governance, social impact, and contributing to evidence-based policy discussions through research and informed analysis.