Kochi | The BRICS Women Working Group meeting, attended by representatives from 11 member countries, began here on Monday.
The two-day meeting opened with Anil Malik, Secretary in the Ministry of Women and Child Development, welcoming delegates from the participating countries.
Representatives from Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the UAE are taking part in the meeting, which will conclude on Tuesday.
The BRICS Ministers' meeting on women's affairs will be held here on July 8 and 9.
Addressing the inaugural session, Malik said India's BRICS chairmanship has focused on four priority areas that reflect the group's shared aspirations and contemporary global challenges.
The priorities include building a more resilient BRICS through women's governance and leadership, advancing financial and digital inclusion, promoting women's entrepreneurship and skill development, and strengthening women's role in climate action, food security and nutrition.
He said these priorities have provided a strong framework for engagement over the past few months and would continue to guide the deliberations during the meeting.
Malik said the member countries had remained closely connected through their shared commitment to women's empowerment despite geographical distances.
He said three virtual preparatory meetings held between April and June this year enabled the member countries to exchange ideas, deliberate on key issues and lay a strong foundation for the current meeting.
Under India's chairmanship, the women track has been expanded by proposing a joint statement along with two additional deliverables, he said, thanking member countries for their support for the broader agenda.
Malik said the draft joint statement had been shared with all delegates during the third preparatory meeting on June 29, and member countries had offered valuable suggestions on the document.
BRICS, initially comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, with Indonesia joining the grouping in 2025.
India will host the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi in September this year.
As part of its BRICS presidency, India is hosting a series of meetings across the country in the run-up to the summit.
