"Parliamentary diplomacy complements executive-led multilateralism." Examine with reference to the BRICS Parliamentary Forum.

Parliamentary diplomacy means legislators working with each other across borders, alongside governments but separate from them. The BRICS Parliamentary Forum is the grouping's legislators' track, running next to the leaders' Summit. Its 12th edition opened in Parliament's Central Hall on 26 October 2026, under India's BRICS Presidency [1]. It adds to the Summit track but does not replace it.

How the Forum complements the executive track

• Carrying Summit agendas into Parliaments: the inaugural theme, "Fostering Parliaments for People-Centric Development," brings the Presidency's "Humanity First" vision into member legislatures [1].
• Building norms on security: at Brasília in 2025, the Parliaments of 10 countries, including Iran, the UAE, Egypt and China, condemned the Pahalgam attack by name and endorsed zero tolerance on terrorism [2]. India now has a written record from many countries that it can cite in other forums.
• Cross-party legitimacy: delegations include opposition MPs, so commitments can outlast a change of government. Both Indian Houses took part: the Speaker chairs the Forum and the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman gave the welcome address [1].
• Global South voice: BRICS covers about 49.5% of the world's population. Partner-country delegations widen representation in the push for a multipolar order [1].
• New regulatory issues: the Forum discussed the accountability of AI developers, an area where Parliaments make the laws [2].

Limits

• Non-binding: making treaties is an executive power. Under Article 253, Parliament only passes laws to implement international agreements, so Forum declarations change no policy on their own.
• The Summit decides: the main outcomes, such as the New Delhi Declaration, come from the leaders [1]. Because BRICS works by consensus, ambition stays limited: it backs only a "greater role" for India in the UN, including the Security Council, not a permanent seat [3].
• Weak continuity: the chair rotates every year [2], and the role of Partner Countries is not defined [1].

Way forward

• A report-back mechanism, where each member tells the next Forum what it did on earlier pledges.
• Review of BRICS outcome documents by Parliament's Committee on External Affairs.
• Copying the P20 (2023) model of themed sessions and a LiFE side forum [4].

The BRICS Parliamentary Forum is not a decision-making body. It builds agreement on shared norms and gives the leaders' track democratic depth. With proper follow-up, it can make India's "People-Centric" vision accountable to citizens. That would help build an inclusive, multipolar order, in line with SDG 16's call for responsive, representative institutions.