Hon’ble Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Shri Harivansh Delivers Welcome Address at the Inaugural Session of 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in Central Hall, Parliament of India, New Delhi

1. At a Glance

• What happened: Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Shri Harivansh gave the welcome address at the inaugural session of the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum. It was held in the Central Hall, Parliament of India, New Delhi on 26 Oct 2026 [1].
• What the Forum is: the legislators' track of BRICS, running alongside the leaders' Summit. MPs from Member and Partner Countries share experiences and look for parliamentary approaches that improve people's lives [1].
• Link to India's presidency: the Forum ties Parliaments to India's 2026 BRICS Presidency vision, which is "People-Centric" and "Humanity First" [1].
• Why it matters for UPSC: it brings together parliamentary diplomacy, BRICS expansion and the Global South, global governance reform and multipolarity, and parliamentary roles and functions (GS-II) [1].

2. Why in the News

• 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum inaugurated in Central Hall, New Delhi, on 26 Oct 2026. Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla chairs it [1].
• Theme of the inaugural session: "Fostering Parliaments for People-Centric Development" [1].
• Context: the Forum follows the 18th BRICS Summit, held under India's presidency, which adopted the New Delhi Declaration [1].
• How India got the hosting: India was given the 12th Forum at the 11th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in Brasília (June 2025), and Om Birla was named its chairperson [2].

3. Background & Evolution

• The year before (2025): the 11th BRICS PF was held in Brasília, Brazil, in June 2025. India was given the 12th edition there [2].
• Brasília outcome: the joint declaration condemned the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack and called for a zero-tolerance policy on terrorism [2].
• 2026: India held the BRICS Presidency with the theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability" [1].
• 18th BRICS Summit (2026): adopted the New Delhi Declaration [1].
• 26 Oct 2026: the 12th BRICS PF opened in New Delhi [1].
• Note: the Forum's inception year and first host could not be checked against a whitelisted Tier 1 or Tier 2 source, so they are left out. Verify them from sansad.in or mea.gov.in before using them.

4. Core Static Facts

5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis

Geopolitical / Strategic

• India championed BRICS expansion, which strengthens the voice and trust of the Global South in the grouping [1].
• The New Delhi Declaration advanced global governance reforms and a more balanced, multipolar world order [1].
• With a share of about 49.5% of the world's population, the grouping can claim to speak for a large part of humanity in global debates [1].
• Counter-terrorism: the 2025 parliamentary declaration condemning Pahalgam backs India's push for a zero-tolerance standard on terrorism [2].

Governance / Ethical

• Citizens expect Parliaments to respond to economic uncertainty, technological change, climate change, public-health emergencies and social inequalities. Parliaments therefore need to be vigilant, responsive, dynamic and future-ready [1].
• "Humanity First" means development and cooperation are judged by their effect on people, not only by state-to-state outcomes [1].

Legal / Constitutional (Indian Parliament)

• The Speaker chairs the Forum and the Deputy Chairman, RS gives the welcome address. This shows both Houses taking part in parliamentary diplomacy [1].
• Central Hall is the historic venue for joint and ceremonial gatherings. Hosting a multilateral legislative forum there is a statement of India's identity as a parliamentary democracy [1].

Scientific / Technological

• Technological transformation is named as a governance challenge Parliaments must respond to [1].
• The 11th PF in 2025 discussed accountability of AI tool developers [2].

Environmental

• Climate change is listed among the issues on which citizens expect Parliaments to act. Sustainability is the "S" in India's BRICS theme [1].

6. Recent Developments (last 12–18 months)

• June 2025: 11th BRICS PF held in Brasília. It condemned the Pahalgam attack, endorsed zero tolerance on terrorism, and named India host of the 12th PF with Om Birla as chair [2].
• 2026: India held the BRICS Presidency under the "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability" theme, with a People-Centric / Humanity First vision [1].
• 2026: the 18th BRICS Summit under India's presidency adopted the New Delhi Declaration [1].
• 26 Oct 2026: 12th BRICS PF inaugurated in Central Hall. Harivansh gave the welcome address [1].

7. Prelims Hooks

• The 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum was held at Central Hall, Parliament of India, New Delhi (2026) [1].
• Chair of the 12th BRICS PF: the Lok Sabha Speaker (Om Birla), not the Rajya Sabha Chairman [1].
• Welcome address at the inaugural session: Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh [1].
• Inaugural session theme: "Fostering Parliaments for People-Centric Development" [1].
• India's 2026 BRICS theme: "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability" [1].
• India's presidency vision: "People-Centric" and "Humanity First" [1].
• The New Delhi Declaration came from the 18th BRICS Summit, not from the Parliamentary Forum [1].
• BRICS accounts for about 49.5% of the world population [1].
• 11th BRICS PF: Brasília, June 2025 [2].
• The 11th PF declaration condemned the Pahalgam terror attack (April 2025) [2].
• 10 member countries took part in the 11th PF, including Iran, UAE, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia [2].
• The Forum includes delegations from both Member and Partner Countries [1].

8. Read the UN Reform Wording Closely: Support Is Not Endorsement

• The note says the New Delhi Declaration pushed 'global governance reform'. The exact words matter more than the slogan.

• BRICS texts on the UN Security Council (UNSC) have used three levels of wording. Each level is weaker than the one above it.

• Strongest: the India–Brazil bilateral joint statement (2025)

• The two countries 'mutually supported permanent membership' for each other in an expanded Security Council [7].

• Only two countries sign a bilateral text, so it can be direct.

• Middle: the Rio de Janeiro Declaration (2025) and the New Delhi Declaration (2026)

• BRICS supports the 'aspirations' of Brazil and India to play 'a greater role' in the UN, 'including its Security Council' [5][6].

• The phrase 'permanent seat' does not appear in this wording.

• Weakest: the Kazan Declaration (2024)

• It backs the 'legitimate aspirations' of developing countries from Africa, Asia and Latin America, 'including BRICS countries' [4].

• That covers so many countries that it backs no one in particular.

• Why the wording stays soft

• BRICS decides by consensus, which means every member must agree to the text. So the final text can only say what the least willing member accepts.
• China and Russia are already permanent (P5) members of the UNSC. Each has a veto over any change to the UN Charter.

• India gets 'support for a greater role', not a promise of a seat.

• How to use this in Mains: quote the exact phrase. Don't write 'BRICS endorsed India's permanent seat.' Examiners reward precision.

9. Is the Forum Just a Talk Shop? The Case Against, and an Honest Answer

• The strongest objection
• Nothing the Forum says is binding on anyone.
• In India, the executive (the government), not Parliament, signs treaties. Parliament comes in only when a law is needed to implement one (Article 253 — Parliament's power to make laws that put international agreements into effect).

• So a parliamentary declaration does not change policy in any member country. The real decisions sit in the leaders' Summit. Even the New Delhi Declaration came from the Summit, not from this Forum [1].

• What the objection gets right

• The 11th Forum's zero-tolerance pledge on terrorism is a political statement. It creates no duty to extradite anyone, list anyone as a terrorist, or share intelligence [2].

• The Forum hands its chair to a new host every year [2]. The note also finds no checkable record of how the Forum's past declarations were followed up.

• What it misses

• Getting the Parliaments of 10 countries, including Iran, the UAE, Egypt and China, to condemn Pahalgam by name gives India a written, multi-country record. India can cite it in other forums [2].

• Governments change, but parliaments include opposition MPs. A Forum statement shows support across parties, not just from one government.

• Fair conclusion

• The Forum is a channel for building agreement on norms (shared standards of behaviour). It is not a decision-making body.
• Judge it by whether member Parliaments act on what it says, not by the declaration alone.

10. What India Did Better at the P20, and Can Repeat Here

• India has hosted a big legislators' forum before
• In October 2023, Parliament hosted the 9th G20 Parliamentary Speakers' Summit (P20) at Yashobhoomi, Delhi [8].

• Theme: 'Parliaments for One Earth, One Family, One Future' [8].

• Two design choices from the P20 that are worth copying

• Themed working sessions. The P20 had four sessions on set topics: public digital platforms, women-led development, the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals, the UN's 17 global targets for 2030) and the energy transition [8]. That kept India's priorities on the agenda.

• A side event built around one Indian idea. A separate LiFE parliamentary forum (LiFE, Lifestyle for Environment, India's campaign for climate-friendly living) was held the day before [8]. This links to the 'Sustainability' in India's 2026 BRICS theme [1].

• Bringing a new voice in

• At the P20, the Pan-African Parliament attended for the first time, after the African Union joined the G20 [8].
• The 12th BRICS Forum similarly brings in Partner Countries [1]. The weak point is that their role is not defined anywhere in the release [1].

11. What Should Follow, and Who Should Do It

• The Speaker, as Forum chair, should set up a report-back step
• The Pahalgam zero-tolerance pledge was made in June 2025 [2].
• The 12th Forum could ask each member Parliament to report, at the 13th Forum, what it has done since: laws passed, debates held, steps on terror financing.

• Without this, each year's declaration starts again from zero.

• Parliament's Committee on External Affairs should examine BRICS outcome documents

• It is a Departmentally Related Standing Committee (a permanent Parliament committee that checks the work of one ministry, here the MEA).
• The New Delhi Declaration commits India on governance reform and multipolarity [6]. Yet no Indian parliamentary body has formally reviewed that text.

• A committee review would give the 'People-Centric' claim some democratic accountability inside India [1].

• India should get the Partner Country role spelled out while it holds the chair

• Kazan (2024) created a group of 13 partner countries [4]. The 12th Forum includes partners alongside members [1], but nobody has said what partners may do: vote, co-sign, or only watch.
• The longer this stays unclear, the harder it gets to reach consensus in a larger forum.

12. Anchors for Answers

• Data: BRICS covers about 49.5% of the world's population [1]. The Kazan Summit (2024) welcomed 13 partner countries [4]. 10 Parliaments signed the 2025 Pahalgam condemnation [2].
• Report/Committee: Kazan Declaration (2024), on UNSC reform for 'aspirants from Africa, Asia, Latin America' [4]. Rio de Janeiro (2025) and New Delhi (2026) Declarations, on a 'greater role' for Brazil and India, 'including its Security Council' [5][6].
• Law/Case: Article 253 (Parliament's power to make laws that implement international agreements). Treaty-making itself is an executive power.
• Comparison: 9th P20 Summit, New Delhi (2023): themed sessions, a LiFE side forum, and the first participation of the Pan-African Parliament [8]. India–Brazil joint statement (2025): an explicit 'permanent membership' pledge, which is stronger than any BRICS text [7].
• Scheme: Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment), carried into parliamentary diplomacy through the P20 side forum [8].

13. Mains Relevance

• GS-II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India's interests; Important international institutions; Parliament – structure, functioning, conduct of business.
• GS-III (peripheral): Security challenges (the counter-terrorism consensus).
• Possible question stems: 1. "Parliamentary diplomacy complements executive-led multilateralism." Examine with reference to the BRICS Parliamentary Forum. 2. How has India's "Humanity First" approach during its 2026 BRICS Presidency tried to make the grouping more relevant to the Global South? Critically evaluate. 3. An expanded BRICS faces a trade-off between more legitimacy and less cohesion. Discuss in the context of global governance reform and a multipolar order.

14. Related Topics to Study Next

• BRICS expansion and Partner Country category: the release mentions Member and Partner Countries without defining them, which makes it a likely MCQ trap [1].
• New Delhi Declaration (18th Summit): the leaders' outcome that the Forum builds on [1].
• New Development Bank and Contingent Reserve Arrangement: BRICS's institutional pillars, relevant to the governance-reform agenda.
• Inter-Parliamentary Union and G20 Parliamentary Speakers' Summit (P20): comparable legislative diplomacy forums.
• Office of the Deputy Chairman, RS (Art. 89) and Speaker (Art. 93): the constitutional roles of the presiding officers who took part.
• UNSC reform and the G4: the core of India's "global governance reform" demand.
• Global South / Voice of Global South Summits: India's wider effort to speak for the Global South.

15. NCERT Concepts to Revise

• Legislation to implement international agreements (Polity): Explains Article 253: treaties are signed by the executive, and Parliament legislates only to implement them, so the Forum's declarations are non-binding.
• Speaker of the Lok Sabha (Polity): The Speaker chairs the Forum, while the Deputy Chairman only gave the welcome address, a common trap.
• Rajya Sabha (Polity): Harivansh presides over this House as Deputy Chairman, so its role helps explain who spoke and why.
• Departmentally related standing committee (Polity): The note proposes that the Committee on External Affairs review BRICS outcome documents like the New Delhi Declaration.
• Multilateralism (Economy): Core idea behind BRICS, global governance reform and parliamentary diplomacy complementing executive-led multilateral groupings.
• Sustainable Development Goals (Economy): The SDGs were a P20 session theme and a standard reference in development-focused parliamentary cooperation.

16. Common Errors / Trap Areas

• Summit vs Forum: 18th = leaders' Summit (New Delhi Declaration). 12th = Parliamentary Forum [1]. Don't swap the edition numbers.
• Who chairs: the Lok Sabha Speaker chairs the Forum. Harivansh (Deputy Chairman, RS) only gave the welcome address [1].
• Two themes: "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability" is the Presidency theme. "Fostering Parliaments for People-Centric Development" is the inaugural session theme [1].
• Previous host: the 11th PF was in Brasília (2025), not Russia or South Africa [2].
• Population share: ~49.5% of the global population, not "40%" or "over half" [1].