Second Preparatory Meeting of BRICS Women’s Working Group convened by the Ministry of Women and Child Development

The Second Preparatory Meeting of the BRICS Women's Working Group under India's BRICS Chairship was convened virtually on 22 May 2026, chaired by Anil Malik,...

What Happened

The Second Preparatory Meeting of the BRICS Women's Working Group under India's BRICS Chairship was convened virtually on 22 May 2026, chaired by Anil Malik, Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development.
Participating BRICS member countries exchanged views on strengthening multilateral collaboration and advancing consensus on two priority deliverables: a Repository of Best Practices and a Capacity Building Framework for Women's Digital and Financial Inclusion and Entrepreneurship.
The meeting reaffirmed commitments under India's BRICS Chairship theme — "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability."
Discussions are building toward the BRICS Women's Working Group Meeting (6–7 July 2026) and the BRICS Women Ministerial Meeting (8–9 July 2026), both to be held in Kochi, Kerala.

Static Topic Bridges

BRICS: History, Expansion, and India's 2026 Chairship

BRICS originated as an investment concept coined by Goldman Sachs economist Jim O'Neill in 2001 (initially "BRIC"). The grouping held its first formal summit in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009. South Africa joined in 2010, creating the "BRICS" acronym. In a landmark expansion effective January 2024, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates joined as full members; Indonesia joined in early 2025. Saudi Arabia's membership remains under consideration. BRICS now comprises ten to eleven countries — the original five (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) plus the new members — collectively representing a significant share of global GDP and population. India holds the BRICS Chairship in 2026.

India's BRICS Chairship theme: "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability."
BRICS operates through two main tracks: the Sherpa Track (political, social, cultural) and the Finance Track (economic, financial).
The Women's Working Group operates under the Sherpa Track, focusing on gender-inclusive development.
Final BRICS outcomes will be presented at the BRICS Women Ministerial Meeting in Kochi in July 2026.

Connection to this news: As BRICS Chair, India is setting the agenda for women's economic empowerment as a multilateral priority, positioning domestic schemes like JAM and Mission Shakti as exportable models within the BRICS framework.

JAM Trinity and Women's Financial Inclusion in India

The JAM Trinity — Jan Dhan (bank accounts), Aadhaar (biometric identity), and Mobile (connectivity) — is the foundational infrastructure for financial inclusion in India. Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), launched in August 2014, is the world's largest financial inclusion programme: as of 2026, over 530 million accounts have been opened, with women holding more than 55% of these accounts. The convergence of Aadhaar-linked identity, direct benefit transfers (DBTs), and mobile banking has enabled women — particularly in rural areas — to access credit, insurance, and government transfers without intermediaries.

PMJDY provides zero-balance savings accounts, RuPay debit cards, accident insurance cover of ₹2 lakh, and overdraft facility of up to ₹10,000.
The Self-Help Group (SHG) network — approximately 10 million SHGs linking over 90 million women — serves as the grassroots delivery mechanism for credit and livelihoods.
The Digital Sakhi programme trains rural women as digital literacy ambassadors.
India's approach to women's financial inclusion is increasingly cited as a scalable model for BRICS partner countries.

Connection to this news: The "Repository of Best Practices" being developed at the BRICS Women's Working Group is expected to draw significantly from India's JAM-driven financial inclusion model as a template for other BRICS nations.

UN SDG 5 and Global Commitments to Gender Equality

Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5) — "Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls" — is one of the 17 goals in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted in September 2015. SDG 5 includes specific targets on ending discrimination and violence against women, ensuring reproductive rights, recognising unpaid care and domestic work, and ensuring women's full and effective participation in economic and political life, including through information and communications technology (SDG 5.b).

Target 5.a calls for equal rights to economic resources, property ownership, and financial services.
Target 5.b specifically calls for enhancing the use of enabling technology, particularly ICT, to promote women's empowerment.
BRICS countries are at varying stages of SDG 5 implementation; the Women's Working Group seeks to accelerate progress through mutual learning.
The BRICS Women Ministerial Meeting builds directly on SDG 5 frameworks.

Connection to this news: The BRICS Women's Working Group's focus on digital and financial inclusion directly maps onto SDG 5.a and 5.b, making the Kochi ministerial a platform for tracking BRICS-level SDG 5 progress.

India's Ministry of Women and Child Development: Mission Shakti and ICDS

India's Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) is the nodal ministry for gender equality and child welfare. Key programmes include: Mission Shakti (an umbrella scheme consolidating safety, security, and empowerment interventions for women); the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme for nutrition and early childhood care; and POSHAN Abhiyan (the national nutrition mission). Mission Shakti has two sub-schemes — Sambal (safety and security) and Samarthya (empowerment through SHGs, crèches, and gender mainstreaming).

Mission Shakti was restructured in 2021–22 to consolidate multiple women-centric schemes.
One Stop Centres (OSCs) under Mission Shakti provide integrated support services to women affected by violence.
The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) campaign, targeting sex ratio at birth improvement and girls' education, operates through the WCD Ministry.

Connection to this news: The Ministry of Women and Child Development, which convened the BRICS Women's Working Group meeting, draws on these flagship programmes as India's contribution to the multilateral deliberations on women's capacity building and entrepreneurship.

Key Facts & Data

India's BRICS Chairship theme: "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability."
Second Preparatory Meeting held virtually on 22 May 2026; chaired by WCD Secretary Anil Malik.
BRICS Women Ministerial Meeting to be held 8–9 July 2026, Kochi, Kerala.
BRICS has 10–11 members (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa + Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, UAE, Indonesia; Saudi Arabia under consideration).
Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and UAE formally joined BRICS from 1 January 2024.
PMJDY: over 530 million accounts opened; women hold over 55% of accounts.
BRICS originated as Jim O'Neill's 2001 investment thesis; first formal summit was in 2009; South Africa joined in 2010.
Meeting's deliverables: Repository of Best Practices and Capacity Building Framework for Women's Digital and Financial Inclusion.