First meeting of the BRICS Women’s Working Group: Consensus reached on making ‘women-led development’ a global priority

The BRICS group of countries has organized the first formal meeting of the BRICS Women’s Working Group, marking a major strategic shift in its priorities. The primary objective of this historic meeting is not only to protect women’s rights within member countries, but also to establish a model of women-led development globally by bringing them into the mainstream of economic development. During the meeting, representatives from India, Russia, China, Brazil, South Africa, as well as new member countries, emphasized that now is not the time to focus solely on women’s welfare, but to give them a leadership role in policymaking and major economic decisions. Member countries unanimously agreed that without women’s participation, it is impossible to take the BRICS economies to new heights.

The meeting focused specifically on three key pillars—economic empowerment, digital literacy, and social justice. Representatives discussed how to facilitate access to finance for women entrepreneurs in BRICS countries and connect their micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to the global market. India strongly advocated for its vision of “women-led development,” which has been a key component of India’s foreign policy in recent years on international platforms. Experts underlined that in this era of the digital economy, providing women with technical skills and increasing their participation in STEM fields should be a top priority for this working group. Furthermore, discussions focused on developing a common framework to connect women in rural areas with e-commerce and modern agricultural technologies.

The conclusions of this meeting will be included in the main agenda of the upcoming BRICS Summit, which will determine the organization’s future roadmap. International analysts believe that the formation of a dedicated working group on women at an influential platform like BRICS demonstrates that emerging economies are now linking social inclusion with economic progress. At the end of the meeting, a joint statement was drafted, reiterating the commitment to ensuring gender equality in the workplace and significantly increasing women’s representation in leadership positions. This initiative will not only add a new dimension to mutual cooperation among member countries but will also send a positive message about the role of women globally.