2016 BRICS summit to be held in Goa

New Delhi, March 22  The eighth BRICS Summit will be held in Goa on October 15-16 this year, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj announced on Tuesday, adding that India would take a five-pronged approach during its chairmanship of the grouping.

Sushma Swaraj made the announcement here while unveiling BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) summit logo and launching the BRICS website for the duration of India’s chairmanship. 

India assumed the chairmanship of BRICS on February 15 this year from Russia. India's tenure will last till December 31 this year.

“During our BRICS chairmanship, well over 50 sectoral meetings will be organised at the ministerial, official, technical, and track II levels,” Sushma Swaraj said. 

She said India's core-theme for the BRICS chairmanship would be “Building Responsive, Inclusive and Collective Solutions (BRICS)”. 

“We will adopt a five-pronged approach during our chairmanship. It will comprise institution building, implementation, integration, innovation, and continuity with consolidation (IIIIC or I4C).”

The minister said India's emphasis would be on institution building, implementation of previous commitments flowing from the past summits, and exploring synergies among the existing mechanisms.

Enhancing greater people-to-people participation in BRICS events would also be another priority, she said. 

As a part of this, a series of events are being organised, including the BRICS Under-17 Football Tournament, BRICS Film Festival, BRICS Wellness Forum, BRICS Youth Forum, Young Diplomats' Forum, BRICS Trade Fair, BRICS Friendship Cities Conclave besides think-tank and academic forums. 

Sushma Swaraj said that these events would be held across the country in different States. 

“This will give people a greater opportunity to enrich the BRICS process. It would also be an occasion for our BRICS partners to visit different cities and states of India,” she said.

This will be the second time that India will host the BRICS summit. It last hosted the fourth BRICS Summit in New Delhi in 2012.

This year's logo has been designed by Sudeep Gandhi, who won Rs.50,000 in a contest held in this connection.

“Painted in BRICS countries' colours and symbolising India’s national flower, this BRICS lotus, designed by Sudeep Gandhi, encompasses the BRICS spirit and will grace all our events through the year,” Sushma Awaraj said while presenting the award to Gandhi.

Amar Sinha, secretary (economic relations) in the ministry of external affairs, will be India's sherpa for BRICS during its chairmanship.

A grouping of five emerging national economies, BRICS was originally known as BRIC before the inclusion of South Africa in 2011.

The first BRICS Summit was held at Yekaterinburg in Russia in 2009. Russia also hosted the seventh BRICS Summit in Ufa in July last year.