CNN-News18, Firstpost to host BRICS Dialogues ahead of summit

MUMBAI: BRICS is bringing the world to the table, and India’s turn at the head of it is set to spark some big conversations.

As India prepares to host the 18th BRICS Summit, CNN-News18, in partnership with Firstpost, will convene policymakers, economists, diplomats and global thought leaders for ‘BRICS Dialogues’ in New Delhi on September 11, 2026.

Built around the theme ‘Bharat’s Moment in the Global South’, the event will examine the changing role of BRICS and the opportunities and challenges facing India as geopolitical realignments, trade tensions and technological disruption reshape the global order.

The discussions will look beyond the summit agenda to questions around the rise of an expanded BRICS, the bloc’s potential to become a stronger voice for the Global South and India’s ambitions for a larger role in global affairs.

Technology will be another major talking point, with sessions exploring opportunities in Artificial Intelligence, semiconductors, space and other critical technologies, alongside global governance, trade and strategic partnerships.

The programme features a line-up of Union ministers and prominent voices from politics, diplomacy, economics and business. Union Minister for Communications and Development of North Eastern Region Jyotiraditya Scindia will headline an exclusive conversation, ‘Bharat: BRICS Engine’, while Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, and MoS PMO, PP/DoPT, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh, will feature in ‘BRICS & ‘Critical’ Partnerships’.

Other sessions include ‘America Cementing BRICS?’ with Javed Ashraf, Chairman, ITPO, and Amitabh Kant, former G20 Sherpa and former CEO of NITI Aayog; ‘Era of Global South: What Will It Take?’ with BJP National Vice President Ram Madhav; and ‘BRICS: Numbers Don’t Lie’ with Dr Saurabh Garg.

Ambassador Ashok Kantha, former Ambassador of India to China, and Sanjay Bhattacharyya, former BRICS Sherpa and former Secretary, MEA, will discuss ‘India in BRICS: Shoulder or Bridge?’.

The political debate will continue with Congress MP and former Union Minister Manish Tewari examining ‘Has BRICS Lived Up to the Hype?’, while Congress MP and former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor will tackle ‘BRICS & The West: Can India Balance Both?’.

The event will also bring international perspectives into the conversation. American economist Jeffrey Sachs and British economist Jim O’Neill, who coined the term ‘BRIC’, will join ‘Why BRICS Makes Sense?’.

John Denton, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce, and Anindya N. Bakrie, Chairman of the BRICS Business Council Indonesia and KADIN Indonesia and CEO of Bakrie & Brothers, will discuss trade and business cooperation in ‘BRICS: The Commerce Collab’.

The programme will further feature a Gen Z panel titled ‘BRICS: Tomorrow’s Leaders’, international media voices from Sputnik and CGTN in ‘R.I.C – The Alternative Is Here’, an industry-focused discussion titled ‘Circuiting BRICS’ with Vijay P. Karia, Chairman and MD of Ravin Group, and a special session on ‘How West Views BRICS’.

Rahul Shivshankar, Editorial Affairs Director, CNN-News18, said the event comes at a defining point for the global order and aims to put geopolitics, technology, trade and India’s strategic ambitions at the centre of the national conversation.

Smriti Mehra, CEO – English & Business News, Network18, said the BRICS debate now extends beyond economics into questions of global influence, innovation, economic ambition and partnerships, while Binoy Prabhakar, Chief Content Officer, Firstpost, said the platform would examine the bloc’s evolution and future beyond the summit narrative.

Ravin Group Chairman and MD Vijay P Karia said the partnership would provide a platform to discuss how BRICS countries, particularly India and the UAE, can contribute to global growth and build stronger business and infrastructure partnerships.

‘CNN-News18 BRICS Dialogues in partnership with Firstpost’ lists Ravin Group as Presenting Partner, DP World as Logistics Partner, and LIC, Kotak Neo and Reliance Industries Ltd. as Associate Partners.

The event will be broadcast live on CNN-News18 and Firstpost from 3:30 pm onwards on September 11, bringing the BRICS debate from the diplomatic table to a much wider audience.