In a major parliamentary diplomatic initiative strengthening Global South multilateralism on October 26, 2026, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla convened and presided over high-level bilateral sessions with presiding officers and parliamentary delegations from BRICS member and partner nations in New Delhi. The forum served as an institutional platform to deliberate on advancing democratic legislative transparency, harmonizing cross-border digital economy regulations, and promoting sustainable development goals across emerging economic powerhouses. During his bilateral discussions, Birla emphasized that national legislatures hold a constitutional responsibility to translate multilateral consensus into responsive domestic statutory frameworks, particularly in addressing climate resilience, ethical artificial intelligence governance, and clean energy transitions. International delegates commended India's modern parliamentary infrastructure and digital legislative management tools, noting that institutional knowledge-sharing among BRICS parliaments plays a critical role in addressing geopolitical fragmentation and enhancing South-South economic cooperation. Parliamentary policy observers and international relations analysts noted that India's proactive leadership during the BRICS legislative proceedings reflects its strategic ambition to build democratic consensus, deepen parliamentary diplomacy, and shape global normative standards that balance sovereign economic interests with cooperative global development frameworks.

Parliamentary Leaders from 21 Nations Convene at Historic Samvidhan Sadan

Marking a major diplomatic milestone under India's 2026 BRICS Chairship, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla opened the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum at the historic Central Hall of the old Parliament building, now designated as Samvidhan Sadan, in New Delhi.

The high-level conference brings together parliamentary delegations, speakers, and presiding officers from 11 BRICS member states and 10 partner nations. Centered on the overarching theme of fostering parliaments for people-centric development, the deliberations focus on translating shared multilateral goals into tangible legislative frameworks across the Global South.

Overview: Key Specifications of the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum

Summit ParameterOfficial Framework & Institutional Details
Host AuthorityParliament of India (Under India's 2026 BRICS Chairship)
Presiding OfficerLok Sabha Speaker Om Birla
Venue & LocationSamvidhan Sadan (Central Hall), New Delhi
Event DurationOctober 26 to October 27, 2026
Participating NationsDelegations representing 21 Member and Partner Countries
Guiding PillarsResilience, Innovation, Cooperation, and Sustainability
Primary AgendasEthical AI governance, multilateral institutional reform, and South-South economic integration

Prioritizing Ethical AI, Institutional Resilience, and Multilateral Reform

In his opening address, Speaker Birla underscored that parliaments represent the moral compass of democratic statecraft and must lead the way in creating legal safeguards for rapid technological disruptions.

Highlighting that technological progress must remain inclusive and equitable, Birla called on BRICS legislative assemblies to formulate coordinated guardrails surrounding artificial intelligence, automated algorithms, and cross-border digital data flows.

BRICS Parliamentary Diplomacy & Policy Execution Pipeline: ----------------------------------------------------------- Shared Global South Challenges ──> Inter-Parliamentary Deliberation (New Delhi) ──> Legislative Synchronization (AI / Climate / Trade) ──> Domestic Statutory Enactments ──> Reformed Multilateral Governance

The discussions across bilateral and multilateral working sessions targeted three interconnected priorities:

  1. Ethical AI and Digital Sovereignty: Developing legislative standards to govern generative and autonomous technologies while expanding open-source Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) to democratize technology access.

  2. Global Institutional Overhaul: Reaffirming demands for comprehensive restructuring of legacy international institutions—including the United Nations Security Council, Bretton Woods bodies, and the WTO—to reflect contemporary multipolar realities.

  3. South-South Economic Resilience: Facilitating local-currency settlements, reducing non-tariff commercial friction, and reinforcing critical supply chains across energy, food security, and advanced manufacturing.

"Parliaments serve as the living conscience of people-centric governance. In an era marked by economic uncertainty and rapid technological shifts, the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum must assert that global governance belongs to every citizen of the world. Our collective responsibility is to translate mutual trust into legislative frameworks that guarantee justice, innovation, and sustainable progress for the Global South." — Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla

Bilateral Engagements and Collaborative Legislative Roadmaps

Parallel to the plenary sessions, Speaker Birla and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh conducted bilateral exchanges with counterparts, including State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin of the Russian Federation and parliamentary leaders from across Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

The dialogues explored expanded inter-parliamentary friendship groups, standardized parliamentary research exchanges, and cooperative initiatives in clean energy, industrial automation, and agricultural tech.

The two-day forum will conclude on October 27 with the formal adoption of the New Delhi Parliamentary Declaration, cementing the collective commitments of BRICS legislators toward multilateral peace, sustainable industrialization, and equitable digital transformation.