The BRICS Business Council was established during the 5th BRICS Summit in 2013 in Durban, South Africa, to bring together the business communities of Brazil, China, Russia, India, and South Africa. With the accession of new countries in 2024 and 2025, the council now includes Brazil, Russia, India, South Africa, Egypt, Iran, Indonesia, Ethiopia, China, and the United Arab Emirates.
Each BRICS member country has five representatives in the council. The council comprises nine working groups focusing on Infrastructure, Manufacturing, Finance, Energy and Green Economy, Skills Development, Agricultural Activities, Aviation, Digital Economy, and Trade & Investment. The addition of new countries has strengthened the council, enabling each member to leverage its geopolitical position and resources to enhance BRICS capabilities.
The working groups are tasked with proposing solutions for issues within their specialized sectors and meet twice a year. One of these meetings occurs before the BRICS Summit to present the annual activity report to the leaders. Key points from these reports are reflected in the final BRICS Summit declaration. For example, the 2024 BRICS declaration spans 70 pages, with a major portion dedicated to the content of the working groups’ reports, demonstrating members’ commitment to delivering results.
The BRICS declaration also contains recommendations, including both long-term and medium-term proposals from the nine working groups to businesses. In upcoming posts, the recommendations of each working group based on the 2024 declaration will be presented.
