India inaugurated a two-day meeting of the Heads of BRICS National Standards Bodies in Bengaluru on July 16, 2026, as part of its BRICS Chairship with the theme 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.' The meeting achieved a significant breakthrough with consensus reached on a draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Cooperation in the Field of Standardization among BRICS National Standards Bodies. The majority of BRICS member countries signed the MoU during the meeting, with remaining NSBs committing to sign upon completion of national-level approval processes.
Union Minister Shri Pralhad Joshi emphasized that standards should be developed through inclusive, transparent, and consensus-based processes that consider diverse needs and developmental priorities of all countries. He commended the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for its strong institutional foundation and India's growing expertise in standardization. Ms. Nidhi Khare, Secretary of the Department of Consumer Affairs, highlighted that collaborative standardization efforts can facilitate trade, technological advancement, and build a more resilient, sustainable future.
The MoU is expected to reinforce quality infrastructure, enhance consumer protection, reduce technical barriers to trade, and strengthen BRICS' collective engagement with international organizations such as ISO and IEC. BRICS represents approximately 49.5% of the global population, 40% of global GDP, and 26% of global trade, making standardization harmonization across this bloc potentially transformative for global economic benefits.
The meeting continues on July 17, 2026, with a Thematic Workshop on Standardization in Artificial Intelligence featuring expert presentations from BIS (India), GOST R (Russian Federation), SAC (China), ABNT (Brazil), and MoIAT-SAS (UAE). This will be followed by an interactive dialogue among BRICS NSB Heads to identify emerging AI standardization priorities and explore new avenues for technological cooperation.