Three Mega Summits In India Will Give New Delhi A Chance To Shape Narrative in 2026

The Areas That Will Shape 2026

AI is the new game in town. There is also a scramble for critical minerals, and Africa, rich in these minerals, will be wooed by major powers. West Asia is being reshaped as well, with new contours led by the Gulf powers, Israel and outreach by Turkey. The Ukraine war could be frozen soon, but tensions between Russia and Europe will continue to linger. In this backdrop, India remains a factor of stability and attraction for global economies. Recent reforms initiated by the Narendra Modi government are expected to draw foreign investments in both the manufacturing and services sectors. 

Naturally, then, the three mega summits will provide India a golden opportunity to shape the narrative for the Global South. 

Taking forward the agenda of the G20 Summit that it hosted in 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will outline his government’s focus on a benign and non-predatory approach to geopolitics and geoeconomics. 

AI And Its Role In 2026

No country so far has held a mega meet on AI and the future of technology. But come February 2026, India will take the lead in creating an agenda for AI. The agenda will neither be dominated by the West nor China but is expected to advocate a model for the emerging economies and the Global South. 

AI cannot merely be seen as a technological advancement but as a strategic tool to enable inclusive growth and expand access to opportunities that have historically been out of reach for large segments of the population across the states of the Global South. 

The global AI divide continues to widen, with technology resources and capabilities concentrated in select nations and corporations. This concentration fundamentally limits the development of social, cultural, and linguistically contextual AI solutions, constraining AI's potential to accelerate progress toward our collective development goals, especially for the Global South.

Through the AI Impact Summit, New Delhi is looking to chart a path towards a future where the transformative power of artificial intelligence serves humanity, drives inclusive growth, fosters social development, and promotes people-centric innovations that protect the planet. 

India will seek to amplify the voice of the Global South through the use of AI and its ways to channelise it, ensuring that technological advancements and opportunities are shared broadly, not concentrated in a few regions. 

French President Emmanuel Macron will be present at the AI Summit. But even then, much of the spotlight will be on Modi and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who will also make a state visit on the occasion. India and Brazil are also charting a new path in their relations that could serve as an anchor for the Global South. 

BRICS Summit

India will be the chair for BRICS in 2026. Several Western powers influenced by certain corporate interests have a misplaced notion of BRICS, as they fear that the bloc is working towards de-dollarisation and bringing a BRICS currency. These countries discount the fact that a number of BRICS states, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia, have deep economic ties with the US and have been its close allies. India itself has widening business links with the West. And a US-Russia peace deal may lead to expanding American business footprints in Russia. Yet the Western capitals will keep a close eye on the agenda of the BRICS Summit that India will host. 

The goals of the BRICS remain to send strong messages to reform the existing multilateral institutions like the UN and other financial bodies, and act as a pressure group on pressing global matters, besides innovating solutions for the BRICS states and their partners. 

Increasing trade in national currencies between two states is a global phenomenon amid the weaponisation of the US dollar and the use of sanctions as a tool in diplomacy. India will utilise its BRICS presidency to send a message on the need for urgent reforms of global institutions and focus on sustainable solutions to pressing challenges that have emerged in the wake of climate change and lifestyle issues. 

Sharing best practices on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) will be an idea that India will push, given its success in that sector. Importantly, the BRICS Summit will always be an opportunity for various leaders to meet on the sidelines and enable a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to India for the first time since 2019 as ties steadily improve. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin will also undertake yet another trip to India for the BRICS Summit. The presence of leaders from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran and Ethiopia will further expand the scope and agenda with India. 

India-Africa Summit

The proposed India-Africa Summit in 2026 will bring to the fore Modi’s personal interest in expanding business and investment partnerships with the continent. The Indian Prime Minister visited Africa thrice in 2025, and the continent is a minefield of opportunities for Indian traders and investors as they seek to expand beyond the US.

(The writer is a commentator on geopolitics and geoeconomics. Views are personal.)