BRICS adopts Guwahati declaration on drugs

BRICS governments used two meetings in India this week to put specific language around cooperation on drugs and women-led development. On July 7, the bloc adopted the Guwahati Declaration at a meeting of heads of anti-drug agencies in Assam, according to India’s official BRICS 2026 chairship website. On July 9, women ministers meeting in Kochi unanimously adopted their first joint statement, Indian minister Annapurna Devi said after the gathering. The two outcomes came under India’s 2026 chairship theme of “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability,” according to the Press Information Bureau. ### What did BRICS agree in Guwahati? The July 7 declaration said BRICS countries reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen cooperation against illicit drug trafficking and related transnational organised crime, according to the official BRICS 2026 release. The Guwahati meeting was held after India said it would bring together heads of anti-drug agencies and senior officials from BRICS member countries on July 6-7 in Assam. (brics2026.gov.in) India’s chairship described the Guwahati outcome as part of an effort to deepen operational cooperation among drug-control agencies. Reporting on the meeting said the declaration included support for stronger intelligence-sharing and institutional continuity among member states. (brics2026.gov.in) ### Why was the women ministers’ statement notable? Annapurna Devi said on July 9 that BRICS nations had, for the first time, unanimously adopted a joint statement at the Women Ministerial Meeting in Kochi. She said the countries agreed to cooperate on sharing best practices and promoting digital inclusion and capacity building for women. (brics2026.gov.in) The Economic Times, citing Devi, reported that ministers and senior officials from all BRICS member countries attended the meeting under India’s chairmanship. Devi said the countries also reaffirmed their commitment to the vision of “Women-Led Development.” (economictimes.indiatimes.com) ### What priorities were already on the table in Kochi? The Press Information Bureau said before the ministerial that the BRICS women’s track under India’s chairship was focused on four areas: women in governance and leadership; women’s digital and financial inclusion; women’s entrepreneurship and skill development; and women’s role in climate action, food security and nutrition. The working-group meetings in Kochi were held on July 6-7, ahead of the ministerial on July 8-9. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) The same PIB release said BRICS now comprises 11 countries — Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates. It said those countries account for around 40% of global GDP and about 49.5% of the global population. ### How did India describe the outcome? Annapurna Devi said the joint statement was finalized “in a highly positive environment,” according to The Economic Times. (pib.gov.in) She said member countries reached consensus on two deliverables: sharing best practices on women’s empowerment and working together on women’s digital inclusion and capacity building to support skill development. Officials also used the Kochi event to showcase products made by women from self-help groups under India’s SARAS and Lakhpati Didi initiatives, Devi said. Delegates from BRICS countries appreciated the exhibits and bought several products, she said. ### What comes next under India’s BRICS chairship? (economictimes.indiatimes.com) India’s BRICS 2026 website is continuing to post declarations, communiques and press releases from sectoral meetings held under its chairship. The site’s documents page already lists outcomes from ministers covering justice, agriculture, energy and urbanisation, alongside newer releases from July. The next formal record for these two tracks is likely to come through additional BRICS 2026 document postings or government releases from India’s ministries involved in the Guwahati and Kochi meetings. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) Those updates are being published through the official BRICS 2026 portal and India’s Press Information Bureau. (brics2026.gov.in 1) (brics2026.gov.in 2)