New Delhi [India], January 13 (ANI): External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Tuesday launched the official logo and website for BRICS 2026, scheduled to take place this year, with India as the chair of the multilateral forum, which was formed in 2006.

The grouping is led by five major economies--Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa--with Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE, and Indonesia becoming full members of the forum later.

The launch is part of India's efforts to strengthen outreach, communication, and collaboration among BRICS member nations ahead of its 2026 leadership of the grouping.

The new logo is inspired by the lotus, symbolising deep-rooted heritage and rising resilience. Its petals reflect the colours of the BRICS countries, representing the many voices united under one shared purpose. At the centre of the emblem is the Namaste gesture, signifying respect and a call for collaboration.

According to officials, the emblem embodies a people-centric vision, emphasising cooperation, mutual respect, and solidarity as India leads BRICS in 2026, with the tagline accompanying the logo reading, 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.'

The website launch aims to provide a central platform for information on BRICS initiatives, projects, events, and official documents.

The EAM, following the launch, stated that the BRICS chairmanship will focus on advancing global welfare as the grouping marks its 20th anniversary in 2026.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, BRICS, the grouping of major emerging economies, has grown into a significant global platform, now bringing together eleven member nations that collectively represent around 49.5 per cent of the world's population, approximately 40 per cent of global GDP, and nearly 26 per cent of global trade.

The acronym BRIC was first coined in 2001 by Goldman Sachs in their Global Economics Paper, 'The World Needs Better Economic BRICs', based on analyses projecting that Brazil, Russia, India, and China would individually and collectively occupy a larger share of the global economy and become among the world's largest economies over the following decades.

The grouping took formal shape after a meeting of the leaders of Russia, India, and China in St. Petersburg during the G8 Outreach Summit in 2006, and was further institutionalised during the first meeting of BRIC Foreign Ministers on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York later that year.

The first BRIC Summit was subsequently held in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009.

In 2010, it was agreed to expand BRIC to BRICS, with South Africa joining at the 3rd BRICS Summit in Sanya in 2011.

The grouping expanded further in 2024, with Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE becoming full members on January 1, 2024. Indonesia joined as a full member in January 2025, while Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan were inducted as partner countries of BRICS.

Over the years, BRICS has evolved into a dynamic forum that promotes cooperation in trade, investment, technology, and sustainable development, and provides a platform for dialogue among emerging economies to address global challenges and reform multilateral institutions.

With India set to lead BRICS in 2026, the grouping is poised to further strengthen its global footprint and advance cooperation across economic, technological, and geopolitical domains. (ANI)