New Delhi [India], March 26 (ANI): The 10th BRICS Policy Planning Dialogue concluded on Tuesday, in Brasilia, convening policy planners from the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, along with senior representatives from the newly expanded BRICS membership, covering pressing global geopolitical issues and regional developments, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated in a press release.

Hosted by the current BRICS President, Brazil, the two-day event on March 24-25 laid the groundwork for the upcoming BRICS Summit later this year.

The Indian delegation was led by the Joint Secretary of Policy Planning & Research of the MEA, Raghuram S.

According to the release, the dialogue offered a platform to assess the bloc's institutional evolution following its recent expansion and key discussions centred on priorities such as global health cooperation, international trade and financial dynamics, climate action, artificial intelligence governance, and reforms to multilateral peace and security frameworks.

Brazil's hosting of the dialogue underscores its leadership in steering BRICS toward addressing contemporary challenges and fostering collaboration among member states.

BRIC, as a formal grouping, started after the meeting of the Leaders of Russia, India and China in St Petersburg on the margins of G8 Outreach Summit in 2006. The grouping was formalized during the first meeting of BRIC Foreign Ministers on the margins of UNGA in New York in 2006.

The first BRIC Summit was held in Russia's Yekaterinburg in 2009. It was agreed to expand BRIC into BRICS with the inclusion of South Africa at the BRIC Foreign Ministers' meeting in New York in 2010.

South Africa attended the 3rd BRICS Summit in Sanya in 2011. A further expansion of BRICS took place in 2024 with five new members - Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The 16th BRICS Summit was being held under Russia's chairmanship in Kazan in 2024.

The BRICS alliance continues to explore strategies for expanding trade and investment among its members. (ANI)