BRICS and the Global South – Building Resilience Against the Weaponisation of Technology and Critical Minerals

BRICS and the Global South Latest News

• At the concluding session of the BRICS Summit hosted by India, the Indian Prime Minister warned that the weaponisation of technology and critical minerals could undermine collective progress. 
• Without naming any country, the remarks come amid concerns over China’s dominant position in critical-mineral processing and restrictions affecting the supply of rare earths and advanced technologies.
• India’s BRICS chairship centred on four pillars—Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability—with an emphasis on making BRICS a platform for inclusive global growth, particularly for the Global South.

Critical Minerals and Technology

• Critical minerals are increasingly central to clean energy, electronics, defence, semiconductors and advanced manufacturing. 
• Excessive concentration of their processing and supply chains creates strategic vulnerabilities.
• Modi stressed that weaponising technology and critical minerals can hinder shared development. 
• The New Delhi Declaration consequently called for –
  • Reliable, diversified, resilient and just critical-mineral supply chains.
  • Greater value addition and benefit sharing.
  • Economic diversification in resource-rich countries.
  • Respect for countries’ sovereign rights over their mineral resources.
• India’s position reflects a broader push for supply-chain diversification, strategic autonomy and technology inclusivity.

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BRICS as a Platform for the Global South

• The Indian PM highlighted the growing confidence of developing countries in BRICS because their voices are heard, experiences respected and solutions developed jointly rather than imposed upon them.
• This reflects India’s effort to position BRICS as a mechanism for reformed and more representative global governance. 
• The grouping’s diversity is presented as a strength that can facilitate cooperation among countries with different developmental realities.
• The emphasis is therefore shifting from merely articulating grievances of the Global South towards creating practical, scalable and accessible solutions.

Four Pillars of India’s BRICS Chairship

• Resilience:
  • The increasing frequency of conflicts, pandemics, climate disasters and supply-chain disruptions demonstrates the vulnerability of an interconnected world. 
  • Crises originating in one region can rapidly produce global consequences.
  • India highlighted –
    • BRICS Integrated Early Warning System for prevention and response to infectious diseases.
    • Early Warning Data Integration Guidelines for disaster management.
    • BRICS Logistics Supply Chain Cooperation Framework to strengthen reliability and resilience of supply chains.
  • The broader objective is to move from crisis response to anticipatory governance, through early identification, preparedness and prompt action.
• Innovation:
  • India sought to use innovation for inclusive development through –
    • BRICS Incubator Network to connect start-ups and incubators.
    • BRICS Startup Innovation Fund to promote innovative and scalable solutions.
    • BRICS Network on Digital Agriculture, linking AI, geospatial technology and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) with farmers’ needs.
  • This approach seeks to ensure that emerging technologies are not confined to technologically advanced economies but contribute directly to agricultural productivity and livelihoods.
• Cooperation and wider participation:
  • India stressed that BRICS cooperation should extend beyond governments to entrepreneurs, farmers, researchers, women, youth and ordinary citizens.
  • Key initiatives include – 
    • BRICS CONNECT for skills, employability, women’s workforce participation, social security and capacity building.
    • BRICS MSME Cooperation Portal to connect small enterprises with knowledge, finance and markets.
    • BRICS Urban Mobility Hub for sharing urban best practices.
  • This represents a shift towards people-centric and multi-stakeholder cooperation.
• Sustainability:
  • India emphasised the need to balance human development with environmental protection, keeping intergenerational equity at the centre of sustainable development.
  • Initiatives include – 
    • BRICS Digital Centre of Excellence for smart grids and energy storage.
    • Centres of Excellence for Agro-Ecology and Regenerative Agriculture, connecting traditional knowledge with modern science.
  • These initiatives seek to make clean-energy systems more reliable, efficient and accessible.

Way Forward

• As BRICS enters its third decade, its credibility will increasingly depend on translating declarations into concrete, measurable outcomes. 
• Priorities should include diversified critical-mineral supply chains, responsible technology governance, resilient logistics, inclusive digitalisation and stronger participation of developing countries.

Conclusion

• India’s BRICS chairship seeks to transform the grouping from a forum for political coordination into an “ecosystem of solutions”. 
• Its central challenge is to ensure that technology, critical minerals and economic integration become instruments of shared prosperity rather than geopolitical leverage. 
• For the Global South, BRICS can contribute most effectively when cooperation remains inclusive, sovereign, sustainable and development-oriented.

Source: ToI | HT