Sibi George, Secretary (West) at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), on Thursday, 21 May 2026, delivered the keynote address at the 11th Annual BRICS Counter Terrorism Working Group (CTWG) Meeting in New Delhi, pressing for a stronger, more adaptive multilateral framework to combat cross-border terrorism. George's address underscored India's zero-tolerance stance on terrorism in all its forms and called for unified BRICS action against evolving threats.

Key Concerns Raised by India

George highlighted three critical fault lines in the current global counter-terrorism architecture: the evolving terror funding ecosystem, the spread of radicalisation, and the exploitation of new and emerging technologies by terrorist networks. He stressed that tackling these challenges demands a robust, collaborative approach — one that is both comprehensive and sustained.

The senior diplomat called for strengthening existing global counter-terrorism structures through active international cooperation, urging BRICS nations to move beyond declaratory commitments toward concrete, outcome-oriented action.

Making BRICS CTWG Future-Ready

A central thrust of George's address was the need to make the BRICS CTWG more resilient, future-ready, innovative, inclusive and outcome-oriented. He also reaffirmed India's commitment to deepening counter-terrorism cooperation with BRICS member states in pursuit of a secure and terror-free world.

The statement was released by the MEA on X, signalling the government's intent to amplify its counter-terrorism diplomacy through multilateral platforms. Notably, India currently holds the BRICS chairship in 2026, guided by the theme 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability' — a people-centric framework articulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 2025.

BRICS: A Growing Bloc with Expanding Mandate

The grouping has expanded significantly since its origins. BRIC was formalised at the first meeting of BRIC Foreign Ministers on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York in 2006, with the inaugural BRIC Summit convened in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009. South Africa joined at the BRIC Foreign Ministers' meeting in 2010, attending the third BRICS Summit in 2011.

The bloc expanded further when Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE became full members from January 2024, followed by Indonesia in January 2025. An additional ten nations — Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam — joined as Partner Countries in 2025.

Why This Meeting Matters

The 11th CTWG meeting comes at a time when global terror networks are increasingly leveraging artificial intelligence, encrypted communications, and decentralised financing. For India — which has consistently faced cross-border terrorism — pushing for a strengthened BRICS counter-terrorism mechanism is both a strategic and diplomatic priority. This is the first such meeting held under India's 2026 BRICS chairship, lending it added political weight.

The outcomes of this working group are expected to feed into broader BRICS deliberations as India steers the bloc's agenda through the year.