The ChangeMakers Magazine — Council for International Relations & Diplomacy Editorial Desk
Introduction
New Delhi hosted one of the most consequential gatherings on the global legal calendar this August — the 11th BRICS+ Legal Forum, convened under the theme “Rule of Law Frameworks and Institutional Capacity Building for Economic Resilience, Innovation and Sustainability.” Organised by the Bar Association of India (BAI) at the India Habitat Centre on August 22–23, 2026, the Forum drew jurists, bar leaders, and policymakers from across the BRICS+ grouping — among them Adv. Uday Warunjikar, who attended alongside fellow Indian legal professionals Shantanu Adkar and Pravartak Pathak.
Setting the Stage: Pre-Forum Diplomacy
The formal inauguration was preceded by a day of bilateral diplomacy. Senior legal delegations from participating BRICS+ jurisdictions held consultations at the India Habitat Centre, hosted by the BAI and led by its President, Mr. Prashant Kumar, and President-Elect, Mr. Amarjit Singh Chandhiok. Discussions centred on deepening cooperation among bar associations, with particular attention to institutional capacity building, cross-border dispute resolution, legal education, and emerging regulatory challenges.
A 60-member international delegation also visited the Supreme Court of India, touring the National Judicial Museum and Archive and the Court’s War Room, before an interaction with the Chief Justice of India, Justice Surya Kant.
Inauguration and Institutional Framing
The Forum’s inaugural plenary, “Rule of Law in a Multipolar World: Building Legal Capacity for Economic Resilience,” was addressed by Justice Surya Kant as Chief Guest and Attorney General for India Mr. R. Venkataramani. The framing treated the rule of law not as abstract doctrine but as functional infrastructure — a precondition for economic resilience among Global South economies navigating supply-chain realignment, climate finance, and technological disruption.
It was against this backdrop, and before the row of BRICS+ national flags outside the venue, that Adv. Warunjikar and his fellow delegates were photographed — a visual marker of India’s legal fraternity engaging directly in this institutional moment.
The Substantive Programme
The Forum’s working sessions were structured around six thematic tracks:
- Economic Resilience and the Rule of Law — predictable legal frameworks as a foundation for investment and trade among BRICS+ economies.
- Climate Finance and Developmental Justice — legal architecture for governing climate finance flows to the Global South.
- Legal Education and Institutional Capacity Building — addressing the scale of legal talent needed across expanding BRICS+ jurisdictions.
- The Proposed BRICS Arbitration Network (BRICSAN) — a flagship initiative for a dedicated dispute-resolution architecture for BRICS+ commercial and investment disputes.
- AI Governance and Digital Trust — regulatory coordination as artificial intelligence reshapes legal practice and cross-border data governance.
- International Investment Treaty Arbitration — treaty design and dispute settlement from a Global South vantage point.
The closing plenary was set to consider the 11th BRICS+ Legal Forum Declaration, constitute working groups arising from the sessions, and establish the mandate for the 12th Forum — signalling institutional continuity rather than a one-off communiqué.
India’s Institutional Stake
The Bar Association of India’s role is not incidental. BAI is a founding member of the BRICS Legal Forum and previously hosted the Third BRICS Legal Forum in New Delhi in 2016, using the occasion to advance an Indian position on BRICS-oriented arbitration and alternative dispute resolution. This year’s Forum builds on that legacy and follows the 2nd New Delhi International Rule of Law Convention (2025), which drew bars from 33 jurisdictions on the theme of Global Economic Governance and the Rule of Law.
The presence of individual Indian practitioners such as Adv. Warunjikar at this year’s Forum reflects a broader pattern: BAI’s convening strategy depends not only on institutional leadership but on the visible participation of a wider cross-section of the Indian bar in these deliberations.
Analysis: Why This Forum Matters
First, the proposed BRICS Arbitration Network (BRICSAN) could meaningfully shift the geography of international commercial dispute resolution, offering BRICS+ parties an alternative to established seats such as London, Paris, or Singapore — with direct implications for India’s growing arbitration bar, of which delegates like Adv. Warunjikar are a part.
Second, the inclusion of AI governance and digital trust as a standalone track signals that legal cooperation among BRICS+ states is expanding beyond trade and investment law into cross-border data flows and algorithmic accountability.
Third, the Forum’s structural emphasis on a formal Declaration and working groups — with the 12th Forum’s mandate already contemplated — suggests an intent to institutionalise BRICS+ legal cooperation into a durable, iterative process rather than a series of standalone conferences.
Conclusion
The 11th BRICS+ Legal Forum reflects a broader repositioning underway within the Global South’s legal architecture, with India, through the Bar Association of India, taking a sustained convening role. The attendance of practitioners such as Adv. Uday Warunjikar, alongside Shantanu Adkar and Pravartak Pathak, illustrates how this institutional moment extends beyond BAI’s office-bearers to the wider community of Indian legal professionals engaging with questions of arbitration, AI governance, and climate finance frameworks on a multilateral stage.
Compiled and published by The ChangeMakers Magazine (ISSN 2583-1844; RNI No. MAHENG/2021/79911) — thechangemakers.news
