The second day of the in-person meetings of the 7th BRICS Working Group for Cooperation in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) focused on digital public infrastructure (DPI), digital governance and cooperation on emerging digital technologies.
The Focus Group on Digital Public Infrastructure and the Digital BRICS Task Force met in Pune on Tuesday as part of the ongoing BRICS ICT Track meetings.
The DPI Focus Group, whose Terms of Reference were adopted in 2025, reviewed progress made so far, including an update from its Chair. India and other BRICS member countries also presented their respective approaches to developing and implementing digital public infrastructure.
The discussions highlighted DPI as an important enabler of affordable, inclusive, reliable, secure, sustainable and citizen-centric digital services.
The BRICS discussions on DPI are guided by principles including openness, interoperability, digital sovereignty and national ownership, while taking into account domestic laws and regulations, cybersecurity, resilience, privacy and trust.
India presents DPI initiatives
India advanced discussions on digital public infrastructure by presenting its DPI ecosystem to BRICS member countries.
India also presented a concept note for a proposed BRICS Digital Public Infrastructure Repository and BRICS pilot projects for DPI solutions. The initiatives are aimed at facilitating greater cooperation and knowledge-sharing among BRICS countries on digital public infrastructure.
The Working Group also reviewed reports from webinars conducted during the year on capacity building for secure, inclusive and sustainable digital telecommunications infrastructure.
Discussions also covered cooperation on the development of a BRICS submarine cable network and collaboration on digital ecosystems among member countries.
Digital BRICS Task Force discusses new expert groups
The Digital BRICS Task Force reviewed its activities and provided an overview of the Digital BRICS Forum 2026.
The meeting also discussed draft Terms of Reference for two proposed expert groups – one focusing on Digital Applications and another on Digital Governance.
The proposed expert groups are expected to provide a more structured platform for BRICS countries to exchange expertise and develop cooperation in digital applications and governance.
The proceedings of the Working Group will conclude on Wednesday, ahead of the Digital BRICS Forum and Expo on August 20 and the 12th BRICS Communications Ministers’ Meeting on August 21.
The meetings are part of the broader BRICS ICT Track aimed at strengthening cooperation among member countries in digital technologies, telecommunications infrastructure and digital governance.
