The Brics Parliamentary Forum to be hosted by India next week will discuss pressing global challenges, the ethical use of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies and cooperation for capacity building of lawmakers, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said on Friday.
The meeting, set to be attended by top parliamentary officials from China, Iran and Russia, follows the Brics Summit in September, which concluded with a unanimous joint declaration after the Indian side helped bridge differences between Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the West Asia conflict.
The Brics Parliamentary Forum, to be held on October 26-27, will have four plenary sessions that will focus on resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability against the backdrop of geopolitical and geo-economic turbulence on the global stage created by conflicts and trade wars.
“The forum will focus on discussions on global challenges, the proper and human-centric use of AI and other technologies, parliamentary best practices and capacity building,” Birla told a small group of reporters. He noted that the forum is being held after India successfully hosted the Brics Summit in September.
“India has emerged as the voice of the Global South and developing countries. It has taken the lead in getting others to listen to the views of these countries and given priority to their concerns and issues,” he said, noting that trade deals firmed up by the government with several countries have also had a good impact.
Besides the main sessions, there will be other sessions that will facilitate interactions between parliamentarians of Brics member states and partners countries, including members of parliamentary foreign affairs committees of several nations.
Among those expected to attend the forum are Iran’s Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a key negotiator for Tehran on issues related to the West Asia conflict and the Strait of Hormuz, the Russian Speaker and a vice chairperson of China’s National People’s Congress. Birla said he will also hold bilateral meetings with the representatives of Brics states and partner countries.
These exchanges will facilitate the exchange of ideas on key global challenges and help build bridges between Indian parliamentarians and their counterparts from various countries, he said.
The Lok Sabha has also set up parliamentary friendship groups with the parliaments of 64 countries and groupings, such as the European Union, and Baltic and Nordic states. These groups have played a key role in bilateral ties, including when India sent groups of parliamentarians around the world last year to explain its reasons for conducting Operation Sindoor, Birla said.
“Such groups play a crucial role in highlighting the changes in India and in influencing opinion about India around the world,” Birla said.