Committed to ensuring works to everyone: Dr. Mandaviya at BRICS Meeting

The BRICS Labour and Employment Ministers’ Meeting was successfully held in Hyderabad under India’s BRICS Chairship 2026, bringing together Ministers, Heads of Delegation, representatives of BRICS member countries, workers’ and employers’ organizations, and knowledge partners to deliberate on key issues shaping the future of work.

Welcoming delegations to Hyderabad, Union Minister, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya said India’s Chairship has been guided by the vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, approached with a ‘people-centric’ approach and in the spirit of ‘Humanity First’. Highlighting India’s own reform journey, the Minister said India consolidated 29 outdated labour laws into four modern Labour Codes in November 2025, marking a landmark reform that creates a worker-centric ecosystem for India’s 1.4 billion citizens.

In his video message to the gathering, Director General, International Labour Organisation (ILO) commended India’s leadership for placing labour and employment at the heart of the BRICS agenda.

During the Meeting, delegations from BRICS countries delivered national statements highlighting their respective priorities, achievements, and policy approaches. Indonesia emphasized the importance of skills development, social protection for informal workers, job loss security, and inclusive employment opportunities for women,

Ethiopia emphasized demand-driven vocational education, aiming to create one million jobs by 2030, and reaffirmed its commitment to shared objectives in the spirit of South-South cooperation by learning from BRICS partners. Russia shared its progress on declining unemployment rates, digitalization of the sector, and the introduction of electronic applications for payments. Brazil highlighted its micro-internship programme benefiting millions of workers and called for expanded cooperation on AI. China underscored the rise of the platform economy and new forms of work and welcomed the consensus and adoption of the declaration.(UPDATED ON 15TH JULY 2026)