BRICS member nations will convene in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, for the BRICS Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) on May 19–20, 2026, followed by the BRICS Justice Ministers’ Meeting (JMM) on May 21–22, under India’s BRICS Chairship.
Organised by the Department of Legal Affairs under the Ministry of Law and Justice, the meetings will focus on strengthening Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms, particularly mediation and arbitration, through institutional reforms, capacity building, and cross-border cooperation.
Senior officials from Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa will deliberate on key ADR-related priorities, including institutional arbitration, mediation reforms, and the growing role of ADR in resolving commercial and public-sector disputes efficiently and cost-effectively.
The Justice Ministers’ Meeting will provide a ministerial platform for BRICS countries to adopt a joint statement on ADR-based cooperation. Discussions are expected to focus on sharing best practices, strengthening institutional capabilities, promoting court-referred and pre-litigation mediation, and exploring collaborative initiatives such as training programmes, model rules, digital dispute resolution platforms, and legal knowledge-sharing mechanisms.
The meetings will also examine the use of digital technologies to improve accessibility and efficiency in cross-border dispute resolution while advancing comparative legal research and cooperation in trade and environmental laws among BRICS nations.
India said the initiative reflects its commitment to promoting modern legal system reforms and ensuring accessible, speedy, and affordable justice delivery through robust ADR frameworks.
