From fighting hunger to building health

Security, trade, and the economy understandably dominated much of the conversation around the BRICS Summit 2026. But for a grouping home to nearly half of humanity, another challenge deserves equal attention: the changing health risks facing its people.

The summit has taken an important step in that direction. The launch of the BRICS Mission for Healthy Lifestyle, endorsement of the BRICS Roadmap for the Joint Initiative on Healthy Lifestyle Promotion (2026-2029), and a Compendium of Replicable Best Practices on Healthy Lifestyle signal growing recognition that prevention must move closer to the centre of public policy.

This is significant for India during Poshan Maah. Nutrition is no longer only about whether people have enough to eat. Increasingly, it is also about what people eat, how they live, and the diseases that follow.