BRICS leaders on Saturday (September 12, 2026) called for stronger cooperation in disease surveillance and medical product regulation, welcoming the establishment of a dedicated sub-working group to advance an integrated early warning system for the prevention and response to mass infectious diseases.
In their New Delhi Declaration, the leaders stressed the importance of strengthening health infrastructure and local production of medical products to enhance preparedness for future health emergencies and ensure timely, affordable and equitable access to healthcare services, vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics. They also called for strengthened collaboration among BRICS medical products regulatory authorities and welcomed efforts to develop a common GxP white paper consolidating regulatory best practices and technical approaches. The leaders recognised that infectious disease outbreaks, zoonotic threats, antimicrobial resistance and other public health emergencies transcend national borders and require stronger international cooperation, timely information sharing and coordinated action. The initiative is aimed at strengthening collective preparedness against infectious disease threats through closer coordination among member countries and faster sharing of information. The declaration also called for greater regulatory cooperation to ensure that medical products remain available, accessible and meet standards of quality, safety and efficacy across BRICS countries. They reiterated the importance of strengthening collaborative regulatory approaches to ensure the continued availability and accessibility of quality, safe and efficacious medical products. The leaders also welcomed the collective efforts of BRICS regulatory authorities in developing the BRICS GxP White Paper. They also called for technical cooperation among public health institutes, development of robust regulatory frameworks, skilled health workforces and collaborative research and development. The declaration stressed that these measures were needed to improve access to healthcare products and services and strengthen the capacity of BRICS countries to respond collectively to health emergencies. The leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to people-centred digital healthcare systems and welcomed the BRICS Compendium on Digital Health Architecture for Continuum of Care, including access to healthcare in remote areas. The leaders also supported the activities of the BRICS Vaccine Research and Development Centre and recognised the importance of collaboration in nuclear medicine. They welcomed the activities of the BRICS Nuclear Medicine Working Group and noted the importance of the BRICS Health Journal in disseminating research findings and promoting scientific cooperation within the BRICS framework. The declaration also emphasised the importance of sharing experiences, innovations and best practices among BRICS countries to improve health outcomes and advance universal health coverage.
The leaders recognising the central role of the World Health Organization and the amended International Health Regulations (2005), underscored the importance of resilient surveillance, early warning and rapid response systems and coordination.
“Acknowledging that infectious disease outbreaks, zoonotic threats, antimicrobial resistance and other public health emergencies transcend national borders and require strengthened international cooperation, timely information sharing and coordinated collective action, we underscore the importance of enhancing global health security through resilient surveillance systems, effective early warning mechanisms, and strengthened preparedness and response capacities,” the declaration said. “In this regard, we welcome the establishment of a dedicated Sub-Working Group to advance the BRICS Integrated Early Warning System for the prevention and response to Mass Infectious Diseases, and its Terms of Reference,” they said. “We encourage strengthened collaboration among BRICS Medical Products Regulatory Authorities by extending the scope of the existing Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of medical products regulation to the Regulatory Authorities of all BRICS member countries,” the declaration said. “We welcome the collective efforts of BRICS Regulatory Authorities in developing the BRICS GxP White Paper, consolidating best practices of regulatory experience and technical approaches,” the declaration said. “We emphasize the importance of strengthening health infrastructure and local production of medical products, enhancing preparedness for future health emergencies through stronger surveillance systems, laboratory networks, leveraging digital health technology and Artificial Intelligence,” the declaration said.
The GxP refers broadly to good-practice standards followed in areas such as manufacturing, laboratory and clinical processes, with the common framework expected to facilitate greater sharing of regulatory experience and technical approaches among member countries. The leaders also linked health security with stronger domestic health infrastructure and local production of medical products, calling for greater preparedness for future health emergencies.
