Editor's Note: India will host the Eighth BRICS Summit in Goa on October 15-16. What will the event mean to the club of emerging powers, and what global influence does the BRICS mechanism have? Indian officials have given their answers on various occasions. Edited excerpts of some of their opinions follow:

An influential voice in international discourse

—Narendra Modi, Prime Minister 

We, as BRICS, are an influential voice in international discourse. It is, therefore, our shared responsibility to shape the international agenda and to do so in a manner that helps developing nations achieve their objectives. As the current chair of the BRICS, India has chosen "Building Responsive, Inclusive and Collective Solutions" as the summit's theme to mirror the central priorities of the G20 Summit. We've moved BRICS out of a capital city to involve people from all walks of life.

BRICS acts as a vital pillar of hope for this world full of political challenges, safety related challenges and economic challenges.

Our summit next month will not only be an opportunity to deepen ties among ourselves, we will also interact with India's BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) neighbors--Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand--who have been invited for the outreach summit.

(At the BRICS Leaders' Informal Meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Hangzhou Summit on September 4)

Institution building and implementation

—Smt. Sushma Swaraj, External Affairs Minister

During India's chairmanship, we will adopt a five-pronged approach comprising Institution Building, Implementation, Integration, Innovation and Continuity with Consolidation. Our emphasis will be on institution building, implementation of previous commitments flowing from past summits and exploring synergies among existing mechanisms.

Enhancing greater people-to-people participation in BRICS events will also be our priority. Keeping this in mind, we have planned a series of events, namely the BRICS Under-17 Football Tournament, BRICS Film Festival, BRICS Wellness Forum, BRICS Youth Forum, Young Diplomat's Forum, BRICS Trade Fair, BRICS Friendship Cities Conclave and think-tank and academic forums.

Our efforts include organizing various BRICS events across the country in different states. This will give people a greater opportunity to enrich the BRICS process. It will also be an occasion for our BRICS partners to visit different cities and states of India. India will continue to work closely with our BRICS partners in taking the group's agenda forward.

(At the official unveiling of the logo and launch of the website for the 2016 BRICS Summit in New Delhi on March 22)

The best way to predict the future is to create the future

—Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports

In the last two years, the BRICS have emerged as an influential forum and platform for the nations of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

The relationships among these nations have assumed wider dimensions, and the summit beginning today, with the involvement of youth from these nations, is a marker of the realization that youth have a vital role to play in the emerging scenario of the 21st century.

While over 65 percent of India's population is aged below 35, the other BRICS nations also have large youth populations. This demographic dividend offers a great opportunity for these nations to move ahead at a fast pace and emerge as frontline states in economics, science, technology and other fields.

The BRICS bring together five major [emerging] economies that together account for 43 percent of the global population, 37 percent of world GDP and 17 percent of international trade. This means that BRICS nations hold the key to the future of the 21st-century world, and youth can play a decisive role in shaping this destiny.

(At the opening session of the BRICS Youth Summit on August 21)

Copyedited by Chris Surtees

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