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As India is organizing the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi from September 12 to 13, 2026, the world’s focus will be on the world leaders. However, beyond the summits, there is a great deal of diplomatic work being done by senior diplomats who work on negotiation preparations and coordination of positions. Sudhakar Dalela is one such senior diplomat and is known as the BRICS Sherpa of India.
Sudhakar Dalela, an IFS officer from the batch of 1993, is experienced in diplomatic matters for over 3 decades. He currently holds the position of Secretary (Economic Relations) in the Ministry of External Affairs.
Who Is Sudhakar Dalela?
Sudhakar Dalela is a senior Indian diplomat and a 1993-batch IFS officer. He is currently serving as the Secretary (Economic Relations) in the Ministry of External Affairs and has taken over the position from Dammu Ravi in 2025.
He has held many important international diplomatic positions in his career, some of which are listed below,
- Ambassador of India to Bhutan
- Deputy Chief of Mission in the Indian Embassy in Washington, D.C.
- Consul General of India in Chicago from 2011 to 2014
- Deputy Permanent Representative of India to the WTO in Geneva
- Posts in diplomatic missions in Tel Aviv, Brasília and Dhaka
His experience lies in economic diplomacy, trade, development partnership and international relations.
What Is BRICS Sherpa?
BRICS Sherpa is the senior official in charge of representing his respective member country in BRICS diplomatic preparatory process before the BRICS summits.
While the political leaders make the final decision, the Sherpa operates behind the curtains.
In the case of India, it is the responsibility of Dalela to coordinate India’s position among the BRICS nations and facilitate the process of bringing forth the issues that can be accepted by consensus.
Duties of BRICS Sherpa
1. Diplomacy: The Sherpa plays a crucial role as a negotiator and coordinator for the respective country in BRICS.
2. Preparation of Summits: They help to prepare agenda, negotiate documents and draft joint declarations.
3. Coordination between ministries and government departments: Inputs from various ministries and government departments are coordinated by Sherpas.
4. Consensus making: One of their prime responsibilities is to reach consensus among various BRICS members.
5. Follow-ups: They also undertake follow-ups of the decisions taken in BRICS forums.
It should be noted here that Sherpa is an individual representative of his/her country while the chairmanship of BRICS rotates among BRICS countries.
Why Is Sudhakar Dalela Important for BRICS 2026?
In 2026, the chairship of BRICS has been taken up by India, and hence the importance of Sudhakar Dalela increases for that year. As India’s Sherpa, he has been working on establishing the diplomatic foundation for BRICS in the coming year.
The first Sherpa/Sous-Sherpa meeting for the chairship of 2026 has been conducted in New Delhi on 9–10 February, and the Sherpa for that was Sudhakar Dalela.
Such meetings assist in discussing the priorities of member countries, coordinating working groups and formulating the roadmap for the summit.
Thus, the Sherpa-level process plays an important role in translating political aspirations into agreements.
Difference between BRICS Sherpa and BRICS Chair
This is an essential distinction for competitive examinations.
The BRICS Chair is the country which holds the rotating chairmanship in the group. India is the BRICS Chair in 2026.
The BRICS Sherpa, however, is the senior official representing the individual member countries during negotiations and discussions.
In that case, Sudhakar Dalela is India’s BRICS Sherpa, and not the BRICS Chair.
