BRICS ministers meeting in Kochi on July 8, 2026 welcomed a digital repository of women's-development practices and digital capacity-building guidelines. India's Women and Child Development Ministry also reported adoption of a joint statement.
The two tools serve different audiences. A repository lets institutions compare experiences and programme approaches; training guidance is intended to support learning and partnerships. Storing examples online does not itself teach the skills required to use digital services.
ITU's 2025 estimates put internet use at 71 per cent among women and 77 per cent among men globally. Those figures are worldwide background, not a measurement of BRICS participants or a result of the Kochi initiative.
ITU also emphasises infrastructure, affordability and skills together. That combination explains why a digital-learning programme needs to consider access as well as course content: someone without an affordable connection may be excluded before training begins.
The ministerial meeting followed working-group discussions on July 6-7. Its repository and training guidance link institutional learning with the access and skills barriers faced by potential users.
