What key issues of the BRICS Summit to be held in New Delhi in September? | Explained
The story so far: With only about a month to go for the 18th BRICS Summit, India is pulling out all the stops for the
The story so far: With only about a month to go for the 18th BRICS Summit, India is pulling out all the stops for the multilateral event to be held in New Delhi. Discussions during the summit will be closely watched as Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are among the leaders expected to attend. A flurry of Ministerial sessions and working group discussions have been held in the run-up to the main event. This year, India is the Chair of the 11-member bloc of developing nations. When will the 18th BRICS Summit take place? September 12 and 13 are the key dates for the BRICS Summit to be held in the national capital. India took up the role of Chair of BRICS on January 1, 2026 and will pass on the baton to China at the end of the year. India has previously held the role in 2012, 2016 and 2021. Which countries are members of BRICS today? BRICS now has 11 full member countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Indonesia. It started off as a forum with Brazil, Russia, India and China in 2006 and welcomed South Africa in December 2010.
In 2024, the grouping expanded with the inclusion of Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Indonesia was the latest entrant, joining in 2025. Apart from the members, there are also partner countries: Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. What is the role of the host country? India has been organising meetings of representatives from the 11 countries on several shared priorities of the grouping. As the Chair, it needs to make sure that the diverse concerns of the heterogeneous grouping are heard. Apart from facilitating the discussion, India would also need to coordinate negotiations among the members to prepare a final summit declaration. So far, Ministerial and working groups have met on several priority areas, including space economy, agriculture, disaster resilience, women’s empowerment, culture, and labour. Members have also adopted the Guwahati Declaration, reaffirming their commitment to coordinated efforts to prevent and combat illicit drug trafficking. What is the theme of this year’s summit? According to India’s presidency documents, inclusive growth, shared responsibility, practical cooperation, and a people-centric approach are among the core values guiding the summit. The theme of ‘Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability’ envisages using the collective strength of the member countries to respond to global challenges.
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