Elizabeth Morgan | The 18th BRICS Summit – still aiming to achieve their goals

The 18th BRICS Summit was held in New Delhi, India, September 12- 13 and was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The theme was ‘Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability’. The members, since 2025, are Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Saudi Arabia’s status as a member is a bit unclear. This was the 20th anniversary of the founding of the BRICS.

Partner countries are Belarus, Bolivia, Burundi, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Philippines, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

Many countries were hoping that the BRICS would have forged a new path for emerging economies and countries of the South in the global economy. The 11 BRICS countries have nearly 49% of the world’s population and 40% of its gross domestic product (GDP). The GDP growth rate is averaging about 4%, a far better performance than the developed democracies of the G7, which is less than 2%.

Disruptions/discord

The BRICS have faced challenges since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. There have been internal frictions. There have been border tensions between India and China. President Xi Jinping had not visited India since 2019. Add to these the return of Donald Trump as US president in 2025 and the US war against Iran launched in February. Iran’s retaliation against US sites in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and other countries in the region has created further friction among BRICS members. The US/Iran war is impacting oil supplies with the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

Then there are US unilateral tariffs against all countries which are impacting international trade. There is also the US ban on oil supplies to Cuba and additional sanctions on that country aimed at bringing about regime change.

Many of us following these issues may have thought that nothing much has been heard of the BRICS group since their Summit in Brazil in 2025. It may have been thought that they were more focused on their bilateral and domestic issues, and especially concerned about their relationship with the USA.

Without much publicity in the Western media, it does appear that the BRICS group has continued to meet at ministerial and officials levels, addressing a range of subjects on their agenda and preparing for this 18th Summit.

Attendance in New Delhi

This summit was attended by heads of state and governments of all members, except Brazil and Saudi Arabia, which were represented by their foreign ministers. Of note, President Xi Jinping of China attended, visiting India for the first time in seven years. President Vladimir Putin of Russia also attended. He had not attended a BRICS meeting in-person since 2021 when he hosted the summit in Russia.

The partner countries were also in attendance at this summit, including Cuba, which was represented by its foreign minister.

Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, did not attend as general elections are due in Brazil on October 4.

Prime Minister Modi must have been quite pleased with the level of attendance.

Consensus Declaration

PM Modi was clearly pleased to have achieved a consensus declaration, getting support from the 11 countries in attendance. Given the tensions in the group, it was feared that this would not be possible. The declaration was an example of Indian diplomacy at work. It covered a wide range of issues such as:

• Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism

Among other things, BRICS members supported strengthening multilateralism and multipolarity and upholding international law, as executed within the United Nations system.

They also condemned the imposition of unilateral coercive measures that are contrary to international law, and reiterated that such measures have far-reaching negative implications for human rights, which disproportionately affect the poor and people in vulnerable situations, deepening the digital divide, and exacerbating environmental challenges.

They also supported revitalising the multilateral trading system administered by the World Trade Organization.

• International and Regional Peace and Security

In the context of international disputes, they highlighted the importance of preventive diplomacy and mediation, with the consent of relevant parties, as essential tools to avoid crises and prevent their escalation using the United Nations’ established mechanisms. They addressed the conflicts in West Asia (the Middle East) and in Africa.

They also expressed their concerns about illicit financial flows, including financing of terrorism, trafficking of firearms, trafficking in persons, the laundering of drug related crimes proceeds, and other illegal measures.

They were concerned about nuclear weapons and the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

• Strengthening Cultural and People-to-People Cooperation

They reaffirmed the importance of BRICS people-to-people exchanges and initiatives in enhancing mutual understanding, friendship and cooperation among their nations and peoples.

The BRICS group indicated in their declaration that they are continuing their work to find alternative measures for facilitating trade, investments, and development financing among themselves.

The question being posed by many analysts is, having agreed another declaration, in these very challenging times, can the BRICS actually overcome their own divisions, bilateral and domestic issues, and the chaos of Donald Trump, to make any further progress on their own economic agenda?

Elizabeth Morgan is a specialist in international trade policy and international politics. Sendfeedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.