18th BRICS Summit 2026

The 18th BRICS Summit is being held in New Delhi, India, on 12–13 September 2026, with Bharat Mandapam as the main venue. India is chairing BRICS in 2026 for the fourth time. The summit also marks 20 years of BRICS. (MyBharat)

Theme: “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, reflecting the people-centred vision of “Humanity First.” (MyBharat)

India has officially assumed the BRICS chairmanship for 2026 and will host the 18th BRICS Summit, bringing together leaders from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa along with partner nations and invited countries for high-level dialogue.

Under India’s chairship, the summit is expected to focus on inclusive global development, multilateral cooperation, reform of international financial institutions, technology partnerships and sustainable growth, reflecting India’s broader diplomatic priorities.

Hosting BRICS gives India an opportunity to shape the agenda of one of the world’s most influential emerging-market forums, strengthen South-South cooperation and deepen economic, cultural and strategic ties across continents.

The 18th Summit will be a marquee event on the global geopolitical calendar, underscoring India’s role as a key voice in major international discussions on trade, climate, security and shared prosperity in a multipolar world.

[India BRICS chairmanship, 18th BRICS Summit 2026, BRICS global cooperation, multilateral diplomacy India, emerging markets forum]

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1. Introduction

BRICS is a grouping of major emerging and developing economies that provides a platform for cooperation on political, economic, financial, social and global-governance issues.

The 2026 summit is particularly significant because BRICS has expanded beyond its original five members and is now a broader platform representing countries from Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. The summit is taking place against the background of geopolitical conflicts, trade tensions, energy-security concerns and calls for reform of global institutions. (The New Indian Express)

India's 2026 chairship has emphasised practical cooperation and development-oriented outcomes. More than 350 meetings and high-level engagements were conducted in over 25 Indian cities during the chairship year. (EoI Riyadh)

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2. Aims

The major aims of the 18th BRICS Summit are:

• Strengthen cooperation among BRICS countries in political, economic and social areas.

• Promote multilateralism and a more representative international order.

• Strengthen the voice of the Global South in global decision-making.

• Encourage cooperation in trade, investment, finance and technology.

• Improve energy and food security.

• Promote sustainable and inclusive economic development.

• Address international conflicts through dialogue, diplomacy and consultation.

• Increase cooperation in areas such as health, education, climate action and disaster resilience. (MyBharat)

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3. Goals

India's BRICS chairship focuses particularly on four broad goals:

Resilience

Building stronger economies and societies capable of dealing with economic, climate, health and geopolitical shocks.

Innovation

Promoting technology, digital transformation, research, entrepreneurship and new solutions to development challenges.

Cooperation

Deepening collaboration between BRICS members in trade, finance, energy, health, education and other sectors.

Sustainability

Supporting environmentally responsible development, energy transition, climate action and sustainable resource use.

These priorities are captured in India's official summit theme: “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.” (MyBharat)

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4. Objectives

The summit's principal objectives include:

1. Reform global governance
   Make institutions such as the UN and international financial institutions more representative of developing countries.

2. Strengthen economic cooperation
   Increase trade and investment among BRICS economies and improve financial cooperation.

3. Promote local-currency transactions
   Explore mechanisms that can make cross-border payments easier and reduce dependence on existing international payment arrangements.

4. Improve energy security
   Cooperate on energy markets, supply chains, critical minerals and the energy transition.

5. Advance digital and technological cooperation
   Encourage responsible use of emerging technologies and greater participation of the Global South in technology rule-making.

6. Combat terrorism
   Strengthen international cooperation against terrorism and violent extremism.

7. Promote peace and diplomacy
   Support dialogue and negotiated solutions to international and regional conflicts.

8. Support sustainable development
   Advance cooperation on climate change, health, food security and environmental protection. (The Times of India)

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5. Key Highlights & Agreements

A. New Delhi Declaration

The major outcome of the summit is the New Delhi Declaration, adopted by BRICS leaders. It addresses a wide range of geopolitical, economic and developmental issues. (Reuters)

B. Condemnation of terrorism

The declaration strongly condemns terrorism and calls for stronger international cooperation against terrorism. It also specifically addresses the Pahalgam terrorist attack. (The Times of India)

C. Global conflicts and West Asia

BRICS leaders expressed serious concern about escalating violence in the Middle East and called for maximum restraint, dialogue and diplomatic solutions. (Reuters)

D. Reform of global institutions

India pushed for greater representation of developing countries in international institutions, particularly the UN Security Council and international financial institutions.

E. Trade and tariffs

The declaration raises concerns about unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures and their negative effects on developing economies and global trade. (Reuters)

F. Energy transition

BRICS supported a just, orderly, equitable and inclusive energy transition, while recognising that fossil fuels continue to have an important role for many developing economies. Cooperation on energy security, critical minerals and resilient energy supply chains was also emphasised. (The Indian Express)

G. Economic and technological cooperation

The summit highlighted cooperation in:

• Digital economy

• Digital agriculture

• Healthcare

• Infrastructure

• MSMEs

• Youth skills

• Innovation

• Cross-border payments

• Energy and critical minerals (The Times of India)

H. India–China engagement

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held bilateral discussions on improving relations, including border peace, trade and people-to-people exchanges. (AP News)

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6. BRICS Member Countries

As of the 2026 summit, BRICS has 11 full members:

No.	Country
1	🇧🇷 Brazil
2	🇷🇺 Russia
3	🇮🇳 India
4	🇨🇳 China
5	🇿🇦 South Africa
6	🇪🇬 Egypt
7	🇪🇹 Ethiopia
8	🇮🇩 Indonesia
9	🇮🇷 Iran
10	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
11	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

The expanded membership has made BRICS considerably more geographically diverse and has increased its importance as a platform for developing and emerging economies. (Reuters)

Note: BRICS also has a wider group of partner countries, and the 2026 summit brought together member countries, partner countries and outreach invitees. (EoI Riyadh)

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7. Summit Agenda and Formats

The summit follows the three broad BRICS cooperation pillars:

1. Political and Security Cooperation

Focus areas include:

• International peace and security

• Terrorism

• Regional conflicts

• Multilateralism

• UN and global-governance reform

• Global South representation

2. Economic and Financial Cooperation

Focus areas include:

• Trade and investment

• Cross-border payments

• Local currencies

• Energy security

• Food security

• Infrastructure

• Technology and digital economy

• Critical minerals

3. Cultural and People-to-People Cooperation

Focus areas include:

• Education

• Youth

• Health

• Culture

• Sports

• Tourism

• Skills and entrepreneurship

• People-to-people exchanges

India's chairship has explicitly organised BRICS cooperation around these political/security, economic/financial, and cultural/people-to-people pillars. (EoI Riyadh)

Summit format

The two-day leaders' summit includes:

• Plenary/Leaders' sessions

• Discussions on international and regional issues

• Economic and financial cooperation discussions

• Political and security consultations

• Bilateral meetings between participating leaders

• Engagement with partner countries and outreach invitees

• Adoption of the New Delhi Declaration

• Cultural and ceremonial programmes

The wider 2026 BRICS process has included ministerial meetings, senior-official meetings, business-to-business activities, academic and civil-society engagements and people-to-people programmes throughout India's year-long chairship. (EoI Riyadh)

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Conclusion

The 18th BRICS Summit 2026 is important because it represents BRICS at a significantly expanded stage of its development. Under India's chairship, the summit seeks to combine economic cooperation, Global South representation, technological innovation, sustainable development and diplomatic engagement.

Its central message is captured by India's theme: “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.” The New Delhi Declaration, cooperation on energy and trade, opposition to terrorism, calls for global-governance reform and emphasis on peaceful resolution of conflicts are among the major outcomes of the summit. (MyBharat)