Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called on BRICS countries to ensure that the decisions and frameworks agreed upon at the New Delhi summit translate into concrete outcomes and reach people on the ground, as India concluded its 2026 chairship of the grouping.
Addressing the concluding session of the two-day 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, Modi said the discussions among participating leaders had broadened and deepened cooperation within the grouping. He described BRICS as more than a conventional grouping of countries, saying it was evolving into an “ecosystem of solutions”.
“Your significant ideas and suggestions have lent both breadth and depth to our cooperation. Your presence stands as a testament to the growing relevance, openness, and inclusiveness of BRICS,” Modi said.
The summit was held in New Delhi on September 12 and 13 under India's chairship, with the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”. India assumed the BRICS chairship for the fourth time on January 1, 2026.
Modi stresses need for action beyond declarations
Modi said the New Delhi Declaration adopted at the summit should reflect the shared vision and resolve of BRICS members and provide a clear direction for future cooperation.
“We hope that the ‘New Delhi Declaration’ adopted at this summit will serve as a reflection of our shared vision,” the Prime Minister said.
He stressed that the responsibility now lay with member countries to take the summit's resolutions beyond documents and frameworks and convert them into tangible results and last-mile impact.
The New Delhi Declaration was adopted unanimously on the first day of the summit. It reaffirmed the grouping's commitment to mutual respect, sovereign equality, solidarity, openness, inclusiveness and consensus, while calling for stronger cooperation across political and security, economic and financial, and cultural and people-to-people areas.
The declaration also addressed several major global and regional issues. BRICS leaders called for maximum restraint amid escalating violence in the Middle East and backed dialogue and diplomacy to resolve international disputes. They also raised concerns over unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures and their impact on global trade.
Summit focuses on resilience, innovation and global cooperation
India's year-long BRICS chairship sought to promote practical and development-oriented cooperation, with resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability forming the central pillars of its agenda.
More than 350 meetings and high-level engagements were held across more than 25 Indian cities during the chairship. These engagements focused on strengthening cooperation across the grouping's three core pillars of political and security cooperation, economic and financial cooperation, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
The expanded 11-member BRICS grouping also discussed issues ranging from economic cooperation and technology to energy security, sustainable development and global governance reform. The New Delhi Declaration called for an orderly and inclusive energy transition while recognising the continuing role of fossil fuels in emerging and developing economies. It also highlighted energy security, resilient supply chains, critical minerals and digitalisation.
The summit further recorded progress in space cooperation, including work on the BRICS Remote Sensing Satellite Constellation and the proposed BRICS Space Council.
India hands over BRICS chairship to China
The summit concluded with India handing over the BRICS chairship to China, which will host the grouping's next summit in 2027.
The New Delhi Declaration formally welcomed China's chairship and expressed full support for the country in hosting the 19th BRICS Summit. The declaration also commended India's 2026 chairship and thanked the Indian government and people for hosting the summit.
India's chairship also marked 20 years since the establishment of BRICS. The grouping now comprises Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates. Together, the 11 members account for nearly half of the world's population, around 40 per cent of global GDP and about 26 per cent of global trade, according to the Indian government.
As China prepares to take over, Chinese President Xi Jinping has proposed further measures to strengthen economic cooperation within the expanded grouping, including an AI Open Source Zone, a BRICS Special Economic Zone partnership and a BRICS Service Trade Forum.
The conclusion of the New Delhi summit therefore marks the end of India's fourth BRICS chairship, while leaving the grouping with a broad agenda centred on translating its decisions into practical cooperation and measurable outcomes.