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BRICS Summit 2026 Expands Cooperation Amid Consensus Challenges
BRICS is a group of countries that work together on economic and political issues.
India hosted its 2026 meeting in New Delhi.
The countries agreed on a document called the New Delhi Declaration.
They discussed safer sea travel, farming, education, mental health, space and digital payments.
They want payments between member countries to become faster and cheaper.
However, they did not agree to create one shared currency or a BRICS Pay system.
The group also spoke against unilateral tariffs and supported changes to global institutions.
BRICS is now much larger than when it began, but its members have different governments, economies and opinions.
This makes cooperation useful but reaching agreement difficult.
The 18th BRICS Summit concluded in New Delhi on September 13, 2026, under India’s chairship.
Members adopted the 45-page New Delhi Declaration, covering trade, health, agriculture, education, technology and transport.
India proposed initiatives including a Seafarers’ Emergency Support Network and a BRICS Continuity and Implementation Mechanism.
The declaration supported easier cross-border payments but did not establish a common BRICS currency or BRICS Pay platform.
BRICS has expanded to 10 full members and 10 partner countries, but diverse interests and limited intra-group trade complicate consensus.
- Who
- BRICS member countries, partner countries and leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- What
- The 18th BRICS Summit adopted the New Delhi Declaration and announced initiatives on cooperation, trade, payments, agriculture, education, health and space.
- Where
- New Delhi, India.
- When
- The summit concluded on September 13, 2026; the New Delhi Declaration was adopted on September 12.
- Why
- The summit addressed cooperation among an expanded BRICS grouping amid trade tensions, geopolitical fragmentation and changing global economic relationships.
BRICS as a Diplomacy Platform
BRICS as a Limited Cooperation Forum
Overall significance
BRICS as a Diplomacy Platform
The summit showed that countries with different political systems and conflicting interests can cooperate, exchange ideas and reach limited agreements.
BRICS as a Limited Cooperation Forum
The grouping remains largely dependent on non-binding, sector-specific initiatives and has not developed a comprehensive trade agreement.
Economic integration
BRICS as a Diplomacy Platform
Expanded membership, rising Indian trade with BRICS countries and work on payment interoperability could strengthen trade and reduce transaction costs.
BRICS as a Limited Cooperation Forum
Members did not agree on a common currency, BRICS Pay platform or shared settlement mechanism, while intra-BRICS trade remains modest.
Global influence
BRICS as a Diplomacy Platform
BRICS gives Global South countries a larger platform to seek WTO and UN Security Council reform and oppose unilateral tariffs and sanctions.
BRICS as a Limited Cooperation Forum
Differences among members, including economic imbalances and competing connectivity projects, make unified geopolitical action and consensus difficult.
Key facts
- Summit
- 18th BRICS Summit
- Host
- India, under its fourth BRICS presidency
- Theme
- Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation, and Sustainability
- Declaration
- The 45-page New Delhi Declaration was adopted on September 12, 2026.
- Membership
- BRICS has 10 full members and 10 partner countries.
- Major initiatives
- Seafarers’ Emergency Support Network, BRICS AGRIN, a Continuity and Implementation Mechanism, and a BRICS Space Council framework.
- Trade challenge
- Intra-BRICS trade accounted for about 5% of global trade in 2024.
Quotes
BRICS leaders
Leaders of the BRICS member countries speaking through the New Delhi Declaration
“We express strong condemnation of any acts of terrorism as criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, whenever, wherever and by whomsoever committed. We condemn in the strongest terms the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir on 22 April 2025, during which 26 people were killed and many more injured.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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