India, Sept. 10 -- As India prepares to host the 18th summit of the BRICS group of emerging and developing countries on September 12 and 13, it has the responsibility to steer the institution through trying circumstances. The key imperative for India's presidency - and for the future of the grouping that has just completed 20 years - is managing the challenges and harnessing the opportunities to deliver concrete results for approximately 50% of the world's population, represented by its 11 member-States.

With wars raging worldwide and geopolitical faultlines widening, BRICS is being buffeted by a range of centrifugal forces. Two divisive strands derived from the global polarisation are impairing cohesion and coherence in the grouping.

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