New Delhi, Sept. 9 -- India will host a two-day BRICS summit from Saturday with discussions centred on strengthening the grouping's collective ability to withstand disruptions in food, energy, health, disaster management and critical supply chains, as member countries seek greater cooperation amid a fragmented global environment.
The summit comes at a time when the global economy is dealing with the fallout of the Russia-Ukraine war, the continuing crisis in West Asia, including the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and the trade and tariff policies of the Donald Trump administration.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto are among the leaders expected in New Delhi for the meeting.
However, with three days remaining before the summit, it was not clear whether BRICS members had reached agreement on a joint statement. Differences between Iran and the United Arab Emirates over the West Asia crisis remain a key issue, particularly because decisions within the grouping are based on consensus.
BRICS originally consisted of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The grouping expanded in 2024 with the addition of Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Indonesia joined in 2025, taking the membership to 11 countries. Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam joined as partner countries last year.
The expanded grouping accounts for about 49.5 per cent of the world's population, around 40 per cent of global GDP and roughly 26 per cent of global trade, making it an important forum for emerging economies.
India's chairship for 2026 is built around four pillars: resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability. Officials said strengthening cooperation in health, agriculture, food security, energy, disaster risk reduction and supply chains has been a key focus under the resilience pillar.
Trade, investment, connectivity and high technology are also expected to feature prominently in the summit discussions. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, leaders will discuss ways to deepen intra-BRICS cooperation on shared priorities while exchanging views on global and regional developments.
India's chairship follows the theme, "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability", with a stated focus on a people-centric approach guided by the principle of "humanity first".
More than 350 meetings and high-level engagements have been organised in over 25 cities during India's chairship. These engagements have sought to advance cooperation across BRICS' three broad pillars of political and security cooperation, economic and financial cooperation, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
India, a founding member of BRICS, has previously chaired the grouping in 2012, 2016 and 2021. It assumed its fourth chairship on January 1, 2026.
According to the MEA schedule, the summit will begin at 2.35 pm on Saturday with a closed-door meeting of BRICS members on "Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism". Leaders will then visit the "Bharat Innovates Exhibition" at 4.25 pm.
At 5.05 pm, the leaders will gather at the lawns of Bharat Mandapam for a family photograph and a joint tree-planting ceremony. The day's programme will end with a gala dinner hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 7.30 pm.
The second day's proceedings will begin with the arrival of leaders from BRICS members, partner countries and outreach invitees from 9.55 am. An official group photograph is scheduled for 10.35 am, followed by the open session at 10.50 am.
The session, titled "Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability: Shaping the Future for Inclusive Global Growth", will focus on the broader priorities of India's BRICS chairship.
The summit is scheduled to conclude with the release of the New Delhi Declaration.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.