India is preparing to host a landmark diplomatic gathering as leaders from the expanded BRICS grouping converge in New Delhi for the 18th Leaders’ Summit, which coincides with the twentieth anniversary of the bloc’s foundation.

The summit will be held at Bharat Mandapam in Pragati Maidan on September 12 and 13, with heads of state and government from member nations, partner countries, and international organisations in attendance.

The summit will focus on steering cooperation across trade, digital technology, finance, energy security, and global governance reform. Preceding the leaders’ sessions, the BRICS Business Forum and the Women’s Business Alliance will convene on September 11 at the same venue. India has already organised over 350 BRICS-related meetings across more than 25 cities nationwide under its chairship.

India’s chairship for 2026 is anchored in the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, reflecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “Humanity First.” The agenda will emphasise resilient supply chains, cross-border payment integration, expanded use of national currencies, MSME development, digital trade, and artificial intelligence.

Energy security, climate resilience, development finance, and reforms of multilateral institutions will also be central to discussions.

The summit will operate across three pillars: political and security matters, economic and financial cooperation, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges, culminating in a joint Leaders’ Declaration.

The enlarged BRICS core now includes Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates, following Indonesia’s induction in 2025. Alongside them, ten partner nations—Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam—participate in the broader BRICS framework.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host the summit, with confirmed attendance from Russian President Vladimir Putin and expected participation from Chinese President Xi Jinping. Xi’s visit would mark his first trip to India since his 2019 informal meeting with Modi in Mamallapuram, raising prospects of significant bilateral exchanges.

Other leaders scheduled to attend include South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres is also expected to participate, underscoring the summit’s global significance.

The 2026 summit carries weight as the first major leaders’ meeting following BRICS’ historic expansion and as a milestone marking two decades of the bloc’s existence. India’s presidency positions New Delhi at the centre of global discussions on trade, financial autonomy, technological architecture, and climate action, while also providing a platform for critical bilateral talks with Russia and China.

India’s four BRICS chairmanships—2012, 2016, 2021, and 2026—mirror the evolving priorities of both the grouping and India’s diplomatic trajectory. In 2012, India transformed BRICS from an informal dialogue forum into a structured institution, proposing a South-financed multilateral development bank that led to the New Development Bank’s establishment in 2014.

By 2016, at the Goa Summit under the theme “Building Responsive, Inclusive and Collective Solutions”, India broadened the bloc’s focus to counter-terrorism, regional connectivity, and collective security.

In 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic and military standoffs along the Line of Actual Control, India adopted the theme “BRICS@15: Intra-BRICS Cooperation for Continuity, Consolidation and Consensus”, ensuring the platform’s continuity while prioritising public health and economic recovery.

Now, in 2026, India is deploying its chairship to champion Global South priorities, positioning BRICS as a leading voice for institutional reform, financial inclusivity, and sustainable development. The summit is expected to reinforce India’s role as a pivotal actor in shaping the future of multilateral cooperation.

ANI