BRICS Summit: India puts Global South at centre stage

New Delhi: India will seek to put the concerns of the Global South at the heart of the two-day BRICS summit beginning Saturday, with food and energy security, resilient supply chains and inclusive economic growth taking centre stage amid mounting global trade and geopolitical tensions.

The summit will bring together leaders of major emerging economies. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto are also among the leaders expected to attend.

Officials said India views BRICS as a complementary platform for economic growth and greater cooperation among developing economies at a time when the global economy is facing pressures from the Russia-Ukraine war, the West Asia crisis, disruption around the Strait of Hormuz and US trade and tariff policies.

India’s BRICS chairship is built around four pillars — resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability — with a focus on health, agriculture, food, energy, disaster-risk reduction and supply chains. Trade, investment, connectivity and high technology will also figure prominently.

However, uncertainty remains over a consensus-based joint statement amid differences between Iran and the UAE over the West Asia crisis. BRICS now comprises 11 emerging economies and accounts for about 49.5 per cent of the world’s population, 40 per cent of global GDP and 26 per cent of global trade. Several other countries have joined as BRICS partners.

India assumed its fourth BRICS chairship on January 1, 2026. More than 350 meetings and high-level engagements have since been held across over 25 Indian cities.