India’s leadership of BRICS has won praise from several member countries following the successful conclusion of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi. The two-day summit, held in the National Capital under India’s chairmanship, concluded yesterday. BRICS comprises 11 major emerging economies, representing nearly half the world’s population and around 40 per cent of global GDP.
The BRICS countries unanimously adopted the New Delhi Declaration 2026 at the Summit on Saturday, with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping among the world leaders attending. The New Delhi Declaration also commended India’s chairship and expressed appreciation to the Government and people of India for hosting the summit.
South Africa, Russia, China, Brazil, and the United Arab Emirates, welcomed India’s efforts to strengthen cooperation within the grouping and advance the priorities of the Global South.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa praised India’s leadership as BRICS chair, saying New Delhi hosted a very successful summit and managed to bring member countries together to adopt the New Delhi Declaration despite doubts over reaching consensus. He said, the successful adoption of the declaration was a result of collective efforts by all BRICS members, while congratulating India for its organisation and leadership.
China’s state media and leadership hailed the New Delhi Declaration as a positive step for higher-quality cooperation and solidarity among Global South nations.
On the declaration, Russia reaffirmed Moscow’s dedication to an inclusive, development-oriented partnership with BRICS partner countries. Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a social media post, reiterated Moscow’s commitment to strengthening Multilateralism and Multipolarity, to upholding international law, including the Purposes and Principles of the UN Charter in their entirety.
Uruguay’s Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin said, BRICS New Delhi Declaration addresses the core needs of the Global South and provides a practical framework for tackling shared global challenges. In an exclusive interaction with a news agency, Mr Lubetkin said issues such as environmental stability, peace, geopolitical pressures, trade and artificial intelligence affect countries across regions, making the outcomes of the BRICS Summit relevant well beyond the grouping. He said the declaration successfully captured the priorities of participating leaders and described it as a useful and practical framework for addressing common challenges.
UN Chief António Guterres praised India’s BRICS Presidency and congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on India holding the BRICS chairship for the fourth time. The World Health Organisation (WHO) also praised the New Delhi Declaration. In a social media post, the Director General of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, appreciated the commitment to universal health coverage, resilient health systems, and the successful conclusion of negotiations on the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing Annex to the Pandemic Agreement.
Mr Ghebreyesus also praised the efforts of BRICS countries to end Tuberculosis (TB), strengthen the health workforce, digital health, integrate traditional medicine, and deliver health for all. He also expressed gratitude towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the warm welcome at the summit.
A US-based analyst has described India’s hosting of the 18th BRICS Summit as a success, saying the substantive New Delhi Declaration reflects New Delhi’s ability to build consensus among countries with differing views. Michael Kugelman, a Senior Fellow for South Asia at the Atlantic Council, said the declaration reflects India’s growing convening power and the increasing appeal of the BRICS grouping.
The declaration expressed serious concern over unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures, saying they distort global trade and violate World Trade Organisation rules. It also stressed the need for cooperation on terrorism, conflict prevention and the peaceful resolution of disputes.
Mr Kugelman said the declaration seeks to boost trade among BRICS nations and strengthen the grouping as an alternative to Western-led economic and financial institutions. He added that the push for greater intra-BRICS trade showed the bloc’s ability to deliver substantive measures for economies facing tariffs and sanctions linked to the Trump administration’s trade policies.
During its year-long chairship, India focused on strengthening economic and development cooperation, promoting the interests of developing countries and giving greater voice to the Global South in global affairs.
