Overview
- BRICS leaders unanimously adopted the New Delhi Declaration on Saturday, Sept 12, 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced after intensive overnight negotiations.
- The declaration urges maximum restraint in West Asia, calls for ceasefire adherence and full humanitarian access in Gaza, reaffirms support for a two-state solution based on 1967 borders, and stresses nuclear safeguards and protection of civilians.
- It sets a clear economic agenda that includes calls to reform the UN and Bretton Woods institutions, restore the WTO appellate body, expand local-currency trade, and study cross-border payment interoperability through a BRICS payment task force.
- India led sherpa-level bargaining and high-profile bilaterals that bridged sharp positions among members; Xi Jinping urged BRICS to play a peacemaking role while leaders also held talks with Russia and Iran on the sidelines.
- The consensus lets the bloc project a stronger Global South voice but does not erase deep geopolitical splits; the declaration could alter trade and payment flows, affect energy costs for importers, and shape future pressures for alternatives to dollar-centred finance.