New Delhi

BRICS, which began as a boardroom acronym for four emerging markets, has grown into a geopolitical bloc spanning four conti-nents as successive waves of membership pulled in oil states, African economies and Southeast Asian partners. At the centre of this expanding architecture sits India this year, chairing the grouping for a fourth time since its inception, according to an offi-cial factsheet on Thursday.

BRICS has emerged as a key platform for coordinating economic policy among major emerging economies. It serves as the princi-pal forum where these nations shape a common position on global governance. Through sustained dialogue, it has become a channel for advancing the interests of the Global South within multilateral institutions.

Under its 2026 Presidency, India is set to host the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12–13, 2026. India’s Chair-ship is guided by the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.” The theme reflects India’s focus on strengthening existing achievements and institutional effec-tiveness. It places development, sustainability and innovation at the heart of the agenda. It also highlights the aspirations of the Global South. India seeks to reinforce BRICS as a constructive and so-lutions-oriented forum.

Today, BRICS has expanded to 11 countries: Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the UAE. Collectively, these members represent 49.5 per cent of the global population, 40 per cent of global GDP, and 26 per cent of global trade. The expansion of the bloc which took place in January 2024 was followed by the creation of a Partner Country category.

These figures underline their substantial demographic and eco-nomic weight. Its expanded membership has also widened its geographical reach across Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. This diversity brings together major markets, natural re-sources, technological capabilities and varied development ex-periences.

A major phase of expansion began in January 2024. Egypt, Ethi-opia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE became full members. In-donesia joined as the eleventh full member in January 2025. These accessions significantly expanded BRICS’ geographical and economic reach.

The expansion was accompanied by the creation of a Partner Country category. Ten countries joined this framework during 2025: Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

Across successive summits, BRICS cooperation has progres-sively expanded to encompass strategic global issues and areas of practical collaboration. Its agenda covers terrorism, climate change, food and energy security, trade and agriculture. It also addresses labour and employment, telecommunications, interna-tional finance and the global economic situation. BRICS advo-cates for greater representation and equity in international institu-tions, including the WTO and global financial architecture.

These efforts seek to make global governance more inclusive, ef-fective and responsive to contemporary challenges.

United Nations

UnitedNations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will underscore the im-portance of multipolarity and the need to reform multilateral institutions, including the Security Council, to reflect contemporary realities when he addresses the BRICS Summit in India later this week.

Guterres will travel to New Delhi to attend the 18th BRICS Summit, to be held on September 12–13 in New Delhi.

He has been invited to address the Open Session on September 13 on the theme, 'Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability: Shaping the Future for Inclusive Global Growth'.

"In his remarks, the Secretary-General is expected to note that today's eco-nomic, demographic, and geopolitical realities are not those of 1945, and that countries represented at the summit speak for that changing reality,” the UN chief's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters at the daily press briefing here on Wednesday.

Guterres is also expected to "underscore that multipolarity can help bring balance to global systems and institutions", but this would require reforms to multilateral institutions, including the Bretton Woods system and the Se-curity Council, to reflect today's realities, he said.

The call for Security Council reform has been a longstanding demand of In-dia and several other countries, which argue that the composition of the 15-member body does not adequately reflect the geopolitical and economic re-alities of the 21st century.

India has been seeking a permanent seat on the Council as part of its cam-paign for comprehensive reform of the UN's top decision-making body.

Guterres is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and hold bilat-eral meetings with other officials attending the summit, Dujarric said.

India is the BRICS Chair for 2026. It is a founding member of BRICS and has previously held the chairship in 2012, 2016 and 2021. The country as-sumed its fourth BRICS chairship on January 1, coinciding with the group-ing completing 20 years since its establishment. The 18th BRICS Summit will bring together leaders of BRICS member and partner countries as well as outreach invitees.