BRICS leaders adopt New Delhi Declaration

The 18th BRICS Summit, held under India's Presidency, recently concluded with leaders adopting the New Delhi Declaration, which reaffirms the principles of mutual respect and understanding, sovereign equality, solidarity, democracy, openness, inclusiveness, collaboration and consensus.

The declaration sets out the shared priorities, commitments and direction for future BRICS cooperation.

President Cyril Ramaphosa participated in the gathering, where leaders of BRICS countries met in New Delhi, India, from 12 to 13 September 2026 for the XVIII BRICS Summit, held under the theme: "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability."

During a media briefing at the conclusion of the summit, the President congratulated India on hosting a successful gathering and said he looked forward to the next summit, which will be held in China in 2027.

“What really stood out was our commitment, as BRICS, to focus on advancing the global governance of the multilateral system.

“All of us are saying that we adhere to a multilateral system where there is no dominance of one player or country over others; where we want countries that are in BRICS, and indeed countries outside BRICS, to respect one another and the sovereignty of all countries in the world,” he said.

He stressed that BRICS supports a multilateral system without dominance by any single country.

“For instance, all of us confirmed that we want a multipolar world, a world that will live in harmony and advance the interests of each one of us,” President Ramaphosa said.

The BRICS grouping also wants to focus on advancing economies and improving people's lives.

“And that, to me, was the key and central issue because we now live in a world that faces many challenges and conflicts at the geopolitical level,” the President said.

South Africa used the summit to advance its diplomatic and economic priorities, particularly by expanding intra-BRICS trade and investment, promoting industrialisation and value addition, and mobilising investment in African infrastructure aligned with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

During its Presidency, India convened more than 400 meetings and engagements involving Ministers, parliamentarians, heads of agencies, officials, experts, businesses and citizens in 30 cities across the country under the BRICS cooperation framework.

BRICS partnerships

According to the declaration, these engagements contributed to strengthening the BRICS strategic partnership.

“We welcome the progress made in enhancing collective resilience, promoting innovation-driven economic growth, advancing sustainable development, deepening people-to-people exchanges and amplifying the voice of BRICS for greater representation in global governance,” the declaration states.

They also reaffirmed their commitment to fostering inclusive, mutually beneficial and development-oriented partnerships with partner countries.

“We encourage their increasing participation in BRICS engagements and practical cooperation in areas of shared interest.

“We commend India for hosting the Outreach/BRICS Plus Dialogue segment of the 18th BRICS Summit, which injects new impetus into strengthening international cooperation and solidarity,” the declaration states.

The grouping further commended the progress achieved under India's BRICS Chairship in 2026, noting that the theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability" reflects a shared commitment to addressing common challenges through a balanced, practical, actionable, inclusive, development-oriented and people-centred approach.