India has begun preparations to host the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13, 2026. This 2-day event at Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan will be attended by leaders of state and government belonging to the expanded BRICS group along with invited international participants and dignitaries. This summit has great significance not only because it celebrates 20 years of BRICS but because it also marks the first leaders’ summit after an historic expansion of the bloc. As the chair, India is prioritizing issues such as trade, technology, finance, energy security and global institution reform.
BRICS Summit 2026: Date, Venue and Theme
The 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit will take place on September 12-13, 2026, at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
The chairmanship of India is characterized by the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability” in the larger context of “Humanity First.”
The BRICS Business Forum and the session of Women’s Business Alliance will be held before the leaders’ summit on September 11.
What will be Discussed by BRICS Leaders?
The BRICS summit has an extensive agenda covering different themes of economy, technology, geopolitics and more.
Some of them includes,
- Resilient supply chains
- Cross-border payment solutions
- Use of national currencies
- MSMEs
- Digital Trade and Artificial Intelligence
- Energy security
- Climate resilience
- Development finance
- Expanding the New Development Bank
- Global reform in financial and political institutions
Three main pillars that form the functioning of the grouping include: political/security, economic/financial and cultural/people-to-people cooperation.
Joint declaration of leaders is also expected on the condition of consensus among participating nations.
BRICS Member Nations and Partner Countries
The BRICS group now consists of 11 member states – Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates.
Indonesia joined as a full member in 2025.
The BRICS family also has 10 partner countries, which include: Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
Expected Key Leaders for the BRICS 2026
This summit will be hosted by Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As the attendance of Russian President Vladimir Putin is confirmed, the presence of Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected.
Some of the other leaders who are likely to be present include South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
António Guterres, UN Secretary General is also expected to take part in the summit.
BRICS Chairships of India
This year marks the fourth chairship of India. India has previously been the chair of BRICS in 2012, 2016 and 2021.
In 2012, India sought institutionalization of BRICS and recommended a South-funded multilateral development bank which contributed towards the establishment of New Development Bank in 2014.
The 2016 summit of BRICS in Goa was centered around responsive and inclusive cooperation where issues such as counter-terrorism and connectivity were accorded more importance. India held virtual chairmanship of BRICS group in 2021 during the pandemic.
India’s chairship of 2026 will seek to highlight issues pertaining to Global South, financial inclusivity, sustainable development and reforms to multilateral institutions.
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