Strong Participation In BRICS Reflects Confidence In India’s Presidency: MEA
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated on Saturday that the robust participation in the 18th BRICS summit held in New Delhi reflects the importance attached to the bloc, its growing engagement with the developing world and the ‘Global South,’ and the confidence reposed in India’s presidency.
These remarks were made by Sudhakar Dalela, Secretary (Economic Relations) at the MEA, during a media briefing held alongside the 18th BRICS summit in New Delhi. During the briefing, Dalela said, “This summit was essentially just the visible part of a long-term effort; it was the result of eight months of continuous work that began when India assumed the BRICS presidency in January. Throughout the year, we organized over 350 meetings held both in-person and virtually covering various thematic groups, ministerial meetings, working group sessions, business sessions, and people-centric activities and initiatives.”
On Saturday, a session for BRICS members was held on the theme of ‘Strengthening Inclusive Global Governance and Multilateralism’. The Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs emphasized, “In this session, BRICS leaders spoke from their respective national perspectives, yet there was broad consensus on the need to strengthen global governance institutions and make them more representative, inclusive, effective, and aligned with contemporary realities.
The leaders reiterated their support for comprehensive reforms of the United Nations (including the Security Council) incorporating greater representation for developing nations and for reforming the international financial architecture, so that developing countries and the ‘Global South’ may have a stronger voice.” He stated that the discussion reaffirmed the foundations of BRICS cooperation rooted in mutual respect, equality, solidarity, openness, inclusivity, and consensus.
Secretary Dalela said, “In his address, the Prime Minister emphasized the importance of strengthening the voice of the ‘Global South’ (developing nations) and reforming the global governance system to make it more representative, inclusive, and aligned with contemporary realities; he stressed that BRICS should focus on strategic cooperation and development oriented outcomes that can improve the lives of our people.”
He mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared four specific initiatives for cooperation within BRICS. He spoke about the ‘BRICS Troika’ mechanism and proposed the idea of formulating a BRICS roadmap for global governance reforms. Prime Minister Modi also discussed establishing an emergency support network for seafarers stranded across the globe and providing support to enhance the capacity of officials and young professionals in the ‘Global South,’ aiming to boost their skills and capabilities in emerging sectors such as technology and global rule-making.
“The adoption of the New Delhi Declaration was one of the key outcomes of India’s leadership, demonstrating that BRICS members can build consensus on issues of global significance,” the Secretary emphasized.
The senior diplomat noted that more than 50 practical outcomes emerged across four key areas: resilience, innovation, cooperation, and sustainability. Secretary Dalela said, “BRICS leaders were also taken on a tour of ‘Bharat Innovate,’ which was specially curated for the public leaders, partners, delegation members, and business representatives currently in Delhi for the summit. The ‘Bharat Innovate’ exhibition showcased India’s achievements and potential in the fields of innovation, entrepreneurship, technology, and development.”
She stated that India is fully committed to the outcomes of this summit and the ‘New Delhi BRICS Leaders’ Declaration.’
The Secretary emphasized, “The true test of a presidency is not merely the number of meetings held; rather, it depends on the quality of participation, the ability to build consensus, and the outcomes achieved.”
