What happened at the BRICS summit in Delhi

What happened

India chaired BRICS in 2026, its fourth chairship after 2012, 2016 and 2021, under the theme Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability. More than 350 meetings were held across the year, including agriculture ministers in Indore, national security advisers in New Delhi and space agency heads in Bengaluru. The 18th summit met at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, on 12 and 13 September 2026. Leaders adopted the New Delhi Declaration by consensus, a text of about 140 points that backs India and Brazil for bigger roles at the United Nations, condemned the 22 April 2025 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir and called for a Gaza ceasefire. China takes the chair in 2027 and will host the 19th summit.

Why it matters

India hosting a big multilateral summit is one of the most reliable sources of exam questions, because examiners attach background facts to it: the grouping's history, its bank, its members and the next host. The declaration's language on UN reform and terrorism also connects to India's foreign policy goals.

Timeline

1. 5 Jun2026

   Uzbekistan deposits its accession to the New Development Bank, becoming its tenth member and first from Central Asia

2. 9 Jun2026

   BRICS Agriculture Working Group and ministers meet in Indore

3. 22 Jun2026

   16th BRICS National Security Advisers meeting in New Delhi, chaired by Ajit Doval

4. 23 Jun2026

   BRICS Heads of Space Agencies meet in Bengaluru, hosted by ISRO

5. 24 Jul2026

   India invites Bangladesh's PM to the summit outreach session as BIMSTEC chair

6. 27 Aug2026

   Chairship year summarised: 350-plus meetings in 25-plus cities; summit set for 12 to 13 September

7. 10 Sep2026

   Preparations for the 18th summit at Bharat Mandapam

8. 13 Sep2026

   New Delhi Declaration adopted by consensus (Indian outlets date the adoption to 12 September)

9. 13 Sep2026

   China's Xi Jinping proposes an open-source AI ecosystem for BRICS; the declaration does not explicitly endorse it

10. 13 Sep2026

    China confirmed as 2027 chair and host of the 19th summit

Words to know

BRICS

A grouping of emerging economies. The term BRIC was coined by economist Jim O'Neill in 2001; the group began meeting in 2006, held its first leaders' summit in Yekaterinburg in 2009, and added South Africa in 2010. Indonesia became a full member in January 2025. As of October 2026, sources differ on whether Saudi Arabia counts as a full member, so the member count depends on which list is used.

New Development Bank (NDB)

The BRICS bank. Agreement signed at Fortaleza in 2014, operational from 2015, headquartered in Shanghai. Later members include Bangladesh and the UAE (2021), Egypt (2023), Algeria (2025) and Uzbekistan (2026).

Contingent Reserve Arrangement

A BRICS fund that members can draw on in a balance-of-payments crisis.

Partner country

A category created at the Kazan summit in October 2024 for countries associated with BRICS without full membership.

Bharat Mandapam

The convention centre in New Delhi's Pragati Maidan that hosted the 2026 summit.

BIMSTEC

Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, secretariat in Dhaka. Bangladesh was invited to the summit outreach as its chair.

Summit hosts

Recent summits: Kazan (Russia) 2024, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) 2025, New Delhi (India) 2026; China hosts in 2027. India also hosted in Goa in 2016.

What an exam could ask

• Which city hosted the 18th summit and which country chairs next could be asked, with the chain of recent hosts.
• The New Development Bank could be asked: headquarters, year, founding agreement, newest member.
• The origin of the BRIC acronym, the first summit and the year South Africa joined are standard background questions.
• A statement-based question could test what the New Delhi Declaration said on UN reform and terrorism.
• India's earlier chairship years (2012, 2016, 2021) could be asked as a match-the-year item.

Angles to revise, not predictions.

Sources

1. https://www.ndb.int/news/uzbekistan-officially-joins-new-development-bank-as-new-member-country/
2. https://bricsmagazine.com/en/?p=4058
3. https://newsonair.gov.in/five-day-brics-agriculture-ministers-meeting-to-begin-today-in-indore-madhya-pradesh/
4. https://theprint.in/india/brics-meeting-in-indore-to-focus-on-food-security-farmer-welfare-chouhan/2953799/
5. https://www.outlookbusiness.com/news/5-day-brics-meeting-begins-in-indore-to-discuss-global-issues-in-agriculture-sector
6. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/world/brics-national-security-advisers-meeting-begins-in-new-delhi/
7. https://ianslive.in/india-to-host-brics-national-security-advisers-meeting-focus-on-emerging-security-threats--20260620130115
8. https://newsonair.gov.in/nsa-ajit-doval-meets-iranian-official-on-sidelines-of-brics-meeting/
9. https://www.isro.gov.in/ISRO_EN/brics_heads_of_Space_Agencies_2026.html
10. https://newsonair.gov.in/brics-heads-of-space-agencies-meeting-2026-concludes-in-bengaluru-under-indias-chairmanship/
11. https://theprint.in/diplomacy/india-invites-bangladesh-pm-tarique-rahman-to-attend-brics-summit-as-part-of-bimstec-outreach/2995246/
12. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/india/bangladesh-pm-invited-to-brics-outreach-as-bimstec-chair-india/
13. https://ianslive.in/bangladesh-pm-invited-to-brics-summit-as-bimstec-chair-mea--20260804183754
14. https://mybharat.gov.in/pages/brics_new_delhi_2026
15. https://web29.bernama.com/nnn/news.php?id=2599699
16. https://www.angelone.in/news/economy/india-to-host-18th-brics-summit-in-new-delhi-on-september-12-13-2026
17. https://newsonair.gov.in/all-preparations-in-full-swing-for-two-day-brics-summit-2026-beginning-saturday/
18. https://www.businesstoday.in/india/story/18th-brics-summit-2026-check-full-schedule-of-leaders-meetings-key-sessions-at-bharat-mandapam-554289-2026-09-09
19. https://www.dtnext.in/news/national/brics-adopts-new-delhi-declaration-with-consensus
20. https://www.sanews.gov.za/node/84282
21. https://www.outlookindia.com/national/new-delhi-declaration-adopted-what-are-the-key-takeaways
22. https://www.euronews.com/2026/09/14/chinas-xi-jinping-proposes-brics-open-source-ai-zone
23. https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2026/09/13/china039s-xi-proposes-brics-039open-source-ai-zone039
24. https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/politics/3976332-china-to-host-19th-brics-summit-in-2027
25. https://timesofoman.com/article/176867-brics-chairship-passes-to-china-as-pm-modi-extends-best-wishes
26. https://tass.com/world/2186747

Written from fact-checked news and red-teamed. Errors can occur: verify important facts with official sources.