India’s BRICS Summit in Delhi is expected to deliver major diplomatic dividends, strengthen strategic autonomy, deepen Global South cooperation and advance India’s leadership role through practical partnerships, innovation, resilience and sustainability amid growing geopolitical tensions.
The upcoming 18th BRICS Summit in Delhi is expected to provide India with significant diplomatic and strategic gains, reinforcing its role in the Global South while strengthening cooperation among emerging markets and developing countries, according to a report by the Politeia Research Foundation (PRF).
BRICS continues to hold an important position in India’s foreign policy, offering New Delhi a key platform to preserve its strategic autonomy and expand engagement with major countries and regions across the world. The grouping also provides opportunities to deepen cultural, social, economic and diplomatic cooperation among its members.
The 18th BRICS Summit, scheduled to be held in Delhi on September 12-13, comes at a time of considerable geopolitical uncertainty and international tensions. Against this backdrop, India is seeking to use its BRICS presidency to promote practical cooperation and develop a common approach on issues affecting emerging markets and developing countries.
Former Indian diplomat Rajiv Bhatia, in a report published by the PRF, described BRICS as a significant element of the evolving architecture of global governance. Although the grouping is an informal forum rather than a treaty-based organisation, its development over the past two decades has attracted differing assessments from experts and policymakers.
According to Bhatia, some observers have criticised BRICS as merely a platform for discussions, while others believe its expanding composition, underlying philosophy and ambitions make it an increasingly important grouping in international affairs.
“A fair perspective,” he argued, would recognise BRICS as a key forum representing emerging markets and developing countries. He noted that the grouping has played a meaningful role in world affairs at a time when other plurilateral organisations, including the G20, G7 and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), have faced difficulties in establishing greater prominence.
At the same time, Bhatia acknowledged that BRICS faces several serious challenges, particularly in developing common positions among its increasingly diverse membership.
Since assuming the BRICS chair in January 2026, India has undertaken extensive preparations for the Delhi summit. More than 350 meetings have reportedly been organised involving government officials, ministers, think tanks, civil society groups and business organisations as part of efforts to advance an ambitious agenda under the Indian presidency.
India has also drawn upon its experience of hosting the G20 Summit in September 2023 while preparing for the BRICS gathering. Bhatia observed that Indian officials are seeking to make the Delhi summit a major international event, although the government has avoided describing the exercise as the “People’s BRICS”, a phrase prominently associated with India’s earlier G20 presidency.
Despite the extensive preparations, expectations surrounding this year’s BRICS meeting remain relatively modest amid continuing geopolitical turbulence and tensions across different regions.
Bhatia said the principal focus of India’s presidency has been to develop a common approach towards deepening and diversifying practical cooperation among BRICS members.
The theme of India’s presidency, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation, and Sustainability,” has featured prominently in documents emerging from official consultations. The theme reflects the broad priorities guiding New Delhi’s efforts to strengthen cooperation within the grouping and address emerging global challenges.
Bhatia also cited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s emphasis on inclusivity and the concerns of the Global South. Modi has stressed that India intends to advance BRICS with a people-centric approach and the principle of “Humanity First”, building on the priorities pursued during India’s G20 presidency.
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The Delhi summit is therefore expected to provide India with an opportunity to showcase its diplomatic leadership, strengthen partnerships with emerging economies and advance its broader Global South agenda. A successful summit could further reinforce BRICS as an important platform for international cooperation while generating diplomatic dividends for India.
