Reformed multilateralism is emerging as the central plank of BRICS diplomacy. Discuss with reference to the New Delhi Declaration of the 18th BRICS Summit.

Reformed multilateralism means restructuring post-1945 global institutions to reflect today's economic and demographic realities rather than replacing them. The 18th BRICS Summit (New Delhi, 12–13 September 2026), held under India's fourth Chairship on the theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability", made this demand the organising idea of the bloc's diplomacy [1][2].

Institutional reform as the core demand

• The Declaration reiterates support for comprehensive reform of the UN, including its Security Council, to make it more democratic, representative, effective and efficient [2].
• It specifically seeks greater representation of developing countries in Council membership — positioning BRICS as the institutional voice of the Global South [2].

Reform through new issue-areas, not confrontation

• On Artificial Intelligence, the Declaration treats it as an opportunity for growth while insisting on safety, security, reliability and inclusion — a claim to shape emerging rule-making early [2].
• A high-speed submarine cable network among members is under study, addressing digital-connectivity dependence [2].
• BRICS Centres of Excellence on Agro-Ecology, coordinated initially by ICAR-IIFSR, Modipuram, extend cooperation into climate-resilient and regenerative farming [1].

India's chairship as consensus-building

• Over 350 meetings across 25 cities during India's Chairship produced development-oriented, deliverable outcomes rather than declaratory politics [1].
• The Declaration reaffirms sovereign equality, inclusiveness and consensus as working principles — the method by which an enlarged, heterogeneous bloc still spoke in one voice [2].

Constraints

• Consensus among members with divergent interests dilutes language; support for India and Brazil is for a "greater role" in the UN, not an explicit permanent seat with veto [2].
• Enlargement has widened representation but made unanimity harder, and BRICS lacks enforcement capacity over UN reform, which rests with the UN General Assembly and existing P-5 members.

The New Delhi Declaration thus shows BRICS converting grievance into an agenda: reform of old institutions plus authorship of new ones. Its credibility will depend on translating declaratory consensus into functioning mechanisms. Anchored in India's long-standing plea for a rules-based, representative order, reformed multilateralism remains the bloc's most unifying and durable plank.