BRICS countries adopt New Delhi Declaration

• BRICS adopted the New Delhi Declaration on 12–13 September 2026 at the 18th BRICS Summit, hosted by India for the first time under its 2026 Chairship, chaired by PM Narendra Modi [1][3].
• Theme: "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability" [1].
• Tests candidates on India's multilateral diplomacy, consensus-building among a now-11-member grouping with divergent geopolitical interests, and India's balancing act between Israel and West Asia [3][4].
• Illustrates how declarations in large multilateral blocs are watered down via compromise language to preserve consensus.

2. Why in the News

• India forged consensus among BRICS members on 13 September 2026 after Iran and the UAE agreed to a last-minute compromise on the language describing the war in West Asia, enabling adoption of the New Delhi Declaration [3].
• The declaration avoided direct mention of US–Israel strikes on Iran and Iran's retaliatory strikes on Persian Gulf neighbours (including the UAE), instead calling for "maximum restraint" [3].
• The bloc issued strong criticism of Israel over its bombardment of Gaza and backed South Africa's case against Israel in international courts, calling for humanitarian aid access to Gaza [3].

3. Background & Evolution

• BRICS originated as "BRIC" (Brazil, Russia, India, China), a term coined in 2001 by Goldman Sachs economist Jim O'Neill; first formal summit held in 2009 (Yekaterinburg, Russia); South Africa joined in 2010, forming BRICS [3].
• 2023 (Johannesburg Summit): BRICS expansion announced, admitting Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and UAE (Saudi Arabia has not formally joined) [3][4].
• 2024 (Kazan Summit, Russia): Indonesia later admitted as a full member, taking membership toward the current 11-member grouping [4].
• 2025: Brazil held the BRICS Chairship (Rio de Janeiro summit).
• 2026: India assumed the BRICS Chairship; EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar launched preparations with the unveiling of the official website, theme and logo [1]. Over 350 meetings and high-level engagements were held across 25 Indian cities during India's Chairship year [1].
• 12–13 September 2026: 18th BRICS Summit held in New Delhi at Bharat Mandapam, culminating in adoption of the New Delhi Declaration [1][3].

4. Core Static Facts

Item	Detail
Summit	18th BRICS Summit
Host/Chair 2026	India; PM Narendra Modi
Venue	New Delhi (Bharat Mandapam)
Date	12–13 September 2026
Declaration name	New Delhi Declaration: "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability"
Grouping size	11 members [3]
Members present (leaders)	India, Russia (Vladimir Putin), China (Xi Jinping), Iran (Masoud Pezeshkian), Indonesia, Ethiopia, Egypt, South Africa [3]
Represented by officials	Brazil, UAE (high-level representatives, not heads of state) [3]
Nodal ministry (India)	Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) [1]
Key stance in Declaration	"Maximum restraint" in West Asia war; no direct mention of US–Israel strikes on Iran or Iran's counter-strikes; no separate mention of Russia-Ukraine war; criticism of Israel over Gaza; support for South Africa's ICJ case against Israel [3]

5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis

• Geopolitical / Strategic
• Highlights India's diplomatic tightrope: close strategic ties with Israel (Modi visited Jerusalem in February 2026) versus need to keep Iran/UAE/other members inside a consensus-based bloc [3].
• Demonstrates BRICS' continuing difficulty in issuing unified statements on conflicts involving member/partner states (Iran, Russia-Ukraine) due to competing loyalties [4].

• Reflects BRICS positioning as a counterweight/alternative voice to Western-led narratives on West Asia and Ukraine.

• Legal / Governance

• Declaration's backing of South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice signals BRICS' collective use of international legal fora for political messaging [3].

• Economic

• BRICS declarations historically emphasize local-currency trade and de-dollarisation push, part of broader BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) and financial architecture reform agenda.

• Administrative

• Consensus-based decision-making (all 11 members must agree) makes declarations prone to diluted, lowest-common-denominator language — evident in the "maximum restraint" formulation avoiding direct blame [3].

• Historical

• Continues the trend from the 2023 Johannesburg expansion and 2024 Kazan summit of BRICS growing from an economic grouping (BRIC) into a broader geopolitical bloc with an expanded membership spanning the Global South.

6. Recent Developments (last 12–18 months)

• 2025: Brazil chaired BRICS; Rio de Janeiro summit addressed BRICS expansion fallout and divisions over Gaza/Iran (per Al Jazeera reporting) [4].
• February 2026: PM Modi visited Jerusalem, Israel, underscoring India's bilateral ties even as BRICS moved toward criticizing Israel [3].
• 12–13 September 2026: 18th BRICS Summit held in New Delhi; New Delhi Declaration adopted after last-minute Iran–UAE compromise [1][3].

7. Prelims Hooks

• BRICS originally stood for Brazil, Russia, India, China; term coined by Goldman Sachs' Jim O'Neill in 2001.
• South Africa joined in 2010, making it BRICS.
• The 18th BRICS Summit (2026) was hosted by India in New Delhi.
• Venue of the 2026 summit: Bharat Mandapam.
• 2026 theme: "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability."
• BRICS is currently an 11-member grouping [3].
• New members admitted after 2023 Johannesburg expansion: Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, UAE (Saudi Arabia invited but not formally joined); Indonesia joined later (2025) [3][4].
• The New Delhi Declaration (2026) avoided directly naming the US and Israel for strikes on Iran.
• The Declaration called for "maximum restraint" rather than condemning specific strikes.
• BRICS backed South Africa's case against Israel at international courts (ICJ) over Gaza.
• Leaders present at the 2026 summit included Vladimir Putin (Russia) and Xi Jinping (China).
• Brazil and the UAE sent only high-level representatives, not heads of state, to the 2026 summit.
• Nodal Indian ministry for BRICS coordination: Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
• India's BRICS Chairship year (2026) saw over 350 meetings across 25 cities.
• EAM S. Jaishankar launched the BRICS India 2026 logo, theme, and website.

8. Mains Relevance

• GS-II: International Relations — "Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India's interests."
• GS-II: India's role in multilateral fora amid competing geopolitical interests among member states.
• Possible question stems: 1. Discuss the challenges of consensus-building within BRICS given its expanded membership and divergent foreign policy interests, with reference to the New Delhi Declaration (2026). (GS-II) 2. Examine India's balancing act between its strategic partnership with Israel and its role as BRICS chair in addressing the West Asia crisis. (GS-II) 3. BRICS declarations increasingly reflect lowest-common-denominator diplomacy. Critically evaluate with reference to recent summit outcomes. (GS-II)

9. Related Topics to Study Next

• BRICS expansion (2023 Johannesburg, 2024 Kazan) — understand membership evolution feeding into the current 11-member bloc.
• New Development Bank (NDB) — BRICS' primary financial institution, relevant to "Resilience" theme.
• India–Israel relations — needed to understand India's balancing act referenced in the Declaration.
• South Africa v. Israel (ICJ genocide case) — legal backdrop to BRICS' Gaza stance.
• India's West Asia policy / Look West policy — broader strategic context.
• De-dollarisation and BRICS local currency trade push — recurring economic theme in BRICS declarations.
• G20 vs BRICS comparison — useful for contrasting multilateral groupings India engages with.
• Israel–Iran conflict (2026) — the precipitating geopolitical event behind the declaration's language.

10. Common Errors / Trap Areas

• Do not confuse BRICS (economic-political grouping) with G20 (financial/economic cooperation forum) — different mandates and memberships.
• Do not assume Saudi Arabia is a full BRICS member — it was invited in 2023 but has not formally joined as of the 2026 summit.
• Do not conflate the New Delhi Declaration (2026, 18th BRICS Summit) with other same-named declarations (e.g., the India AI Impact Summit's "New Delhi Declaration" of February 2026) — different summits, different documents [S1 search context].
• Avoid assuming the declaration explicitly blamed the US/Israel for strikes on Iran — it deliberately used non-attributive language ("maximum restraint") to preserve consensus.
• Do not assume all 11 BRICS heads of state attended in person — Brazil and UAE sent representatives, not heads of state.