BRICS 17th Summit: A Blueprint for a Stronger Global South?
The 17th BRICS summit was recently held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The country recently took the chairship of BRICS on 1 January 2025, with the motto of ‘Strengthening Global South Cooperation for more Inclusive and Sustainable Governance’. BRICS has always stood as a strong global diplomatic forum that focuses on strengthening the Global South and taking steps towards making a multi-polar world. As a formal grouping, BRIC started after the meeting of the leaders of Russia, India, and China in St. Petersburg on the margins of the G8 Outreach Summit in 2006. The 1st BRIC Summit was held in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009. The international forum was initially named BRIC after its founding members, Brazil, Russia, India, and China, which established this forum in 2009. Later on, when South Africa joined the group of major emerging economies, it became BRICS.
BRICS has emerged as a powerful, influential bloc that possesses 49.5 % of the global population, 40% of the global GDP, and is responsible for 26% of global trade. As of 2025, BRICS is an 11-member international organization with Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Indonesia, which joined most recently in 2025. Under the presidency of Brazil, the 2025 conference focused on two major areas: the first one is to increase global south cooperation, and the second is BRICS Partnerships for Social, Economic, and Environmental Development.
Well, BRICS is undoubtedly influential, and it is important to study how this front plays a very important role in global governance. The Major Questions that arise here are: What is the role of India in the organisation? What key changes can be seen after the discussion of the 2025 summit? And how did the world powers like the United States respond to the gathering of such a powerful global bloc?
What Happened at the 2025 BRICS Summit:
The BRICS 2025 summit took place on 6-7 July in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil chaired the summit. Under the chairship of Lula, the front is aligning for peace‑focused spending over militarization.
The BRICS summit highlights were the 126 commitments discussed and signed by the member countries, which revolved around 6 key pillars. This includes promoting Peace, security, and international stability, as reflected in the opening speech of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil, who states, “We do not want a new Cold War or division into blocs.” BRICS exists to unite, not to isolate.” and “Instead of spending trillions on war, why not invest in ending hunger and poverty?” This statement reflects the ideology that focuses on the fundamental issues and addresses the sensitive concern of world political instability. An essential promise of the forum is to strengthen multilateralism & Reform Global Governance. The BRICS blog wants to focus on increased participation of developing countries, particularly those in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean, in global decision-making processes and structures. Spreading light on the key issues of International Economics, trade, and financial cooperation, the bloc has taken some major financial stands, such as emphasizing the need to increase the IMF quotas and the World Bank’s shareholding for emerging and developing nations. Also, efforts to deepen BRICS financial integration, including a shift toward trade in local currencies and possibly expanding the New Development Bank’s mandate, were thoroughly discussed
In the environmental front, the global forum will focus on combating climate change & Promoting Sustainable Development. Tropical Forest Forever Fund (TFFF) is among the major initiatives that will be taken by the member nations. The 17th BRICS summit also saw the launch of the BRICS Leaders’ Framework Declaration on Climate Finance, calling on developed nations to commit substantial, predictable funding. The summit analyzed the modern trend and is committed to exploring Artificial Intelligence & Technology, with which BRICS has adopted the BRICS Leaders’ Statement on Global Governance of AI. The members also emphasized on Initiation of the BRICS Partnership to Combat Socially Driven Diseases, focused on tackling health disparities stemming from poverty and social marginalization. Declarations were made on the Empowerment of youth and women, the Inclusion of persons with disabilities, and managing urbanization and migration effectively.
Youth support and development plans were intensely driven, crucial, and beneficial steps were taken, such as the expansion of BRICS Cultural Exchange Scholarships and joint educational programs, the launch of the BRICS Youth Social Entrepreneurship Fellowship, and the establishment of the BRICS Youth Innovation & Exchange Platform. These initiatives are highly focused on Cross-border startup incubation opportunities, Youth participation in climate justice, bridging the education-employment gap, and leadership among young people. The 17th BRICS summit saw an expansion to the traditional leaders’ declaration; brazil included three additional declarations that reflects a Ashared commitment to strengthening global governance, embracing modern adaptation, advancing environmental sustainability, and fostering global peace First being the BRICS Leaders’ Framework Declaration on Climate Finance, then the BRICS Leaders’ Declaration on Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence, and lastly the BRICS Partnership for the Elimination of Socially Determined Diseases.
India’s Stand at BRICS 2025:
● India’s stand at the 17th BRICS Summit strongly reflected its commitment to the development of the Global South, along with a firm stance against terrorism and a push for inclusive, multipolar global governance.
● Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that the world population is not effectively represented in the global platforms, and stood firmly against “Double Standards” used against the global south countries.
● Indian Prime Minister condemned the Pahalgam attack and called it “an assault on humanity” and also added that “victims and supporters of terrorism cannot be weighed on the same scale”. He stated a “Zero tolerance “ policy against sponsors and sanctuaries of terrorism.
● Accepting the changing landscape of technology, PM Modi adapted and proposed key Artificial Intelligence policies. India proposed to host an “AI Impact Summit” in 2026. India extended its strong support towards Responsible, inclusive AI governance.
● India has reaffirmed its commitment to South-South cooperation through initiatives like the BRICS Agricultural Research Platform. Other major contributions include advocating for trade in local currencies, pushing for demand-driven lending through the New Development Bank, and promoting inclusive growth through technology, health, and climate-focused collaborations.
U.S. Reaction: Trump’s Response to BRICS:
USA’s response to BRICS strategies with a threat of imposing a 10% additional tariff on the BRICS nations and countries supporting the BRICS agenda, which includes India. USA president Doland Trump is not very happy with the “de-dollarisation” approach that BRICS is adopting through promoting local currency. The USA says it is a clear attempt to degrade the value of the dollar.
Well, it is to understand that the USA’s reaction portrays that the BRICS nations can pose an actual threat to the superpower. Not only decreasing dependency in dollars is a strong step, but also the BRICS as an organisation is working towards building a multi-polar world with not one but various superpowers, which definitely affects the USA’s global standing and political monopoly.
By: Ishita Hota
