India’s 2026 BRICS chairmanship is set to reach its most important stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosting the expanded 11-member BRICS Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13.
The summit at Bharat Mandapam comes as the grouping seeks to define its role after expansion and as India pushes a more practical agenda focused on economic cooperation, technology, security, sustainable development and a stronger voice for the Global South. The summit is expected to bring discussions on trade, finance, energy security and reform of global institutions to the forefront.
India’s BRICS chairship enters crucial phase
India assumed the BRICS chairship at the beginning of 2026 and has sought to use the presidency to promote practical cooperation among member countries.
The government has framed the chairship around “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, with a people-centric approach. The agenda has been reflected in a series of ministerial and sectoral meetings held across India during the year.
The New Delhi summit will provide the political-level platform for bringing together the priorities developed through those engagements.
Expanded 11-member BRICS
The Delhi meeting will be the first BRICS leaders’ summit hosted by India since the grouping expanded to 11 members.
The enlarged grouping includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia, along with Saudi Arabia's position within the expanded BRICS framework being subject to differing descriptions in international reporting.
The expansion has increased BRICS' economic and geopolitical weight but has also made consensus more complicated because members have different foreign-policy priorities and relationships with major global powers.
For India, managing these differences while maintaining a workable agenda will be one of the central tests of its chairmanship.
Trade and economic cooperation on agenda
Economic cooperation is expected to remain a major pillar of the summit.
India has already secured progress during its chairship on the Strategy for BRICS Economic Partnership 2030 and initiatives aimed at strengthening trade, services and resilient global value chains.
At the BRICS Trade Ministers’ Meeting in Jaipur in August, members also agreed on guiding principles aimed at improving MSME access to credit and addressing trade-finance gaps.
The summit could build on these discussions and seek stronger cooperation among member economies at a time of changing global supply chains and continuing trade tensions.
Technology and innovation gain importance
Technology is another area where India is seeking deeper BRICS cooperation.
New Delhi has emphasised collaboration in emerging technologies, digital infrastructure and innovation while also highlighting the need to address common challenges such as cybersecurity.
During a June meeting with BRICS national security advisers and senior security officials, PM Modi said the grouping had an important role in cooperation on terrorism, cybersecurity and emerging technologies.
These priorities are expected to feed into the broader leaders’ discussions.
Global South and global governance
India is also expected to use the summit to strengthen the BRICS platform as a voice for developing and emerging economies.
New Delhi has consistently advocated greater representation for developing countries in international institutions and a more inclusive global governance structure.
The challenge for India will be to turn broad agreement on reform into practical proposals acceptable to an expanded grouping whose members do not always share the same geopolitical priorities.
Security cooperation remains significant
Security is another important component of India's BRICS agenda.
The country has sought greater cooperation against terrorism, cyber threats and other emerging security challenges. The June meeting of BRICS national security advisers was part of this broader effort to strengthen institutional cooperation among member countries.
However, geopolitical differences within the expanded group could make consensus on sensitive security and international issues more difficult.
India builds BRICS cooperation beyond diplomacy
India's chairmanship has extended beyond traditional political and economic discussions.
The BRICS Urbanisation Forum held in New Delhi in June focused on inclusive and resilient urban development, while the Youth and Sports meetings in Visakhapatnam addressed cooperation in youth development, sports technology and manufacturing.
The BRICS Culture Ministers’ Meeting in Bhopal also concluded with the adoption of the Bhopal Declaration, creating a framework for deeper cultural cooperation among member and partner countries.
These sectoral initiatives form part of India's attempt to make BRICS cooperation broader and more directly connected to development priorities.
Delhi summit will test India's diplomatic strategy
The September summit will ultimately test whether India can turn its chairmanship theme into concrete outcomes while holding together an increasingly diverse grouping.
The expanded BRICS has greater economic and diplomatic reach, but its members differ significantly on global conflicts, trade policy and relations with Western powers. India has therefore sought to position the grouping around practical cooperation rather than allowing it to become defined solely by geopolitical rivalry.
With PM Modi hosting leaders in New Delhi, India's central task will be to demonstrate that an expanded BRICS can still produce consensus and implementable initiatives.
The summit is consequently important not only for India's year-long chairmanship but also for determining how the enlarged BRICS positions itself in the evolving global economic and diplomatic order.
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