Twenty years after the first BRIC foreign ministers met, the grouping has reached a moment that could define its next two decades. The message emerging from New Delhi is no longer simply that the Global South deserves to be heard. It is that developing and emerging powers want a greater role in deciding how the international system itself operates.Prime Minister Narendra Modi captured that ambition at the BRICS Summit by arguing that the Global South must move from being “rule-takers” to “rule-shapers.” It is a powerful formulation because it strikes at the fundamental complaint underlying BRICS: much of today's international architecture was designed around a distribution of power that no longer reflects today's world.The United Nations Security Council remains dominated by its five permanent members. Global financial institutions continue to face demands for greater developing-world representation. Meanwhile, new rules governing artificial intelligence, cyberspace, biotechnology, critical technologies and even outer space are being developed. BRICS wants the Global South involved in writing those rules rather than inheriting them.<h2>Consensus amid contradiction</h2>The unanimous adoption of the New Delhi Declaration is therefore significant. BRICS is hardly a collection of natural allies. India and China have their own strategic competition. Russia and China often envisage BRICS as a stronger geopolitical counterweight to Western power, while India and Brazil have traditionally resisted turning the grouping into an explicitly anti-Western alliance.Then there are Iran and the United Arab Emirates, whose competing geopolitical interests made consensus particularly difficult amid escalating conflict in the Middle East. Yet New Delhi produced agreement.The declaration expressed deep concern over escalating Middle Eastern tensions, urged maximum restraint and reaffirmed peaceful settlement of international disputes through dialogue, consultation and diplomacy. BRICS members also raised concerns over unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures that distort international trade.<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/the-verdict-brics-at-20-can-the-expanded-bloc-rewrite-the-rules-of-global-power-1789231807715/embed">https://www.wionews.com/videos/the-verdict-brics-at-20-can-the-expanded-bloc-rewrite-the-rules-of-global-power-1789231807715/embed</a>That does not suddenly transform BRICS into a unified geopolitical alliance. But the ability to put fundamentally different governments behind common language matters.<h2>A rival to the United Nations?</h2>Comparisons with the United Nations require caution. BRICS is not a universal organisation, does not possess the UN's treaty architecture and cannot replicate the Security Council or the UN's enormous network of international agencies. Nor does it necessarily need to. Its potential lies elsewhere.In an increasingly fragmented international system, BRICS could evolve into another centre of multilateral coordination — particularly for countries that believe their influence has not kept pace with their economic and demographic weight.Its members already account for more than 40 per cent of humanity and roughly a quarter of global economic output. The New Development Bank has meanwhile approved nearly $43 billion worth of projects, demonstrating that BRICS has already produced institutions beyond summit diplomacy. The bigger question is whether political declarations can now translate into sustained action.<h2>The test of adulthood</h2>At twenty, BRICS has reached what India describes as a “coming of age” moment. And adulthood brings responsibilities. It is easier to demand reform than to agree on what the replacement should look like. It is easier to criticise unequal global institutions than to reconcile the competing interests of ten very different BRICS members.That will determine whether BRICS becomes an enduring pillar of twenty-first-century multilateralism or remains primarily an annual platform for declarations. The significance of New Delhi therefore lies less in whether BRICS can overthrow the existing international order. India's proposition is more subtle — and perhaps more consequential.The world does not necessarily need another group of countries dictating the rules. It needs more countries participating in writing them. For decades, much of the Global South has lived within an international architecture largely designed elsewhere. At twenty, BRICS is signalling that it no longer intends merely to occupy a seat inside that architecture. It wants a hand in redesigning it.

Celebrating twenty years, BRICS aims to transform the Global South from rule-takers into rule-shapers. Reaching consensus in New Delhi, members advocate for multilateral global architecture reform, trade fairness, and inclusive rulemaking.

Twenty years after the first BRIC foreign ministers met, the grouping has reached a moment that could define its next two decades. The message emerging from New Delhi is no longer simply that the Global South deserves to be heard. It is that developing and emerging powers want a greater role in deciding how the international system itself operates. Prime Minister Narendra Modi captured that ambition at the BRICS Summit by arguing that the Global South must move from being “rule-takers” to “rule-shapers.” It is a powerful formulation because it strikes at the fundamental complaint underlying BRICS: much of today's international architecture was designed around a distribution of power that no longer reflects today's world. The United Nations Security Council remains dominated by its five permanent members. Global financial institutions continue to face demands for greater developing-world representation. Meanwhile, new rules governing artificial intelligence, cyberspace, biotechnology, critical technologies and even outer space are being developed. BRICS wants the Global South involved in writing those rules rather than inheriting them. Consensus amid contradiction The unanimous adoption of the New Delhi Declaration is therefore significant. BRICS is hardly a collection of natural allies. India and China have their own strategic competition. Russia and China often envisage BRICS as a stronger geopolitical counterweight to Western power, while India and Brazil have traditionally resisted turning the grouping into an explicitly anti-Western alliance. Then there are Iran and the United Arab Emirates, whose competing geopolitical interests made consensus particularly difficult amid escalating conflict in the Middle East. Yet New Delhi produced agreement. The declaration expressed deep concern over escalating Middle Eastern tensions, urged maximum restraint and reaffirmed peaceful settlement of international disputes through dialogue, consultation and diplomacy. BRICS members also raised concerns over unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures that distort international trade. https://www.wionews.com/videos/the-verdict-brics-at-20-can-the-expanded-bloc-rewrite-the-rules-of-global-power-1789231807715/embed That does not suddenly transform BRICS into a unified geopolitical alliance. But the ability to put fundamentally different governments behind common language matters. A rival to the United Nations? Comparisons with the United Nations require caution. BRICS is not a universal organisation, does not possess the UN's treaty architecture and cannot replicate the Security Council or the UN's enormous network of international agencies. Nor does it necessarily need to. Its potential lies elsewhere. In an increasingly fragmented international system, BRICS could evolve into another centre of multilateral coordination — particularly for countries that believe their influence has not kept pace with their economic and demographic weight. Its members already account for more than 40 per cent of humanity and roughly a quarter of global economic output. The New Development Bank has meanwhile approved nearly $43 billion worth of projects, demonstrating that BRICS has already produced institutions beyond summit diplomacy. The bigger question is whether political declarations can now translate into sustained action. The test of adulthood At twenty, BRICS has reached what India describes as a “coming of age” moment. And adulthood brings responsibilities. It is easier to demand reform than to agree on what the replacement should look like. It is easier to criticise unequal global institutions than to reconcile the competing interests of ten very different BRICS members. That will determine whether BRICS becomes an enduring pillar of twenty-first-century multilateralism or remains primarily an annual platform for declarations. The significance of New Delhi therefore lies less in whether BRICS can overthrow the existing international order. India's proposition is more subtle — and perhaps more consequential. The world does not necessarily need another group of countries dictating the rules. It needs more countries participating in writing them. For decades, much of the Global South has lived within an international architecture largely designed elsewhere. At twenty, BRICS is signalling that it no longer intends merely to occupy a seat inside that architecture. It wants a hand in redesigning it.

Celebrating twenty years, BRICS aims to transform the Global South from rule-takers into rule-shapers. Reaching consensus in New Delhi, members advocate for multilateral global architecture reform, trade fairness, and inclusive rulemaking.

BRICS at 20: The rule-takers want to become rule-shapers

UN Secretary-General's Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric has explicitly backed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's push for comprehensive United Nations Security Council (UNSC) reforms. He stressed India's leadership in securing a unanimous joint consensus. PM Modi argued that the five-nation Security Council do not reflect the realities of the 21st century and the UN must adapt to the world of 2026. Dujarric confirmed that there was an urgent need to reform the Council and other international institutions.&nbsp;"I think if you listen to what the Secretary-General has been saying, since he got into office and, frankly, his predecessor as well, is that there is a fundamental need for reform of the Security Council. The heart of the peace and security architecture of the United Nations is the Security Council. The fact that you look at the way the Council is made up now, of the 5 permanent members, it is no longer a reflection of the 21st century. Whether it is the Security Council or the international financial institutions or all sorts of other international institutions, they need to reflect 2026, and no longer 1945. It is high time that we adapt this organisation to the realities of the world so it is truly representative and even more effective," said UN Secretary-General's Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, speaking on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in New Delhi.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/brics-rejects-eu-carbon-border-adjustment-mechanism-global-south-1789226513834">BRICS rejects EU carbon tax as ‘punitive’, ‘discriminatory’; warns of burden on Global South</a>Modi said He said the Global South was at the forefront of global crises but remained in the "back row" of decision-making, and proposed transforming the "pyramid of privilege" into a "platform of partnership" where every country has a voice and stake. The New Delhi declaration demands expanded representation for developing economies and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean; the declaration was unanimously adopted by all eleven member nations."I think the Secretary-General congratulated PM Modi when he met him yesterday for his presidency of the BRICS. I have read that there is a joint declaration, but we haven't seen it yet. But the fact that the group could come up with a joint declaration is something to the credit of India's presidency," &nbsp;said UN Secretary-General's Spokesperson Stéphane DujarricPrime Minister Modi had been pushing for a reform in the United Nations Security Council for years. In 2023, in Johannesburg, Modi called for defining timelines to change the UNSC reform; in 2025 in Rio, he called for changes to "governance structures, voting rights and leadership positions" in global institutions. In 2026, with India as Chair, Modi suggested 10 proposals could be developed into a “BRICS Reform Roadmap” by the next summit.

UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric backs Modi’s push for UNSC reform, saying the Council and global institutions must reflect the realities of 2026.

UN Secretary-General's Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric has explicitly backed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's push for comprehensive United Nations Security Council (UNSC) reforms. He stressed India's leadership in securing a unanimous joint consensus. PM Modi argued that the five-nation Security Council do not reflect the realities of the 21st century and the UN must adapt to the world of 2026. Dujarric confirmed that there was an urgent need to reform the Council and other international institutions. "I think if you listen to what the Secretary-General has been saying, since he got into office and, frankly, his predecessor as well, is that there is a fundamental need for reform of the Security Council. The heart of the peace and security architecture of the United Nations is the Security Council. The fact that you look at the way the Council is made up now, of the 5 permanent members, it is no longer a reflection of the 21st century. Whether it is the Security Council or the international financial institutions or all sorts of other international institutions, they need to reflect 2026, and no longer 1945. It is high time that we adapt this organisation to the realities of the world so it is truly representative and even more effective," said UN Secretary-General's Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, speaking on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in New Delhi. Also Read: BRICS rejects EU carbon tax as ‘punitive’, ‘discriminatory’; warns of burden on Global South Modi said He said the Global South was at the forefront of global crises but remained in the "back row" of decision-making, and proposed transforming the "pyramid of privilege" into a "platform of partnership" where every country has a voice and stake. The New Delhi declaration demands expanded representation for developing economies and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean; the declaration was unanimously adopted by all eleven member nations. "I think the Secretary-General congratulated PM Modi when he met him yesterday for his presidency of the BRICS. I have read that there is a joint declaration, but we haven't seen it yet. But the fact that the group could come up with a joint declaration is something to the credit of India's presidency," said UN Secretary-General's Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric Prime Minister Modi had been pushing for a reform in the United Nations Security Council for years. In 2023, in Johannesburg, Modi called for defining timelines to change the UNSC reform; in 2025 in Rio, he called for changes to "governance structures, voting rights and leadership positions" in global institutions. In 2026, with India as Chair, Modi suggested 10 proposals could be developed into a “BRICS Reform Roadmap” by the next summit.

UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric backs Modi’s push for UNSC reform, saying the Council and global institutions must reflect the realities of 2026.

UN backs Modi’s push for UNSC reform, end to ‘pyramid of privilege’

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BRICS at 20: The rule-takers want to become rule-shapers

UN backs Modi’s push for UNSC reform, end to ‘pyramid of privilege’