New Delhi, India — The 18th BRICS Summit, held under India’s Presidency, has officially concluded, with leaders adopting the New Delhi Declaration, which reaffirms the spirit of mutual respect and understanding, sovereign equality, solidarity, democracy, openness, inclusiveness, collaboration, and consensus.
The New Delhi BRICS Leaders’ Declaration sets out the shared priorities, commitments, and direction for BRICS cooperation going forward.
President Cyril Ramaphosa participated in the gathering, where leaders of BRICS countries met in New Delhi, India, from 12 to 13 September 2026 for the XVIII BRICS Summit, held under the theme: “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”
During a media briefing at the conclusion of the Summit on Sunday, the President congratulated India for hosting a successful gathering and said he looked forward to the next Summit, which will be held in China in 2027.
“What really stood out was our commitment, as BRICS, to focus on advancing global governance of the multilateral system.
“All of us are saying that we adhere to a multilateral system where there is no dominance of one player or country over others; where we want countries that are in BRICS, and indeed countries outside of BRICS as well, to respect one another and to respect the sovereignty of all our countries in the world,” he said.
He stressed that BRICS wants a multilateral system without dominance by any one country.
“For instance, all of us did confirm that we want a multipolar world, a world that will live in harmony and that will advance the interests of each one of us,” President Ramaphosa said.
The BRICS grouping wants to focus on the advancement of all economies and improving people’s lives.
“And that, to me, was the key and central issue because we now live in a world that faces a lot of challenges and conflicts at the geopolitical level," the President said.
South Africa used the Summit to advance its diplomatic and economic priorities, particularly by expanding intra-BRICS trade and investment, promoting industrialisation and value addition, and mobilising investment in African infrastructure aligned with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
During its Presidency, India convened over 400 meetings and engagements involving Ministers, Parliamentarians, Heads of Agencies, officials, experts, businesses, and people in 30 cities across India under the BRICS cooperation framework, contributing to the strengthening of the BRICS strategic partnership.
“We welcome the progress made in enhancing collective resilience, promoting innovation-driven economic growth, advancing sustainable development, deepening people-to-people exchanges, and amplifying the voice of BRICS for greater representation in global governance,” the New Delhi Declaration said.
The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the BRICS spirit of mutual respect and understanding, sovereign equality, solidarity, democracy, openness, inclusiveness, collaboration, and consensus.
“Building on two decades of BRICS, we further commit ourselves to strengthening cooperation in the expanded BRICS under the three pillars of political and security, economic and financial, [and] cultural and people-to-people cooperation, and to enhancing our strategic partnership for the benefit of our people through the promotion of peace, a more representative, fairer international order, a reinvigorated and reformed multilateral system, sustainable development and inclusive growth.
“We recognise the valuable contribution of Partner Countries to BRICS cooperation. We underscore our strong belief that advancing the BRICS partnership with Emerging Markets and Developing Countries (EMDCs) will further contribute to strengthening the spirit of solidarity and international cooperation for the benefit of all,” the Declaration said.
The leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to fostering inclusive, mutually beneficial and development-oriented partnerships with Partner Countries.
“We encourage their increasing participation in BRICS engagements and practical cooperation in areas of shared interest.
“We commend India for hosting the Outreach/BRICS Plus Dialogue segment of the 18th BRICS Summit, which injects new impetus to strengthen international cooperation and solidarity,” the Delhi Declaration said.
The grouping commended the significant progress achieved under India's BRICS Chairship in 2026, under the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, which reflects a shared commitment to strengthening BRICS cooperation in addressing common challenges through a balanced, practical, actionable, inclusive, development-oriented and people-centred approach.
“We reaffirm our commitment to advancing cooperation on the thematic priorities, particularly through strengthening capacities, promoting innovation, and advancing sustainable development and resilience,” the Declaration noted.
Having arrived in India on Friday, President Ramaphosa delivered remarks at the BRICS Business Forum focusing on trade and supply chains, agriculture, women-led development, the digital economy and innovation.
The Forum brought together BRICS leaders and business representatives, including members of the BRICS Business Council and BRICS Women’s Business Alliance, as well as investors and entrepreneurs from BRICS countries and partner economies.
The Forum plays an important role in shaping the BRICS economic agenda and strengthening business-to-business cooperation.
On Saturday, 12 September 2026, President Ramaphosa addressed the India-South Africa Business Leadership Roundtable, focusing on enhancing bilateral trade and investment between the two countries.
The forum also sought to encourage additional Indian foreign direct investment in key sectors, including pharmaceuticals, infrastructure, critical minerals, and the electric vehicle battery value chain.
Later in the day, he participated in a closed session of BRICS Leaders entitled: “Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism.”
The session considered the need for a more inclusive, representative, and responsive global governance architecture, with a focus on reforming the United Nations system, the international financial architecture, and the multilateral trading system.
On Sunday, 13 September 2026, President Ramaphosa delivered a statement during the Summit’s open session for BRICS and invited leaders which focused on India’s Chairship priorities.
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— SAnews.gov.za
