BRICS must manage its growing differences to remain effective

The 18th BRICS Summit took place in India under the theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation, and Sustainability." BRICS countries collectively represent more than 40% of the world's population and nearly a quarter of global GDP.

It was the first summit with the expanded membership of 11 countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

The 18th BRICS Summit was significant because it expanded cooperation beyond traditional economic issues to include global governance, finance, health, agriculture, artificial intelligence, climate resilience, energy and maritime safety.

The move from five to 11 members has increased BRICS' demographic and economic weight, but also its geopolitical and ideological heterogeneity, making cohesive action harder.

Managing an expanded and divided bloc

The major challenges at the summit included geopolitical conflicts, differences among members, financial cooperation, trade tensions and the difficulty of maintaining a common position on international issues.

The summit's principal challenge was not agenda-setting — India proposed an ambitious programme across governance, security, trade and technology — but extracting consensus in a "very polarised world" where members are simultaneously partners and adversaries.

One of the most difficult challenges was the presence of countries with conflicting geopolitical interests within the same grouping. The bloc faced internal friction given their differing regional security alliances and diplomatic approaches towards Middle Eastern stability.

The participation of Iran and the UAE, for example, was particularly significant given the tensions in the Middle East. Despite bilateral discussions between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, long-standing border issues, competition in the Indian Ocean and trade imbalances continue to complicate deeper economic integration within the bloc.

The summit placed emphasis on unity, economic cooperation, technological development, diplomatic dialogue and greater representation of the Global South. 

Deepening economic and institutional cooperation

BRICS members advanced work on the BRICS Economic Partnership Strategy 2030 and discussed ways to increase trade and investment among member countries.

The leaders endorsed efforts to link domestic messaging and payment systems to make cross-border transactions faster, cheaper and safer, acknowledging technical and regulatory complexities across members. Overall, the summit strengthened BRICS as a forum for cooperation among emerging and developing economies.

The BRICS summit reinforced its call for a greater role for the Global South in international institutions. BRICS reaffirmed support for a more democratic, representative and effective international order with the UN at its centre, and backed comprehensive UN Security Council (UNSC) reform to amplify the voice of the Global South.

BRICS members strongly called for structural reforms to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), World Trade Organisation (WTO), International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank to grant emerging economies greater voting weight and representation.

They formally condemned the use of non-UN-sanctioned unilateral trade restrictions, arbitrary tariffs and economic coercion, reaffirming commitment to a rules-based multilateral trading architecture.

Moreover, BRICS members demonstrated their commitment to multilateralism, international law, sustainable development and greater representation of developing countries in global decision-making.

Agriculture, AI and climate resilience

The summit promoted greater cooperation in agriculture. BRICS agreed to strengthen cooperation through networks dealing with agroecology, regenerative agriculture and digital agriculture. The initiatives are intended to encourage climate-resilient farming, knowledge sharing, technological innovation and improved agricultural productivity.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies were another major area of discussion.

The declaration recognised the potential of AI to contribute to economic growth and sustainable development while stressing the importance of safety, security, inclusiveness and reliability. BRICS members committed themselves to greater international cooperation on AI governance, research and innovation, particularly with attention to the interests of developing countries.

The summit placed considerable emphasis on sustainable development and resilience. BRICS supported cooperation on climate-resilient infrastructure, disaster-risk reduction and early-warning systems. The members also discussed energy security, resilient supply chains, smart grids, energy storage and the use of new technologies in energy systems. The declaration emphasised that the transition towards cleaner energy should take account of the different circumstances and development needs of individual countries.

Addressing global conflicts and security

The summit also addressed major international conflicts and called for dialogue, diplomacy and restraint.

The New Delhi Declaration reaffirmed BRICS' opposition to terrorism and called for international cooperation against terrorism. The leaders reiterated a zero-tolerance policy against terrorism financing, safe havens and cross-border insurgencies.

Amid regional conflicts, member nations jointly issued a unified call for immediate de-escalation, maximum restraint, protection of civilian infrastructure and unhindered access for humanitarian relief in Gaza.

The 18th BRICS Summit was significant because it demonstrated the continued effort of BRICS countries to strengthen cooperation and increase the representation of developing and emerging economies in global affairs.

The summit produced a joint declaration, advanced discussions on economic and financial cooperation, promoted technological collaboration and reaffirmed calls for reform of global institutions.

Where consensus remained elusive

However, there are a few issues that could not be resolved. The summit did not create a single BRICS currency.

Instead, it deepened work on trade settlements in national currencies and interoperable cross-border payment systems via the BRICS Payment Task Force.

Moreover, no comprehensive BRICS free-trade agreement was concluded. Economic outcomes remain focused on facilitation, customs cooperation and payment interoperability rather than deep tariff liberalisation.

All 11 BRICS members and participating partners adopted the 45-page, 140-point declaration by consensus despite acute geopolitical divisions.

However, the summit's achievements should not be viewed as the resolution of all BRICS differences. Its success lies less in dramatic breakthroughs than in managing divergence, keeping the expanded bloc functional and converting a crowded agenda into actionable mechanisms.

Many people see the success of the 18th BRICS in terms of its ability to bring together leaders of the expanded BRICS grouping at a time of major geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainty and changes in the global balance of power.

In fact, the Summit can be judged a diplomatic and institutional success.

The summit acted as a diplomatic hub, featuring over 15 bilateral meetings on the sidelines.

Notably, it provided a platform for high-level meetings between host Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to navigate complex regional and border dynamics developing nations.

Unfortunately, Bangladesh missed an opportunity to have bilateral meetings of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman with some of these leaders on the sidelines.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman skipped the 18 BRICS summit in Delhi as he was invited as Chair of BIMSTEC. History will judge whether such a move was wise or not.

The challenge of sustaining BRICS cooperation

The 18th BRICS Summit strengthened the framework for cooperation among BRICS countries and highlighted the grouping's growing role in discussions about the future of the international economic and political order.

Its long-term success will depend on whether the agreements and proposals discussed in New Delhi can be translated into practical and sustained cooperation among its increasingly diverse members.

Dr Sajjad M Jasimuddin is a Professor (professeur senior) at Kedge Business School and head of the Geopolitics Strategy Lab in France.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.