India aced its BRICS chairship as diplomat, host and member

Source: Firstpost | Original Published At: 2026-10-13 13:15:58 UTC

Key Points

• India hosted the 18th BRICS summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on September 12 and 13.
• BRICS leaders adopted the 140-paragraph New Delhi Declaration by consensus, described as the longest in the bloc's history.
• The declaration urged maximum restraint, condemned unilateral coercive measures and secondary sanctions, and called for protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure.
• Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian and the UAE's Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed held their highest-level meeting since the war began on the summit sidelines.
• The declaration did not announce a common currency or a dollar-replacement plan, focusing instead on local-currency lending by the New Development Bank and cross-border payment cooperation.
• India reported more than 50 practical outcomes, including a Startup Innovation Fund, a counter-terrorism action plan, a digital public infrastructure repository, an urban mobility hub, and a proposed BRICS Risk Lab at GIFT City.