DID Press: BRICS member states agreed on Saturday on the text of a joint declaration for the group’s 18th summit, which is expected to condemn unilateral war by any country without directly naming a specific state, according to four sources familiar with the matter.
According to Reuters, the agreement was reached after BRICS diplomats worked to bridge differences among members and find a position acceptable to all sides on developments in the Middle East. The agreement comes as Iran and the United Arab Emirates, both BRICS members, hold differing positions over the war in the region.
Foreign ministers of BRICS countries also failed to issue a joint statement at their meeting in New Delhi in May because of disagreements over the Middle East crisis. The latest agreement on a leaders’ declaration could therefore signal an effort by members to preserve the group’s cohesion despite geopolitical differences.
Alongside its political positions, BRICS is seeking a greater role in international institutions and has been pursuing reforms to institutions such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the World Trade Organization. BRICS finance ministers and central bank governors recently called for reforms to global financial institutions to give emerging economies a stronger voice.
Leaders from Russia, China, Iran, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates are among those attending the 18th BRICS summit in New Delhi. The group now includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the UAE, representing more than 40% of the world’s population and nearly a quarter of the global economy.
BRICS was established in 2009 to increase the role of emerging powers and challenge the dominance of Western-led global institutions. The group has expanded significantly in recent years, with Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the UAE joining in 2024 and Indonesia becoming a member in 2025.