BRICS leaders have voiced concern over the growing risk of nuclear conflict and condemned deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure and peaceful nuclear facilities, warning that nuclear safety and security must be protected even during armed conflicts.
The warning came in the New Delhi BRICS Leaders’ Declaration, adopted during the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, where leaders also backed a stronger voice for the Global South in international institutions, called for reform of the UN Security Council (UNSC) and pressed for greater cooperation on trade, technology, finance, climate change and development.
Indian prime minister (PM) Narendra Modi, who chaired the session on 'Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism', used the summit to make a broader case for a more representative global order. He said that countries of the Global South are often at the forefront of global crises yet remain on the margins of decision-making.
“We must turn the ‘pyramid of privilege’ into a ‘platform of partnership’,” the PM said.
The declaration, adopted during the 12th September-13 September 2026 summit under the theme 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability', reaffirmed the bloc’s commitment to mutual respect, sovereign equality, solidarity, inclusiveness and consensus. It said the expanded BRICS should work towards a more representative and fairer international order, sustainable development and inclusive growth.
Nuclear Safety Takes Centre Stage
The strongest security warning in the declaration came against the backdrop of rising geopolitical tensions. BRICS leaders expressed 'serious concern' over deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure and peaceful nuclear facilities operating under full IAEA safeguards. They said nuclear safeguards, safety and security must always be upheld, including during armed conflicts, to protect people and the environment.
The declaration also called for restraint amid the continuing escalation of tensions in the Middle East and West Asia and stressed the need to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure. It urged countries to use dialogue and diplomacy to work towards lasting peace and to preserve the flow of global trade, energy and supply chains.
On Gaza, the BRICS leaders called for maintaining the ceasefire and ensuring full and unhindered humanitarian access. They expressed concern over continuing violence despite the October 2025 ceasefire agreement and opposed the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.
The declaration reaffirmed support for a two-State solution based on international law and relevant UN resolutions, including the establishment of a sovereign and viable Palestinian state within the internationally recognised 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The bloc also expressed concern over the worsening humanitarian situation in Sudan, called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire and backed an “African solution to African problems”. It reaffirmed support for Syria’s sovereignty and a Syrian-led, UN-facilitated political process.
Modi Puts Global South at the Heart of BRICS Agenda
PM Modi’s intervention focused heavily on the imbalance between the countries that bear the consequences of global crises and those that make the major decisions.
He argued that global governance must reflect present-day realities, with greater representation for developing countries, particularly in institutions such as the UNSC.
The prime minister also called for the Global South to move from being a 'rule-taker' to a 'rule-shaper'. He proposed that BRICS help young diplomats and policymakers from developing countries acquire negotiation skills, practical training and legal expertise.
PM Modi also highlighted the role of seafarers in keeping global trade moving and proposed a seafarers' emergency support network to provide support during crises.
The declaration backs this broader push. It calls for comprehensive UN reform, including reform of the security council, to make the institution more democratic, representative, effective and efficient. It specifically calls for increased representation of developing countries and says security council reform should amplify the voice of the Global South.
China and Russia, both permanent members of the USSC, reiterated their support for the aspirations of Brazil and India to play a greater role in the UN, including the security council.
The declaration also calls for greater representation of emerging and developing economies in the IMF and World Bank, including changes to voting and quota structures to correct what BRICS describes as historic under-representation.
Modi Warns against Weaponisation of Technology, Critical Minerals
PM Modi shifted the focus to the economic and technological pressures reshaping global trade. He warned that rising geopolitical tensions were increasingly affecting ordinary people and said BRICS needed to work together to tackle these challenges while promoting inclusive growth, particularly in the Global South.
He also raised concern over the 'weaponisation of technology and critical minerals', arguing that such developments could obstruct shared progress and prosperity.
The concern is reflected in the declaration's economic agenda. BRICS countries have backed stronger industrial cooperation, technology transfer, innovation and resilient supply chains, while supporting entrepreneurship, startups and greater access to markets and technology for small businesses.
The declaration welcomes work on photovoltaic manufacturing, intelligent manufacturing, robotics and advanced digital production. It also identifies artificial intelligence, quantum technologies and other emerging technologies as areas for greater scientific and industrial cooperation.
Push for Faster, Cheaper Cross-border Payments
The economic section of the declaration gives considerable attention to reducing friction in trade and payments between BRICS countries.
The BRICS payment task force has been examining the interoperability of payment and messaging systems, as well as discussions on trade settlements and investment using local currencies.
The leaders stopped short of prescribing a single model. Instead, they called for practical solutions that would make cross-border payments faster, cheaper, more accessible, efficient, transparent and safe, while respecting national priorities.
BRICS also backed further work on its economic partnership strategy 2030 and efforts to strengthen global value chains, special economic zones, trade facilitation and digitalisation of trade documentation.
The New Development Bank, meanwhile, is expected to play a larger role in mobilising development finance, expanding local-currency financing, and supporting infrastructure and sustainable development projects across emerging economies.
The declaration describes the Bank as a crucial BRICS institution for reducing inequalities, supporting resilience, and meeting development needs in the Global South.
AI, Cybercrime and Digital Security
Technology cooperation extends beyond economic development. The leaders called for stronger cooperation against cybercrime, including cross-border fraud, misinformation, disinformation and deepfakes. The declaration also backs greater coordination on cybersecurity and the responsible development and use of artificial intelligence (AI).
In the financial sector, BRICS countries welcomed cooperation on cybersecurity, AI and quantum computing and supported annual cyber exercises and drills to improve resilience.
The bloc's BRICS Rapid Information Security Channel and Fintech Working Group are already working on risks and opportunities arising from emerging technologies, with an emphasis on the needs of emerging markets and developing economies.
Climate, Infrastructure and Resilience
Climate change is another major strand of the declaration. BRICS leaders reaffirmed support for the Paris Agreement and called for stronger action on mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage and financing for developing countries. They noted that high debt burdens are limiting many developing economies' ability to invest in climate resilience and called for international action to expand fiscal space and climate financing.
The bloc also backed cooperation on sustainable transport, low-carbon aviation fuels, resilient logistics and urban infrastructure. A BRICS Urban Mobility Hub and a Logistics Supply-Chain Cooperation Framework were among the initiatives welcomed by the leaders.
The declaration also addresses water scarcity, drought, desertification, wildfires, forests, biodiversity and waste management, reflecting the summit's broader emphasis on resilience and sustainability.
BRICS Expansion and Institutional Consolidation
The declaration presents the expanded BRICS as a platform that increasingly represents the interests of emerging markets and developing countries.
Leaders welcomed the contribution of partner countries and encouraged their participation in BRICS engagements and practical cooperation. India was commended for hosting the Outreach/BRICS Plus Dialogue segment of the summit.
The bloc also stressed that expansion would require stronger institutions and better coordination if BRICS is to translate its growing influence into sustained outcomes.
Among the initiatives welcomed were a BRICS online archival database, stronger parliamentary and judicial cooperation, business-to-business engagement and the BRICS women’s business alliance, which focuses on women's entrepreneurship, finance, markets, technology and skills.
The declaration concludes by commending India's 2026 BRICS chairship and extending full support to China, which will take over the chair in 2027 and host the next BRICS summit.
For India, the summit therefore goes beyond a conventional leaders' meeting. New Delhi has used its chairship to push a familiar but increasingly prominent argument: that the institutions shaping global rules must better reflect the economic and political weight of emerging economies.
PM Modi's formulation at the summit was blunt — the Global South should no longer remain in the back row when decisions affecting its future are made. The New Delhi Declaration attempts to turn that argument into a wider BRICS agenda spanning security, finance, trade, technology, climate and global governance.
