BRICS Summit: Big push for Global South to become ‘rule-shaper,’ 10-point reform roadmap – What PM Modi said

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday called for a more ambitious BRICS agenda for the next two decades while pitching the grouping as a platform through which the Global South can move from being a passive recipient of global decisions to an active force in shaping them.Addressing the BRICS Summit 2026 in New Delhi, Modi said the grouping had reached a moment of “coming of age” after two decades of building its identity on the global stage.Modi said BRICS must now translate its internal unity and consensus into tangible results internationally.

“Now is the time for us to translate our unity and consensus within BRICS into tangible results on the global stage,” Modi said in his opening remarks.Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and President of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi are among the global leaders attending the summit.From a ‘pyramid of privilege’ to a ‘platform of partnership’At the heart of Modi’s address was a call for reform of global governance, which he said remains heavily skewed towards a handful of powerful nations.

“Today, the Global South stands in the front row of global crises but in the back row of decision-making,” Modi said.PM Modi likened the existing global governance system to a “pyramid”, with power and decision-making concentrated at the top, while countries lower down are often left to deal with the consequences of decisions in which they have little say.Modi proposed turning this “pyramid of privilege” into a “platform of partnership” where every country has a voice and a stake.India is the BRICS Chair for the 2026 edition.

The two-day summit is being held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”. To advance this agenda, PM Modi proposed that BRICS jointly formulate 10 proposals for global governance reform, aiming to turn them into a BRICS reform roadmap by the next summit.UN Security Council reform pushPM Modi placed reform of the United Nations Security Council at the centre of his call for greater representation.

He said the issue could “no longer be postponed” and called for negotiations to be tied to a definite timeframe and clear outcomes.PM Modi also argued that voting power, leadership positions and policy priorities in international financial institutions must better reflect today's economic realities. “Countries that drive global economic growth should also play an appropriate role in shaping global economic governance,” PM Modi said.Global South must become a ‘rule-shaper’PM Modi also turned his focus to emerging technologies, warning that the countries of the Global South cannot afford to remain merely consumers of rules created elsewhere.Artificial intelligence, cyberspace, outer space, biotechnology and other critical technologies, he said, will not only create future economic opportunities but also determine the rules governing them.“

We must strive to transform the Global South from a ‘rule-taker’ into a ‘rule-shaper’,” Modi said.PM Modi proposed using BRICS to equip young diplomats and policymakers from Global South countries with negotiation skills, practical training and legal expertise so they can play a larger role in shaping international rules.The Global South is a term used in international relations and economics to describe developing, less-developed, or emerging economies, primarily located in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Oceania.A BRICS mechanism to ensure continuityPM Modi also called for changes within BRICS itself to ensure that the grouping's agenda does not lose momentum as its presidency rotates from one country to another every year.

He proposed creating a BRICS continuity and implementation mechanism, with the Troika arrangement playing a greater role in following up on initiatives and summit outcomes.PM Modi also suggested creating a secure digital repository to track the nodal point, timeframe, and implementation status of every BRICS decision.The objective, he said, is to ensure that the annual change in presidency does not disrupt institutional momentum.A support network for seafarersPM Modi also put forward a specific humanitarian proposal, calling for the creation of a ‘Seafarers' Emergency Support Network’.

The proposed network would connect maritime authorities and diplomatic missions of relevant countries to provide assistance to seafarers facing emergencies.It could facilitate distress alerts, medical assistance, family notifications and evacuations, Modi said.The proposal comes against the backdrop of the critical role seafarers play in sustaining global trade, yet they often receive limited support during crises.A new BRICS agenda for the next 20 yearsTaken together, Modi's proposals point towards a broader vision for BRICS — one that goes beyond economic cooperation to include global governance, technology, institutional reform and humanitarian coordination.He framed this agenda around three broad themes: Representation, Responsiveness and Rule-making.The larger message was that an expanding BRICS should not merely seek a greater share of existing global power structures, but help redesign them.The proposed 10-point reform roadmap, continuity mechanism and rule-making initiatives could therefore become key markers of India's BRICS chairship as the grouping looks towards its next two decades.(

With agency inputs)