Key Highlights:
- PM Modi and BRICS leaders, including Putin, Xi Jinping and Prabowo Subianto, participated in a joint tree plantation at Bharat Mandapam.
- Leaders posed for a traditional family photo, holding hands during the ceremony.
- PM Modi announced the unanimous adoption of the New Delhi Declaration 2026 and launched two commemorative postage stamps marking 20 years of BRICS.
- Modi said discussions emphasised reforms in representation, responsiveness and rule-making within global institutions.
- He stressed that the Global South must have equal participation in shaping future technology rules.
A Symbolic Gesture Amid High-Level Diplomacy
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leaders of BRICS member countries took part in a joint tree plantation initiative on the lawns of Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Saturday, adding a symbolic, environmentally themed moment to a day dominated by formal summit proceedings. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira all joined PM Modi for the initiative, before the group posed together, holding hands, for the summit's traditional family photograph.
A Day Built Around Substantive Discussion
The tree plantation followed a full day of formal engagement, with BRICS leaders having earlier attended the summit's session on "Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism" at Bharat Mandapam. India is hosting the two-day BRICS Summit in New Delhi, bringing together leaders from member and partner countries alongside outreach invitees, as part of its current chairship of the grouping.
A Formal Declaration and a Symbolic Milestone
During the day's proceedings, PM Modi announced the unanimous adoption of the New Delhi Declaration 2026, a significant outcome document for the summit, and also launched two postage stamps commemorating 20 years since BRICS's founding, marking the anniversary with a tangible, symbolic gesture alongside the more substantive declaration.
Modi's Closing Remarks on the Declaration
In his closing remarks at the governance session, PM Modi framed the newly adopted declaration as a call to action rather than a symbolic conclusion. "The New Delhi Declaration adopted today gives clear direction to our shared resolve. Now it is our responsibility to convert these resolutions into concrete results," he said, placing emphasis on implementation over rhetorical agreement.
Why This Framing Matters
Modi's insistence on turning resolutions into "concrete results" reflects a recurring challenge for large multilateral groupings like BRICS, translating consensus-based declarations, often the product of extensive diplomatic negotiation among diverse member states, into measurable policy outcomes. By explicitly naming this as a shared responsibility in his closing remarks, Modi appeared to be setting an expectation for accountability among BRICS members going into the period following this year's summit.
A Broader Reflection on Global Institutions
PM Modi also used his remarks to reflect on the substance of the day's discussions, describing them as encompassing both regional and global issues alongside priorities for deepening BRICS cooperation. He characterised the exchange between leaders as "meaningful and constructive," while making a broader observation about the inadequacy of existing global institutions. "Our meeting today was very meaningful and constructive. Our diversity of views as well as our shared commitment to BRICS cooperation has also come out clearly. It is clear from today's discussion that the changing world cannot be managed by old institutions. Improvement is required in all three, representation, responsiveness and rule making," he said, directly echoing the reform framework he had outlined earlier in the day's proceedings.
A Continued Emphasis on the Global South
Modi reiterated a theme that has run through his broader BRICS messaging this year, the need for the Global South to have an equal role in shaping the rules governing emerging technologies. "We also emphasised that Global South must have equal participation in the making of future technology and their rules," he said, reinforcing a policy thread connecting this closing statement to his earlier proposal for a BRICS reform roadmap centred on representation, responsiveness and rule-making.
The Grouping's Current Composition
BRICS currently comprises Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates as full members, with Belarus, Cuba, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam participating as partner countries, reflecting the bloc's substantial expansion since its founding.
India's Recurring Leadership Role
As a founding member of BRICS, India has now held the grouping's chairship four times, previously in 2012, 2016 and 2021, and again from January 1 this year. With 2026 also marking 20 years since BRICS's establishment, Saturday's combination of a formal declaration, a symbolic tree plantation and commemorative postage stamps reflected an effort to mark both the substantive and ceremonial dimensions of this milestone anniversary simultaneously.
Also Read: PM Modi Pitches 10-Point BRICS Reform Roadmap
Key Highlights:
- PM Modi and BRICS leaders, including Putin, Xi Jinping and Prabowo Subianto, participated in a joint tree plantation at Bharat Mandapam.
- Leaders posed for a traditional family photo, holding hands during the ceremony.
- PM Modi announced the unanimous adoption of the New Delhi Declaration 2026 and launched two commemorative postage stamps marking 20 years of BRICS.
- Modi said discussions emphasised reforms in representation, responsiveness and rule-making within global institutions.
- He stressed that the Global South must have equal participation in shaping future technology rules.
A Symbolic Gesture Amid High-Level Diplomacy
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leaders of BRICS member countries took part in a joint tree plantation initiative on the lawns of Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Saturday, adding a symbolic, environmentally themed moment to a day dominated by formal summit proceedings. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira all joined PM Modi for the initiative, before the group posed together, holding hands, for the summit's traditional family photograph.
A Day Built Around Substantive Discussion
The tree plantation followed a full day of formal engagement, with BRICS leaders having earlier attended the summit's session on "Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism" at Bharat Mandapam. India is hosting the two-day BRICS Summit in New Delhi, bringing together leaders from member and partner countries alongside outreach invitees, as part of its current chairship of the grouping.
A Formal Declaration and a Symbolic Milestone
During the day's proceedings, PM Modi announced the unanimous adoption of the New Delhi Declaration 2026, a significant outcome document for the summit, and also launched two postage stamps commemorating 20 years since BRICS's founding, marking the anniversary with a tangible, symbolic gesture alongside the more substantive declaration.
Modi's Closing Remarks on the Declaration
In his closing remarks at the governance session, PM Modi framed the newly adopted declaration as a call to action rather than a symbolic conclusion. "The New Delhi Declaration adopted today gives clear direction to our shared resolve. Now it is our responsibility to convert these resolutions into concrete results," he said, placing emphasis on implementation over rhetorical agreement.
Why This Framing Matters
Modi's insistence on turning resolutions into "concrete results" reflects a recurring challenge for large multilateral groupings like BRICS, translating consensus-based declarations, often the product of extensive diplomatic negotiation among diverse member states, into measurable policy outcomes. By explicitly naming this as a shared responsibility in his closing remarks, Modi appeared to be setting an expectation for accountability among BRICS members going into the period following this year's summit.
A Broader Reflection on Global Institutions
PM Modi also used his remarks to reflect on the substance of the day's discussions, describing them as encompassing both regional and global issues alongside priorities for deepening BRICS cooperation. He characterised the exchange between leaders as "meaningful and constructive," while making a broader observation about the inadequacy of existing global institutions. "Our meeting today was very meaningful and constructive. Our diversity of views as well as our shared commitment to BRICS cooperation has also come out clearly. It is clear from today's discussion that the changing world cannot be managed by old institutions. Improvement is required in all three, representation, responsiveness and rule making," he said, directly echoing the reform framework he had outlined earlier in the day's proceedings.
A Continued Emphasis on the Global South
Modi reiterated a theme that has run through his broader BRICS messaging this year, the need for the Global South to have an equal role in shaping the rules governing emerging technologies. "We also emphasised that Global South must have equal participation in the making of future technology and their rules," he said, reinforcing a policy thread connecting this closing statement to his earlier proposal for a BRICS reform roadmap centred on representation, responsiveness and rule-making.
The Grouping's Current Composition
BRICS currently comprises Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates as full members, with Belarus, Cuba, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam participating as partner countries, reflecting the bloc's substantial expansion since its founding.
India's Recurring Leadership Role
As a founding member of BRICS, India has now held the grouping's chairship four times, previously in 2012, 2016 and 2021, and again from January 1 this year. With 2026 also marking 20 years since BRICS's establishment, Saturday's combination of a formal declaration, a symbolic tree plantation and commemorative postage stamps reflected an effort to mark both the substantive and ceremonial dimensions of this milestone anniversary simultaneously.