World leaders praise BRICS Summit under India’s chair

India’s leadership of BRICS has won praise from several member countries following the successful conclusion of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi. The two-day summit, held in the National Capital under India’s chairmanship, concluded yesterday. BRICS comprises 11 major emerging economies, representing nearly half the world’s population and around 40 per cent of global GDP.  
The BRICS countries unanimously adopted the New Delhi Declaration 2026 at the Summit on Saturday, with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping among the world leaders attending. The New Delhi Declaration also commended India’s chairmanship and expressed appreciation to the Government and people of India for hosting the summit.  
South Africa, Russia, China, Brazil, and the United Arab Emirates, welcomed India’s efforts to strengthen cooperation within the grouping and advance the priorities of the Global South. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa praised India’s leadership as BRICS chair, saying New Delhi hosted a very successful summit and managed to bring member countries together to adopt the New Delhi Declaration despite doubts over reaching consensus. He said, the successful adoption of the declaration was a result of collective efforts by all BRICS members, while congratulating India for its organisation and leadership.
China’s state media and leadership hailed the New Delhi Declaration as a positive step for higher-quality cooperation and solidarity among Global South nations.  On the declaration, Russia reaffirmed Moscow’s dedication to an inclusive, development-oriented partnership with BRICS partner countries. Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a social media post, reiterated Moscow’s commitment to strengthening Multilateralism and Multipolarity, to upholding international law, including the Purposes and Principles of the UN Charter in their entirety.
UN Chief António Guterres praised India’s BRICS Presidency and congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on India holding the BRICS chairship for the fourth time. The World Health Organisation (WHO) also praised the New Delhi Declaration. In a social media post, the Director General of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, appreciated the commitment to universal health coverage, resilient health systems, and the successful conclusion of negotiations on the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing Annex to the Pandemic Agreement.