BRICS Adopts New Delhi Declaration, Backs UNSC Reform and Local-Currency Trade

BRICS leaders adopted the New Delhi Declaration on Saturday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing the consensus document at the grouping's summit in the national capital.

The declaration backs reforms of multilateral institutions, including what it describes as a structural update of the United Nations Security Council, and calls for greater representation for developing countries from Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean. It also strongly condemns terrorism and denounces unilateral acts of war, while stressing the need to ensure the safety of seafarers and commercial navigation amid ongoing military aggression in the Middle East.

China and Russia, the two Security Council permanent members represented at the summit, reiterated their support for the aspirations of Brazil and India to play a greater role at the United Nations, including on the Security Council.

On trade, the declaration states that intra-BRICS commerce should increasingly be conducted in local currencies rather than the US dollar. It reaffirms support for reform of the World Trade Organization and for an open, transparent, equitable and rules-based global trading system.

The document voices concern over the proliferation of trade-restrictive actions inconsistent with WTO rules, including indiscriminate increases in tariffs and non-tariff measures, and protectionism pursued under the guise of environmental objectives. It warns that such steps threaten to reduce global trade, disrupt supply chains and inject uncertainty into international economic activity. BRICS members said they would work together to make the WTO more responsive to trade disruptions and to the needs of emerging markets and developing economies.

In his concluding remarks, Modi said the discussions made clear that a changing world cannot be steered by outdated institutions, and that reforms are essential in representation, responsiveness and rule-making. He added that the Global South must have equal participation in developing future technologies and the rules governing them, and described the declaration as providing a clear direction for shared resolve that must now be translated into tangible results.

Modi welcomed world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, to the summit, which brought together leaders from across the grouping. The declaration comes as BRICS marks two decades since its creation and after the bloc expanded beyond its original membership.

The declaration also condemns the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22, 2025, in which 26 people were killed and many more injured. It describes terrorism as criminal and unjustifiable regardless of motivation, and reaffirms commitments to combating terrorism in all its forms, including cross-border movement of terrorists, terrorism financing and safe havens. It reiterates that terrorism should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilisation or ethnic group, and that those involved in terrorist activities and their supporters must be held accountable and brought to justice under relevant national and international law.