17th BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Summit held under the Chairmanship of Brazil from 6th–7th July 2025 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.’ The summit was hosted by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
- The theme for the 2025 BRICS summit was “Strengthening Global South Cooperation for a More Inclusive and Sustainable Governance”, focusing on global governance reform, sustainable development, and economic resilience among the Global South countries.
- Prime Minister(PM ) of India Narendra Modi visited Brazil as part of his five-nation tour to attend the BRICS Summit 2025.
Highlights of 17th BRICS Summit:
1.Participants and New Membership:
i.The 17th BRICS Summit was attended by
- Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil
- Vladimir Putin (who participated virtually), President of Russia
- Narendra Modi, PM of India
- Li Qiang (representing President Xi), Premier of China
- Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa
- Mostafa Madbouly, PM of Egypt
- Abiy Ahmed, PM of Ethiopia
- Abbas Araghchi, Foreign Minister of Iran
- Khaled bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates(UAE’s)
- Prabowo Subianto, President of Indonesia and
- Prince Faisal bin Farhan (attending on behalf of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman), Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia
ii.The summit witnessed the absence of two founding leaders Russian President Vladimir Putin(participated virtually) and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
iii.The summit welcomed Indonesia as a full member, making it the first Southeast Asian country to join BRICS.
- Additionally, 10 BRICS partner countries also participated, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Vietnam, Nigeria, Malaysia, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Uganda, and Uzbekistan.
Note: BRICS’s expansion now encompasses approximately 45% of the world’s population and contributes around 35% to global Gross Domestic Product (GDP), highlighting its growing demographic and economic influence.
2.Highlights of PM Narendra Modi’s Participation:
1.Addressing Global Governance & Peace:
i.PM Narendra Modi addressed the sessions on Reform of Global Governance and Peace and Security, Strengthening Multilateral, Economic-Financial Affairs and Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Environment, COP-30, and Global Health.
ii.He reaffirmed India’s commitment to Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment), the International Solar Alliance (ISA), and the Green Hydrogen Mission. He emphasized bridging the climate finance gap and strengthening global health architecture.
iii.Referring to the Pahalgam terror attack Jammu & Kashmir(J&K, India), PM Narendra Modi urged zero tolerance toward terrorism, demanded the harshest sanctions against terror sponsors and safe havens, and called out double standards in counter-terror measures.
2.Four-Point BRICS Agenda Proposed by India
PM Narendra Modi proposed,
- Demand-Driven Financing by the New Development Bank (NDB) for sustainable development
- Securing Critical Mineral Supply Chains for resilient economic strategies
- Global South Science Repository for shared knowledge
- Ethical AI Governance under India’s “AI for All” model
Key Outcomes and Initiatives of 17th BRICS Summit:
1.BRICS CCI WE Launches ‘WE WISE’ Initiative:
The Women Empowerment (WE) vertical of the New Delhi (Delhi)-based BRICS Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BRICS CCI) launched WE WISE (Women in Innovation, Science and Entrepreneurship) at the BRICS Women Business Alliance (WBA) Annual Plenary Meeting held in Rio de Janeiro.
i.It aims to promote women’s leadership in technology, especially Artificial Intelligence (AI) and foster sustainable economic growth.
ii.During the event, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between BRICS CCI WE and the Brazilian Chapter of WBA (Women Business Alliance) to advance gender equity and inclusive innovation.
2.Climate Leadership & COP 33:
i.The BRICS leaders fully supported India’s bid to host the 33rd UN Climate Change Conference (COP 33) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2028.
ii.They also reaffirmed commitment to BRICS Climate Leadership Agenda, The United for Our Forests initiative, and India’s proposal to form a Big Cats Alliance, and endorsed frameworks on Climate Finance and Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence.
3.Condemnation of April 2025 Pahalgam Attack
During the session on Peace and Security and Reform of Global Governance, BRICS leaders:
- Condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which killed 26 people.
- Reiterated zero tolerance for all forms of terrorism, including Cross-border terrorism, Terror financing, and safe havens for terrorists.
4.Other Highlights:
- Adopted the BRICS Leaders’ Framework Declaration on Climate Finance, aimed at providing developing countries with accessible, timely, and affordable climate funding while supporting just transition pathways.
- Endorsed the BRICS Leaders’ Statement on Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence(AI) to promote responsible development, deployment, and use of AI technologies in line with national regulations and the UN Charter.
- Launched the BRICS Partnership for the Elimination of Socially Determined Diseases, targeting the root causes of health inequalities such as poverty and social exclusion.
- BRICS reiterated its support for the principle of “African solutions to African problems,” and called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza along with the implementation of a two-state solution.
- BRICS progressed discussions on a Cross-Border Payments Initiative aimed at reducing dependence on the US dollar, backed the expansion of the New Development Bank, and endorsed the BRICS Multilateral Guarantees (BMG) pilot to help de-risk investments.
Bilateral and Multilateral Engagements at the Summit:
1.PM Narendra Modi’s Meeting with Cuban President:
PM Narendra Modi held a meeting with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez on 6 July 2025, focusing on
i.Cooperation in Ayurveda, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and digital public infrastructure
ii.Discussion on expanding collaboration in Unified Payments Interface (UPI), Disaster management, and capacity building.
iii.Both sides agreed to deepen ties to address global South concerns like healthcare, pandemics, and climate change.
2.Vietnam-China Trade Talks:
On the sidelines of the BRICS Summit, Vietnamese PM Pham Minh Chinh and Chinese Premier Li Qiang held discussions to:
- Enhance bilateral trade and strategic cooperation
- Respond to rising trade tensions with the United States, including new tariffs on Vietnamese exports.
Adoption of Rio de Janeiro Declaration:
i.The summit was ended with the adoption of the Rio de Janeiro Declaration, a 31-point document with 126 commitments.
ii.It focused on strengthening Global South cooperation, promoting fair global governance, ensuring peace and security, and supporting economic and environmental stability.
India to Host 18th BRICS Summit in 2026:
During the 17th BRICS Summit BRICS member countries unanimously supported India’s Chairmanship for the upcoming 18th BRICS Summit in 2026.
- PM Narendra Modi announced India’s vision to redefine BRICS as “Building Resilience and Innovation for Cooperation and Sustainability”, promoting a people-centric “Humanity First” approach, aligning with India’s G20 Presidency priorities.
- He extended an invitation to all BRICS leaders to participate in the 18th BRICS Summit.
About BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa):
i.BRICS was originally established as BRIC in September 2006, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, and China, following discussions during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
ii.The first BRIC Summit was held on 16 June 2009 in Yekaterinburg, Russia, where the four countries officially adopted the acronym BRIC and began formal cooperation.
iii.In September 2010, South Africa joined the group, leading to the inclusion of the letter ‘S’ and the renaming of the group to BRICS.
iv.At the 15th BRICS Summit held in 2023, four new countries, Ethiopia, Egypt, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), were added as full members.
v.In January 2025, Indonesia officially joined, becoming 1st Southeast Asian member.
