BRICS Summit: Big push for Global South to become ‘rule maker’, 10-point reform agenda – What PM Modi said | Today’s news

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday called for a more ambitious BRICS agenda for the next two decades, positioning the grouping as a platform through which the global South can move from a passive recipient of global decisions to an active force in shaping them.

Addressing the BRICS 2026 summit in New Delhi, Modi said the grouping had reached a moment of “maturity” after two decades of building its identity on the global stage.

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Modi said BRICS must now translate its internal unity and consensus into tangible international results. “Now is the time to translate our unity and consensus within BRICS into tangible results on the global stage,” Modi said in his opening address.

Quick answers to key questions

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PM Modi emphasized that the main objective of the 2026 BRICS Summit is to reform global governance, enabling the Global South to become an active rule maker rather than a passive recipient of global decisions.

PM Modi likened the current system to a “pyramid of privilege” to highlight how power and decision-making is concentrated among a few powerful countries, leaving the Global South with limited influence on important decisions.

PM Modi proposed to equip young diplomats and policy makers from countries of the Global South with negotiation skills and legal knowledge, enabling them to shape international rules and governance.

PM Modi proposed formulating a 10-point reform plan for global governance aimed at increasing representation and responsiveness within international financial institutions and the UN Security Council.

Yes, PM Modi advocated for BRICS cooperation to not only address supply chain disruptions, but also to build “development chain resilience” for long-term economic growth in the Global South.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi JinpingSouth African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi are among the global leaders attending the summit.

From the “privilege pyramid” to the “partnership platform”

At the heart of Modi’s speech was a call to reform global governance, which he says remains heavily skewed towards a handful of powerful nations. “Today, the Global South stands at the forefront of global crises but at the back of decision-making,” Modi said.

PM Modi compared the current system of global governance to a “pyramid” where power and decision-making is concentrated at the top, while countries below are often left to deal with the consequences of decisions they have little say in.

Modi proposed to transform this “Pyramid of Privileges” into a “Partnership Platform” where each country has a voice and a stake.

India is the BRICS Chair for the year 2026. The two-day summit is being held at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on the theme ‘Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability’.

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To advance this agenda, PM Modi proposed that the BRICS jointly formulate 10 proposals for reforming global governance with the aim of turning them into a BRICS reform plan by the next summit.

Reform of the UN Security Council

PM Modi has placed UN Security Council reform at the center of his call for greater representation. He said the matter “cannot be postponed any longer” and called for negotiations to be bound by a specific time frame 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.

The Global South must become a “rule maker”

PM Modi also focused on new technologies and warned that countries of the Global South cannot afford to remain mere consumers of rules created elsewhere.

Artificial intelligence, cyberspace, space, biotechnology and other critical technologies will not only create future economic opportunities, but also set the rules that will govern them, he said.

“We must strive to transform the Global South from a ‘rule taker’ to a ‘rule maker’,” Modi said.

PM Modi proposed using BRICS to equip young diplomats and politicians from countries of the Global South with negotiation skills, practical training and legal knowledge to play a greater 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.

BRICS Continuity Mechanism

PM Modi also called for changes in BRICS itself to ensure that the grouping’s agenda does not lose steam as its chairmanship rotates from one country to another every year. He proposed the creation of a BRICS continuity and implementation mechanism, with the troika arrangement playing a greater role in monitoring the summit’s initiatives and outcomes.

PM Modi also suggested creating a secure digital repository to track the nodal point, time frame and implementation status of each BRICS decision.

According to him, the aim is to ensure that the annual change in the presidency does not disrupt the institutional dynamics.

Support network for seafarers

Prime Minister Modi has also put forward a concrete humanitarian proposal calling for the creation of a “Seafarers’ Relief Network” for emergency situations.

The proposed network would connect the maritime authorities and diplomatic missions of the respective countries to provide assistance to seafarers facing emergencies.

It could facilitate emergency alerts, medical assistance, family notifications and evacuations, Modi said.

The proposal comes against the backdrop of the vital role seafarers play in sustaining world trade, yet they often receive limited support during crises.

The new BRICS agenda for the next 20 years

Taken together, Modi’s proposals point to a broader vision for the BRICS – one that goes beyond economic cooperation to include global governance, technology, institutional reforms and humanitarian coordination.

He framed this agenda around three broad themes: Representation, Reaction, and Rulemaking.

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The larger message was that the expanding BRICS countries should not only seek a larger share of existing global power structures, but should help reshape them.

We must strive to transform the Global South from a “ruler” to a “rule maker”.

The proposed 10-point reform agenda, continuity mechanism and rule-making initiatives could therefore become key indicators of India’s BRICS chairmanship as the grouping looks to the next two decades.