How are the BRICS Sherpas and Sub-Sherpas shaping the 21st century in New Delhi?

In New Delhi, the BRICS countries took a historic step toward a new world order. India, China, Russia, Brazil, Iran, Ethiopia, and, for the first time, Belarus aligned their priorities around an agenda that includes sustainability, innovation, and environmental transition.

From solid foundations to strategic engineering (2014-2026)

The New Delhi meeting is part of a coherent historical trajectory, initiated with the creation of the New Development Bank on July 15, 2014, at the sixth BRICS summit in Fortaleza. With an authorized capital of $100 billion and complemented by the Contingent Reserve Agreement, this institution embodied the BRICS’ commitment to actively contribute to global financial stability. Twelve years later, this vision has become a de facto cornerstone of diversifying development finance instruments. This truly represents a demonstrated institutional maturity.

The expansion agreed upon at the Johannesburg Summit (August 22-24, 2023), with the effective integration on January 1, 2024, of new members including Iran and Ethiopia, has strengthened the group’s demographic, energy, and geoeconomic weight. By 2025, the expanded BRICS represented nearly 51% of the world’s population and more than a third of global GDP at purchasing power parity. This critical mass provides an exceptional structural basis for sustainable cooperation.

In New Delhi, Indian Sherpa Sudhakar Dalela structured the discussions around the theme: “Strengthening Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation, and the Ecological Transition.” This focus demonstrates a nuanced understanding of global transformations, namely digital transformation, the energy transition, food security, and climate adaptation. It reflects a constructive ambition, structured around tangible objectives rather than a logic of opposition. It also responds to a decade of shocks: the post-pandemic financial crisis (2020–2022), the freezing of nearly $300 billion of Russian assets in 2022, fragmentation........

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