BRICS Summit in New Delhi outlines new mechanisms for cooperation in technology, security and economy

BRICS leaders addressed a session of the 18th BRICS Summit in the Outreach / BRICS Plus format in New Delhi. Participants presented a number of initiatives under the four priorities of India's Chairship – resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability. Partner countries of the group and representatives of regional and international organisations also took part in the session.

Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, summing up the country's Chairship, said that BRICS countries had agreed to create an integrated system for responding to outbreaks of infectious diseases. In addition, recommendations have been prepared for sharing early-warning data during emergencies, along with a framework programme for cooperation in logistics supply chains.

Narendra Modi

Prime Minister of India

As part of the innovation initiative, the BRICS network of incubators will connect our start-ups and incubators. To support innovative and scalable solutions, we have proposed creating a BRICS Startup Innovation Fund. The BRICS Digital Agriculture Network will open up new opportunities for farmers. Through it, artificial intelligence, geospatial technologies and digital public infrastructure will be geared towards the real needs of agricultural producers. [...] we support an inclusive approach to the adoption of technology

Other cooperation initiatives include BRICS Connect, aimed at skills development, increasing employment, empowering women, strengthening the workforce and social protection. A BRICS cooperation portal for SMEs has been launched to support small businesses. The BRICS Urban Future Forum has been established to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and experience among the group's countries on transport issues.

In the field of sustainable development, a BRICS Digital Centre of Excellence for Smart Grids and Energy Storage Systems has been established. Centres of Excellence in Agroecology and Regenerative Agriculture will combine traditional knowledge with modern scientific advances. In addition, the group's countries agreed that indigenous knowledge and the experience of local communities should be taken into account when adapting to the effects of climate change.

Modi stressed that solutions developed within BRICS should not benefit only the group's countries. They should also be accessible and adapted to the needs of countries of the Global South.

“The strength of BRICS lies in our diversity and cooperation. May our diversity remain our distinctive feature, our cooperation a source of inspiration, and our progress serve all humanity,” Modi said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that BRICS today is one of the driving forces behind strengthening multilateralism and shaping a fairer multipolar world order. His speech is published on the Kremlin website.

According to him, intra-BRICS trade has reached US$1.2 trillion, while BRICS countries account for almost a quarter of global exports. Putin noted that the group's potential is far from exhausted. The main untapped reserve is the complementarity of the member countries' economies: differences in structure and specialisation create opportunities for cooperation, the development of new production chains, technologies, services and markets.

Vladimir Putin

President of Russia

In fact, we are talking about creating a common BRICS growth platform that would organically combine the competitive advantages of our economies. I would emphasise that such a platform should be built on the principles of openness and accessibility not only for BRICS participants but also for all our partners and friends. [...] The states of our group have their own channels for the movement of goods, services and capital that are independent of external conditions. They already make it possible to conduct commercial, banking, financial and investment operations effectively

He also focused separately on the New Development Bank. The bank has already financed 123 projects worth almost US$40 billion. However, financing needs are higher. A new investment platform could help address this: using modern financial technologies, including digital assets, it would make it possible to attract long-term capital, including private investment, not only to BRICS countries but also to the economies of partners in the Global South and East.

President of China Xi Jinping presented five initiatives to deepen practical cooperation among BRICS countries. The proposed projects include the creation of the first BRICS open-access zone for artificial intelligence technologies, support for the development and application of large language models, training programmes and the establishment of an open AI ecosystem. This is reported by Xinhua News Agency, a TV BRICS partner.

Xi Jinping

President of the People’s Republic of China

China also proposes establishing a partnership among the special economic zones of BRICS countries, launching a smart cooperation platform, strengthening policy coordination and creating new platforms for open development. China will promote the creation of a cloud platform for the digital industries of BRICS countries, the development of digital skills training, technology exchange and cooperation among enterprises to jointly advance the digital economy

In addition, Xi Jinping called for the creation of a BRICS Engineering Talent Development Alliance and the launch of a youth science and innovation exchange programme to train highly qualified specialists. According to the Chinese President, BRICS countries should strengthen production and supply chains, develop innovation and jointly advance the digital economy.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said that the challenges facing the global economy confirm the need to build more resilient economies by diversifying sources of growth, strengthening supply chains, investing in human capital and technology, and expanding cooperation among countries of the Global South.

In this regard, Egypt attaches great importance to cooperation in innovation, AI and technology localisation, as well as to the role of young people in the economy of the future. This was reported by MENA, a TV BRICS partner. El-Sisi called for expanded cooperation in clean energy and easier access for developing countries to financing and technology. He also highlighted the role of the New Development Bank in supporting infrastructure projects and providing concessional lending.

In addition, according to him, Egypt has significantly expanded its efforts to modernise ports and transport corridors. The Suez Canal occupies a central place in this system as one of the most important routes for international trade, placing responsibility on Egypt for the stability of supply chains.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stressed that three key principles – resilience, cooperation and sustainable development – should form the basis for the group's future work. According to him, economic resilience is impossible without security, IRNA, a TV BRICS partner, reported.

Pezeshkian also noted Iran's potential to develop trade and energy ties among BRICS countries. He said that the republic's geographical position and its capabilities in energy and transport could contribute to the creation of new routes for cooperation. The Iranian President also placed particular emphasis on technology and innovation.

Masoud Pezeshkian

President of Iran

BRICS today is no longer simply a format for cooperation among developing economies but a symbol of the aspiration for a more balanced and inclusive world in which no power has the right to determine the fate of other peoples

Earlier, the heads of state adopted the New Delhi Declaration of the BRICS Summit, which is being held in the Indian capital from 12 to 13 September.

This story is being updated.