India is using the beginning Saturday to position the grouping as a complementary platform for global economic growth while pushing key developmental priorities of the Global South, particularly food, energy and supply chain security, amid escalating trade tensions.
With New Delhi preparing for the summit, China has confirmed President Xi Jinping's participation, marking his first visit to India in seven years.
World leaders attending
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Russian President Vladimir Putin, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi are among the leaders attending the summit in the national capital. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung are also expected to participate.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, New Development Bank President Dilma Rousseff and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank President Zou Jiayi will also attend the summit.
Brazil's delegation will be led by Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, while Thai Deputy Prime Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Kuchkarov and Ugandan Vice President Jessica Rose Epel Alupo will represent their respective countries.
Philippines President Ferdinand R Marcos Jr, Burundi President Evariste Ndayishimiye and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev are also set to attend as representatives of ASEAN, the African Union and the Eurasian Economic Union respectively.
The Global South pitch
India is steering BRICS as an important complementary platform for advancing the Global South's developmental priorities, senior Indian officials said. With global trade disputes and geopolitical realignments creating economic headwinds, the grouping is focusing on vulnerabilities related to food security, energy stability and resilient supply chains.
The summit is being held against the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine war, the West Asia crisis, including disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, and the trade and tariff policies of the Trump administration.
With the summit only two days away, it remains uncertain whether member countries have reached consensus on a joint statement. Differences between Iran and the United Arab Emirates over the West Asia crisis remain a key challenge, with BRICS decisions traditionally based on consensus.
BRICS originally comprised Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The grouping expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, while Indonesia joined in 2025. Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam became BRICS partner countries last year.
The grouping now brings together 11 major emerging economies, accounting for around 49.5 per cent of the world's population, 40 per cent of global GDP and 26 per cent of global trade.
India's chairship is centred on four pillars -- resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability. Under the resilience pillar, New Delhi has focused on strengthening cooperation in health, agriculture, food, energy, disaster risk reduction and supply chains.
Improving cooperation in trade, investment, connectivity and high technology will also be high on the summit agenda. India's chairship is guided by the theme 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability', reflecting its people-centric approach based on the principle of "humanity first".
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, leaders will also discuss ways to strengthen intra-BRICS cooperation on shared priorities and exchange views on global and regional issues of mutual importance.
Under India's chairship, more than 350 meetings and high-level engagements have been held across over 25 cities to strengthen the BRICS strategic partnership across three key pillars -- political and security cooperation, economic and financial cooperation, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
India and BRICS grouping
India, a founding member of BRICS, has previously held the group's chairship in 2012, 2016 and 2021. It assumed its fourth chairship on January 1, 2026.
According to the MEA schedule, the summit will begin at 2:35 pm on Saturday with a closed-door session for BRICS member countries titled 'Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism'.
Leaders will then tour the 'Bharat Innovates Exhibition', which is scheduled to open at 4:25 pm. At 5:05 pm, they will gather on the lawns of Bharat Mandapam for a family photograph, followed by a joint tree-planting ceremony. The day's engagements will conclude with a gala dinner hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 7:30 pm.
On Sunday, leaders from BRICS member states, partner countries and outreach invitees will begin arriving at 9:55 am, followed by an official group photograph at 10:35 am.
The opening session, titled 'Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability: Shaping the Future for Inclusive Global Growth', is scheduled to begin at 10:50 am, according to the MEA programme.
With inputs from PTI
Also Read:
Breaking News Live on indiatvnews.com and Get Latest English News & Updates from India
