Page 13 - NIS English 1-15 Oct, 2026

BRICS 2026 | COVER STORY

Timeline: A Twenty-Year Journey
India’s Four Presidencies (2006–2026)

2006 Establishment of BRIC First BRIC Foreign Ministers’ meeting held on the sidelines of
the UN General Assembly in New York
2009 First Summit Held in Yekaterinburg, Russia
2011 Birth of BRICS ‘BRIC’ became ‘BRICS’ with the inclusion of South Africa
(Sanya Summit)
2012 India’s First Presidency 4th Summit, New Delhi – Theme: ‘BRICS Partnership for
Global Stability, Security and Prosperity’; Delhi Declaration
adopted
2016 India’s Second Presidency 8th Summit, Goa – Theme: ‘Building Responsive, Inclusive and
Collective Solutions’; Goa Declaration and BIMSTEC Outreach
2021 India’s Third Presidency 13th Summit, New Delhi – Theme: ‘BRICS@15: Intra-BRICS
Cooperation for Continuity, Consolidation and Consensus’; New
Delhi Declaration
2024 First Phase of Expansion Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab
Emirates became full members
2025 Second Phase of Indonesia became a full member; 10 nations became partner
Expansion countries; 17th Summit held in Rio de Janeiro
2026 India’s Fourth Presidency 18th Summit, New Delhi – Theme: ‘Building for Resilience,
(BRICS 20th Anniversary) Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainable Development’; New
Delhi Declaration (140 paragraphs) adopted
2027 Upcoming Presidency China has been entrusted with the presidency and will host the
19th summit.

Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam
joined the BRICS family as partner countries. In essence,
a group that began with just four nations two decades
ago has transformed into a vast family of 21 countries
today. This expansion reflects the credibility, significance,
and appeal of the platform.

INDIA: A BRIDGE AMIDST CONFLICTS
The onset of year 2026 witnessed world grappling
with tensions on multiple fronts. On one hand, there
were conflicts in West Asia and the Ukraine-Russia
standoff; on the other, growing trade barriers and
waning confidence in multilateral institutions. Against
his backdrop, bringing together countries with diverse
civilizations, political systems, and economic interests
onto a single platform to reach a consensus was no
easy task. India achieved this responsibility admirably.
In his address at the inaugural session of the 18th