BRICS hammers out joint declaration after India bridges Iran-UAE chasm
The 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi concluded with the unanimous adoption of the New Delhi Declaration 2026, following extended negotiations to reconcile divergent positions among member states
The declaration includes language on the protection of civilian and peaceful nuclear sites and warns against attacks on such facilities
Members reaffirmed a shared commitment to combating terrorism "in all its manifestations" and called for reform of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)
The consensus text emerged after member states holding opposing positions on West Asia tensions were brought into alignment during the chairship's negotiations
The declaration reiterated the importance of dialogue and restraint for regional stability
Protection of Nuclear Facilities — CPPNM and its 2005 Amendment
The Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM), adopted in 1979, is the principal international instrument obligating states to protect nuclear material. Its 2005 Amendment — which entered into force in 2016 — expanded the Convention's scope: while the original text covered only nuclear material in international transport, the Amendment makes it legally binding on states to protect nuclear material and facilities in peaceful domestic use, storage, and transport, and explicitly extends protection obligations to guard against sabotage of nuclear facilities.
Key Details
- CPPNM adopted 1979; 2005 Amendment adopted 8 July 2005, entered into force 8 May 2016
- The CPPNM and its Amendment remain the only legally binding international instruments specifically on physical protection of nuclear material
- The Amendment also strengthens international cooperation on locating/recovering stolen nuclear material and mitigating radiological consequences of sabotage
- India is a state party to the CPPNM framework; the IAEA administers the convention's depository functions
The BRICS declaration's language on protecting "civilian and peaceful nuclear sites" and warning against deliberate attacks on nuclear infrastructure directly echoes the physical-protection obligations codified under the CPPNM's 2005 Amendment, situating a diplomatic statement within an existing international-law framework.
BRICS Counter-Terrorism Strategy (2020) and Action Plan
BRICS leaders endorsed the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Strategy at the 12th Summit in 2020, establishing the bloc's first dedicated framework for cooperation against terrorism, radicalization, terror financing, and misuse of the internet by terrorist actors. The BRICS Counter-Terrorism Working Group (CTWG), which India has chaired, subsequently finalized an Action Plan operationalizing the Strategy.
Key Details
- Strategy adopted at the 12th BRICS Summit, 2020 (virtual, chaired by Russia)
- Focus areas: preventing radicalization, curbing terror financing, countering misuse of the internet, restricting travel of terrorists
- The CTWG meets periodically to review implementation; India chaired a CTWG session that finalized the Action Plan
- Distinct from bilateral counter-terrorism mechanisms (e.g., India-US, India-Australia Joint Working Groups on Counter-Terrorism)
The 2026 declaration's reaffirmation of combating terrorism "in all its manifestations" builds on this pre-existing 2020 Strategy, signalling continuity of the bloc's institutional counter-terrorism architecture despite the geopolitical divisions the summit had to navigate.
UNSC Reform and the G4 Model
Reform of the UN Security Council refers to proposals to expand its membership — both permanent and non-permanent categories — to better reflect contemporary geopolitical and economic realities, since the current structure (5 permanent, 10 non-permanent members) reflects the post-1945 order. India has pursued this through the G4 (Brazil, Germany, India, Japan), which in January 2026 presented a model for Security Council expansion to 25-26 total members, including 11 permanent members, at the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) process at the UN.
Key Details
- UNSC's five permanent members (P5): USA, UK, France, Russia, China — each holding veto power
- G4 grouping formed to mutually support each other's bids for permanent membership
- The G4's 2026 model proposes six new permanent seats: two for Africa, two for Asia-Pacific, one for Latin America and the Caribbean, one for Western Europe and Others Group
- IGN process at the UN has run without a consolidated outcome text since its inception, a point of frustration cited by reform advocates
BRICS's collective call for UNSC reform in the New Delhi Declaration adds a multilateral grouping's institutional weight to India's long-standing G4-led push, even though BRICS as a bloc does not take a unified position on which specific countries should get new permanent seats.
- BRICS now has 11 full members: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Indonesia
- BRICS collectively represents roughly 49.5% of world population, about 40% of global GDP, and 26% of international trade
- CPPNM 2005 Amendment entered into force in 2016, nine years after adoption, once ratified by two-thirds of States Parties
- BRICS Counter-Terrorism Strategy was adopted in 2020, at the 12th Summit
- India hosted the 18th BRICS Summit (2026) under the chairship theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability"