UNSC Reform Can No Longer Wait, Says PM Modi At BRICS 2026

On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for faster reform of the United Nations Security Council. He said text-based negotiations on the issue should be tied to a firm timeline and clear results.

At the BRICS summit's opening session in New Delhi, he also said the grouping should help the Global South move from following rules to helping shape them.

Modi proposed that BRICS train young diplomats from Global South countries in negotiation, practical training and legal expertise. The summit also fell on United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation, which Modi called a “happy coincidence”.

“It is particularly significant that such a decision is being taken on a day dedicated to the Global South. India is ready to take the lead on this issue,” he added.

BRICS At 20

Modi described BRICS's 20th year as a sign of greater maturity and responsibility.

“Human life, upon reaching the age of twenty, enters a new phase of maturity and responsibility. It is a stage when dreams become intertwined with responsibilities and capabilities find a new direction. Today, BRICS, too, is at its coming-of-age moment,” Modi said.

He said the bloc has built a stronger identity on the global stage over the past two decades while still accommodating different perspectives and advancing through consensus.

New BRICS Agenda

Modi said BRICS should turn its unity and consensus into concrete results.

“Now is the time to translate our unity and consensus within BRICS into concrete outcomes on the global stage. For the next twenty years, we must work on a new and ambitious agenda. We must begin by improving our own working systems,” he said.

He also proposed a BRICS Continuity and Implementation Mechanism. Modi said the annual change in the presidency should not break the bloc's institutional momentum.

“The BRICS presidency changes every year, but our institutional momentum should not come to a halt because of this. I propose a BRICS Continuity and Implementation Mechanism,” he said.

Modi also broadened the discussion to global governance, saying the current system places too much power and decision-making at the top.

“The Global South is at the front line, but in the back rooms of decision-making. We must transform this pyramid of privilege into a platform of partnership, where every country has a voice, every member has a stake, and the development of humanity remains at the centre of every effort,” he said.