SRINAGAR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the growing confidence of Global South countries in BRICS stemmed from the fact that “their voices are heard, their experiences are respected” and solutions are developed together with them, as he called for greater cooperation to tackle conflicts, climate disasters, pandemics and supply-chain disruptions.
Addressing the extended session of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, Modi said the grouping’s strength lay in its diversity and cooperation and stressed that solutions developed within BRICS should not remain confined to its member countries but should be made accessible and adaptable to the wider Global South.
“From my personal experience, I can say that the Global South countries’ confidence in BRICS has grown, because within BRICS: Their voices are heard. Their experiences are respected. And solutions are developed not for them, but together with them,” Modi said.
He said India’s presidency had focused on four pillars — resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability — and sought to translate the shared vision of BRICS countries into “win-win cooperation”.
Against the backdrop of rising conflicts and tensions, Modi said their impact was increasingly being felt by ordinary people across the world. Pandemics, climate disasters and disruptions to supply chains had demonstrated that in an interconnected world, no crisis remained confined to one region.
He highlighted a series of initiatives proposed under India’s BRICS presidency, including an integrated early warning system for infectious diseases, disaster-management data integration guidelines and a Logistics Supply Chain Cooperation Framework aimed at making global supply chains more reliable and resilient.
On innovation, Modi proposed a BRICS Startup Innovation Fund and said a BRICS Incubator Network would connect start-ups and incubators across member countries. A BRICS Network on Digital Agriculture, he said, would link artificial intelligence, geospatial technology and digital public infrastructure to the needs of farmers.
Modi also warned that the weaponisation of technology and critical minerals could hinder shared progress and called for inclusivity in the adoption of technology. The issue of resilient and diversified critical-mineral supply chains also figured in the New Delhi Declaration adopted by BRICS leaders.
The Prime Minister said India had also sought to broaden BRICS cooperation beyond governments by involving entrepreneurs, farmers, researchers, women, youth and ordinary citizens.
Initiatives such as BRICS CONNECT, the BRICS MSME Cooperation Portal and the BRICS Urban Mobility Hub, he said, were aimed at strengthening skills, employability, social security, small enterprises and cooperation among cities.
On sustainability, Modi said India viewed development and environmental protection as complementary rather than competing objectives. He cited the BRICS Digital Centre of Excellence for Smart Grids and Energy Storage and Centres of Excellence for Agro-Ecology and Regenerative Agriculture as examples of efforts to combine modern science with traditional knowledge.
“The strength of BRICS lies in our diversity and cooperation,” Modi said, adding: “We may be rooted in different realities, but together, we rise through cooperation, and blossom for humanity.”
The Prime Minister also held bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit, including talks with Ugandan Vice President Jessica Rose Epel Alupo and Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
With Alupo, Modi reviewed India-Uganda ties and discussed cooperation in technology partnerships, capacity building, knowledge sharing, investment and private-sector collaboration. He reaffirmed India’s support for Uganda’s Vision 2040 and called for closer engagement to strengthen the voice of the Global South.
With Marcos, Modi discussed expanding the India-Philippines Strategic Partnership across defence and security, trade and investment, space, railways, fintech, education, tourism, science and technology and innovation. The two leaders also discussed regional and global issues and welcomed the Philippines’ decision to join the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure.
