PM Modi Calls for ‘Platform of Partnership’ as BRICS Marks 20 Years, Proposes Global Governance Reform Roadmap.
New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday called for transforming the existing global governance system from a “pyramid of privilege” into a “platform of partnership”, asserting that countries of the Global South must have a greater voice in shaping decisions that affect the world.
Addressing the 18th BRICS Summit session on Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening, Modi said the grouping had reached a “coming of age” moment as it marked its 20th anniversary and stressed the need to translate its unity and consensus into concrete outcomes on the global stage.
Welcoming leaders and delegates to India, Modi said India’s BRICS Chairship had followed a “people-centric and humanity-first” approach, with resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability as key priorities.
He said more than 350 meetings were organised during India’s chairship, with BRICS teams hosted across nearly 30 cities, and thanked member countries for their active participation and support.
Call for BRICS continuity mechanism
Modi proposed the creation of a BRICS Continuity and Implementation Mechanism to ensure that the annual change in chairship does not disrupt the grouping’s institutional momentum.
“Through the Troika, this mechanism will ensure systematic follow-up on all initiatives and outcomes,” he said.
He also proposed creating a secure digital repository to record the nodal agency, timeline and implementation status for every BRICS decision.
Ten-point roadmap for global governance reform
Calling for an ambitious agenda for the next 20 years, Modi proposed that BRICS members work together to formulate 10 proposals for global governance reform, with the aim of developing them into a BRICS Reform Roadmap by the next summit.
He said the roadmap should focus on three key principles: Representation, Responsiveness and Rule-making.
On representation, Modi said reform of the UN Security Council could no longer be delayed. He called for text-based negotiations on the issue to be linked to a clearly defined timeline and concrete outcomes.
He also argued that voting power, leadership positions and policy priorities in international financial institutions should better reflect present-day economic realities.
“Countries that drive global economic growth should also have an appropriate role in shaping global economic governance,” he said.
Focus on effective global response
On responsiveness, Modi said international institutions would gain the trust of humanity only when they were capable of delivering effective solutions to global challenges.
He proposed the creation of a Seafarers Emergency Support Network, which could connect maritime authorities and missions of concerned countries and provide assistance during emergencies.
According to Modi, such a network could facilitate distress alerts, medical assistance, communication with families and evacuation support for seafarers, who make a significant contribution to global trade but can face difficulties during crises.
Global South must become ‘rule-shapers’
Emphasising the importance of equal participation in framing future global rules, Modi said emerging areas such as artificial intelligence, cyberspace, outer space, biotechnology and critical technologies were shaping both future opportunities and the rules governing them.
He called for efforts to transform the Global South from “rule-takers into rule-shapers”.
Through BRICS, he said, young diplomats and policymakers from Global South countries could be provided with negotiation skills, practical training and legal expertise to participate more effectively in global rule-making.
Noting that the day coincided with the United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation, Modi said the occasion was particularly significant and declared that India was ready to take the lead on the issue.
‘From voice to impact, from privilege to partnership’
Concluding his remarks, Modi said the message from the BRICS Summit hosted by India should be “loud and clear”: if the future of countries is shared, the right to shape that future must also be shared.
“From voice to impact. From privilege to partnership,” he said, describing this as the resolve that BRICS should adopt as it enters its third decade.
BRICS, Modi said, must now move beyond consensus within the grouping and work towards creating a more representative, responsive and inclusive global governance system.
