The BRICS grouping formally welcomed Indonesia as a full member and inducted 10 new countries as BRICS partner nations during the 17th Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
In a joint declaration issued on Sunday, leaders of BRICS nations — Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa — announced that Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Malaysia, Thailand, Cuba, Vietnam, Uganda, and Uzbekistan would join the bloc as partner countries. This expansion marks another significant step in BRICS’ evolution as a platform for inclusive global cooperation.
“We welcome the Republic of Indonesia as a BRICS member, as well as the Republic of Belarus, the Plurinational State of Bolivia, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Cuba, the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Malaysia, the Kingdom of Thailand, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the Republic of Uganda, and the Republic of Uzbekistan as BRICS partner countries,” the declaration stated.
The summit also saw the adoption of major policy initiatives, including the BRICS Leaders’ Framework Declaration on Climate Finance, the Leaders’ Statement on Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence, and the launch of the BRICS Partnership for the Elimination of Socially Determined Diseases — all aimed at addressing key global challenges through collective, sustainable solutions.
Addressing the summit session on Peace and Security and Reform of Global Governance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the expansion and emphasized the need for urgent reforms in outdated international institutions.
“The inclusion of new BRICS members and partners demonstrates our ability to adapt to the changing times. But now, we must show the same commitment in reforming institutions like the UN Security Council, WTO, and Multilateral Development Banks,” Modi said. “In an era of AI and rapid technological change, running 21st-century challenges on 20th-century systems is unacceptable. You can’t run modern software on typewriters.”
Originally formed in 2006 as BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China), the group expanded to BRICS with South Africa’s inclusion in 2010. The most recent expansion in January 2024 brought Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE on board as full members. With Indonesia now joining as a full member in 2025, and 10 new partner nations added, BRICS continues to broaden its global influence and representation, particularly from the Global South.