The architecture of international governance, established in the aftermath of the Second World War, has long faced criticism for reflecting the geopolitical realities of a bygone era rather than the dynamic multipolarity of the contemporary world. Delivering a compelling address at the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a resonant critique of this enduring imbalance, calling for a fundamental restructuring of international institutions. Speaking at the plenary session focused on inclusive global governance and the strengthening of multilateralism, Prime Minister Modi emphasized that the existing international order functions as an exclusionary pyramid of power. He asserted that the international community must dismantle this obsolete structure and transform what he termed a pyramid of privilege into a genuine platform of partnership, ensuring that the developing world moves decisively from being a passive rule-taker to an active rule-shaper.
The conceptual core of Prime Minister Modi’s intervention captured a sharp contradiction of modern international relations: while developing economies disproportionately bear the fallout of global volatility, they remain systematically locked out of the councils where decisions are finalized. Describing this asymmetry with vivid clarity, the Prime Minister noted that the Global South consistently occupies the front row when global crises erupt—whether manifested in soaring food and energy inflation, fractured supply chains, high external debt burdens, or devastating climate disasters—yet finds itself relegated to the back row when consequential choices are debated and determined. The current geometry of multilateral institutions concentrates decision-making authority and veto power at the very apex among a handful of developed nations, while the broader tiers below, comprising billions of citizens whose everyday livelihoods are governed by these policies, possess virtually no institutional say in formulating them.
To reverse this entrenched disenfranchisement, Prime Minister Modi proposed that BRICS member states formulate ten concrete proposals for comprehensive global governance reform, with the objective of synthesizing them into an actionable BRICS Reform Roadmap ahead of the subsequent leaders' summit. This forward-looking reform blueprint rests upon three strategic foundational pillars: representation, responsiveness, and rule-making. By anchoring systemic institutional overhaul across these three imperatives, the grouping aims to move beyond recurring diplomatic critique and establish an operational pathway toward a fair, democratic, and rules-based international ecosystem.
The first pillar, representation, addresses the glaring democratic deficit at the center of legacy multilateral institutions. Prime Minister Modi made an unequivocal demand regarding the United Nations Security Council, reiterating that long-pending structural reforms can no longer be postponed or trapped in endless procedural deliberations. Expanding both the permanent and non-permanent membership categories to include unrepresented regions, particularly Africa, Latin America, and emerging Asian powerhouses, is an urgent prerequisite for the credibility and continued relevance of the world body. This imperative extends with equal urgency to international financial institutions, including the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization. The voting weight, executive leadership positions, quota allocations, and lending conditionality frameworks within these institutions remain tethered to archaic post-war economic distributions. As developing economies now generate the overwhelming momentum behind global growth, industrial innovation, and demographic vitality, their institutional stewardship must correspond to modern economic realities.
The second pillar, responsiveness, calls for international institutions to react with speed, scale, and tangible last-mile impact during humanitarian and logistical emergencies. Prime Minister Modi observed that when systemic shocks occur, existing multilateral safety nets frequently fail the vulnerable populations who need them most. In a concrete demonstration of responsiveness, the Prime Minister proposed the establishment of a dedicated Seafarers Emergency Support Network under the BRICS framework. Seafarers and merchant mariners form the unseen backbone of global commerce, ferrying more than eighty percent of world trade across high-risk maritime chokepoints. Yet, amid regional conflicts and escalating naval hostilities in critical waterways like the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, maritime workers often find themselves stranded, under-equipped, and vulnerable without institutional recourse. The proposed network would directly connect maritime authorities, diplomatic missions, and rescue coordination centers across member nations to provide real-time distress alerts, expedited medical evacuation, legal protection, and direct communication corridors with mariners' families.
The third pillar of the reform vision centers on rule-making, particularly across emerging technological domains that will govern economic competition in the decades ahead. The rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence, quantum computing, cyberspace governance, commercial outer space exploration, biotechnology, and green energy technologies represents more than economic opportunity; it defines the future regulatory architecture of humanity. Prime Minister Modi cautioned against repeating historical patterns where advanced industrial nations set unilateral regulatory standards, proprietary intellectual property barriers, and digital boundaries, leaving developing countries with no option but compliance. Achieving technological parity requires developing nations to secure an equal seat at the drafting table, ensuring that the rules governing artificial intelligence and critical technologies reflect inclusive ethical values, foster open data access, and serve the collective human good rather than narrow corporate monopolies.
Reflecting on the historical trajectory of BRICS, Prime Minister Modi characterized the twentieth anniversary of the grouping as a defining coming-of-age milestone. Much like a human reaching the age of twenty, where early aspirations mature into enduring responsibilities, BRICS has evolved from an informal investment dialogue into a formidable platform representing a significant share of global gross domestic product, energy reserves, and human capital. However, maturity demands institutional durability. To prevent annual rotations of the BRICS presidency from disrupting multi-year policy initiatives, Prime Minister Modi proposed the creation of an institutional Continuity and Implementation Mechanism. Utilizing a Troika structure comprising past, current, and incoming chairs, alongside a centralized digital repository tracking the implementation timelines and nodal agencies of every summit resolution, the grouping can ensure sustained institutional follow-through.
Crucially, the vision articulated in New Delhi rejects confrontational bloc politics. Prime Minister Modi reiterated that BRICS is not designed to oppose any external coalition, nor does it seek to replicate the exclusionary dynamics of the traditional powers it critiques. The ethos of the Global South, as championed by India, is founded on universal partnership, mutual respect, strategic autonomy, and shared humanity. By transforming the pyramid of privilege into a broad-based platform of partnership, the emerging world is not seeking conflict, but a rightful and equitable voice in shaping a peaceful, resilient, and inclusive global future.