The handover of the BRICS presidency is steeped in symbolism. In 2024, Brazil had obtained from Russia a metal gavel — an emblem of commercial energy. As Brazil handed the presidency to India final Friday, it handed over a gavel made from recycled wooden from the Amazon rainforest. The gesture, in response to Brazil’s BRICS sherpa Mauricio Lyrio, was meant to hold ahead the ethos that outlined his nation’s presidency. “The gavel represents each sustainability and the deep roots of cooperation that unite the international locations of the group. By way of this gesture, confidence in India’s upcoming presidency is reaffirmed, together with the dedication to help its efforts to advance the BRICS agenda,” stated Lyrio, as he handed over the gavel to Sudhakar Dalela, India’s sherpa to BRICS.
The BRICS sherpas’ assembly in Brasilia on December 11 and 12 went past symbolism because it assessed the outcomes of Brazil’s presidency, which formally ends on December 31. Bringing collectively negotiators from all 11 members, the assembly was a stock-taking train of achievements by means of 2025. Brazilian International Minister Mauro Vieira described the method as an effort that moved properly past BRICS’ conventional agenda as he emphasised that the grouping’s relevance would more and more be measured by its affect on the on a regular basis life of individuals. “Main worldwide points will stay central to our work, however our societies additionally count on us to ship concrete outcomes from our initiatives,” Mr. Vieira stated.
Challenges aplenty
Brazil framed its BRICS presidency round sustainability and inclusive growth, with emphasis on deliverables. This translated into three declarations on the Rio de Janeiro summit in July — on the governance of synthetic intelligence, a local weather financing framework and a partnership to eradicate socially decided ailments. Mr. Lyrio acknowledged that Brazil’s presidency unfolded amid rising distrust of multilateralism, however this solely enhanced BRICS’ relevance. “These developments underscored the centrality of BRICS as a platform for dialogue, bridge-building and the articulation of views that would not be ignored,” Mr. Lyrio stated, including that the ultimate declaration of the summit reaffirmed a shared dedication to multilateralism.
A direct problem to multilateralism — and BRICS — emerged in June, simply days earlier than the Rio de Janeiro summit, when U.S. President Donald Trump warned of “punitive penalties” if the grouping sought to “weaken the U.S. greenback”. Mr. Trump threatened 100% tariffs towards international locations he accused of undermining the American foreign money. Days later, in a barely veiled message to India, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick stated New Delhi’s buy of Russian army gear and its alignment with BRICS had “rubbed america the mistaken method”.
The stress however, India participated within the Rio summit wholeheartedly and helped in making the assembly a defining second for the grouping. The Rio summit, on July 6-7, grew to become the primary BRICS assembly that introduced collectively all 11 full members alongside 10 associate international locations, eight invited nations and representatives of all main multilateral establishments as leaders endorsed key declarations on finance, local weather motion and expertise. Talking after the summit, Mr. Vieira had stated BRICS was “the cradle of a brand new growth mannequin”, and the World South was “not peripheral however central to defending multilateralism”.
Brazil’s BRICS presidency leaves behind a transparent roadmap, articulated on the summit by President Lula da Silva by means of a critique of the worldwide monetary structure. “The constructions of the World Financial institution and the IMF replicate a reversed Marshall Plan, whereby rising and growing economies finance the extra developed world,” Mr. Lula stated, urging systemic reform. As well as, well being cooperation and world governance had been bolstered throughout Brazil’s tenure, whereas synthetic intelligence emerged as a BRICS precedence. “Rising applied sciences should function inside a governance framework that’s truthful, inclusive and equitable,” Lula stated on the summit, warning that AI should not change into “the unique privilege of a handful of countries, nor a instrument for manipulation concentrated within the fingers of billionaires”.
Financial autonomy varieties one other essential pillar of Brazil’s legacy. New Growth Financial institution (NDB) president Dilma Rousseff stated on the Rio summit that the NDB’s mandate is to finance infrastructure, innovation and sustainability “by selling social justice, sovereignty and sustainable progress”, reaffirming BRICS’s ambition to form its personal growth path.
Now, as Brazil handed the BRICS gavel to India, the transition is being framed as certainly one of continuity. On the handover ceremony at Brazil’s International Ministry in Brasilia, Mr. Dalela acknowledged the depth of Brazil’s stewardship, noting that progress throughout political and safety cooperation, financial and monetary coordination, and people-to-people exchanges mirrored a presidency taken severely at each degree. “This yr was particularly vital because it coincided with the consolidation part of the expanded membership,” he stated, including that integrating new companions required a cautious steadiness between preserving BRICS’s founding ideas and responding to shifts in world governance. “Brazil’s management has been exemplary,” he concluded, setting the tone for an Indian presidency.
Attempting instances
The yr 2025 has been a very testy one for BRICS in its seventeenth yr. With Mr. Trump again within the White Home, virtually all main worldwide establishments have been rattled and world commerce unsettled by a wave of unilateral sanctions. Brazil and India, each founding members of BRICS, have discovered themselves on the receiving finish of Mr. Trump’s commerce conflict — going through tariffs of almost 50%, though a lot of the measures towards Brazil have been rolled again. Fairly than yield to stress, Brazil used its BRICS presidency to steer the grouping by means of a posh part with no actual injury — a potential template for future presidencies.
Taking cost of the grouping for 2026, Mr. Dalela, Secretary (Financial Relations) in India’s Ministry of Exterior Affairs, stated New Delhi would carry ahead the collectively endorsed agenda. India’s presidency will relaxation on 4 pillars of resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability, with ongoing initiatives on local weather change, synthetic intelligence and scientific cooperation set to proceed.
Because the BRICS presidency passes from Brazil to India, the subsequent chapter will almost definitely be based mostly on continuity and consolidation.
Printed – December 18, 2025 09:07 am IST