BRICS Grouping

BRICS is an informal intergovernmental grouping through which major emerging and developing economies coordinate on global governance, development and shared international concerns. It is a state-led political forum, not a treaty-based international organisation with authority over its members.

Composition and evolution

• Foreign ministers of Brazil, Russia, India and China began regular coordination in 2006, and the first BRIC leaders' summit was held in 2009.
• South Africa was admitted in 2010 and participated in the 2011 summit, creating BRICS.
• Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates joined in 2024, while Indonesia became a member in 2025. Together with Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, these constitute ten confirmed full members.
• Saudi Arabia was invited to join during the 2023 expansion, but its formal accession has not been consistently confirmed and should be distinguished from confirmed membership.

Mandate and working method

BRICS seeks a more representative international order and greater influence for emerging and developing economies. Its broad mandate covers global governance reform, peace and security, trade, investment, finance, technology, sustainable development and people-to-people exchanges.

• BRICS has no founding treaty, permanent secretariat or supranational authority; summit declarations express shared political positions rather than generally binding obligations.
• Annual summits, ministerial meetings and working groups operate under a rotating presidency.
• Decisions are reached through consultation and consensus, allowing cooperation despite differences in political systems and national interests.

Financial and climate cooperation

BRICS has established treaty-based financial mechanisms without converting the wider grouping into a treaty organisation.

• The New Development Bank, established by an agreement signed in 2014, finances infrastructure and sustainable development projects in emerging and developing economies.
• The Contingent Reserve Arrangement, created in 2014, provides a framework for short-term liquidity support during balance-of-payments pressures.
• These mechanisms supplement rather than replace established multilateral financial institutions.
• Climate cooperation supports the Paris Agreement and emphasises equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities. It covers climate finance, clean energy, technology, resilient infrastructure and capacity-building, although divergent national interests can constrain common action.