The 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit will be held in New Delhi on September 12 and 13, bringing together leaders of the expanded grouping for two days of high-level discussions on global governance, multilateralism, trade, investment, technology, food and energy security, healthcare, disaster resilience and critical supply chains.
With geopolitical tensions running high and disruptions affecting global trade and energy routes, the summit is also expected to focus on major international and regional developments, including ongoing conflicts and the changing global economic landscape.
The summit opens on Saturday, September 12, with a closed-door session of BRICS member countries at 2.35 pm on “Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism.” Leaders will then visit the Bharat Innovates Exhibition at 4.25 pm, followed by the official family photograph and a joint tree-planting ceremony at 5.05 pm. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host a gala dinner for the visiting leaders at 7.30 pm.
The second day, Sunday, September 13, will begin with the arrival of leaders from BRICS member and partner countries, along with outreach invitees, from 9.55 am. The official group photograph is scheduled for 10.35 am, followed by the main open session at 10.50 am, titled “Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability: Shaping the Future for Inclusive Global Growth.”
The summit is expected to conclude with the adoption of the New Delhi Declaration.
Delhi Transforms into a Security Fortress
The arrival of a large contingent of foreign leaders and senior dignitaries has prompted an unprecedented security build-up across the capital.
Around 15,000 Delhi Police personnel and 200 companies of paramilitary forces have been deployed, while approximately 500 CCTV cameras have been installed at strategic locations to provide round-the-clock surveillance.
Security has been particularly intensified around the diplomatic enclave and hotels where visiting leaders are staying. China, Russia and Iran have been assigned separate hotels, with security personnel from the respective countries also arriving in Delhi ahead of their leaders.
The security measures extend beyond the summit venues. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has restricted certain flying activities across seven northern states, while light and micro-light aircraft, UAVs and similar aerial vehicles have been prohibited within a 300-km radius of Delhi for 52 hours beginning Friday.
Traffic restrictions and changes to public movement are also expected around important routes and venues during the summit. Operations at New Delhi railway station are being modified, with some train services facing cancellations, diversions, rescheduling and other forms of regulation during the summit period.
The diplomatic gathering is also expected to attract a major international media presence, with an estimated 1,200 to 1,300 journalists expected to cover the event. Delhi has been given a makeover for the occasion, with Bharat Mandapam serving as the focal point of the two-day summit.
Who Is Arriving and When?
The media coordination schedule lists the following arrivals:
September 10
- 50 pm: Mauro Vieira, Foreign Affairs Minister, Brazil — T3, IGI Airport
September 11
- 15 am: Vladimir Putin, President, Russia — AFS Palam (Arrived)
- 10 am: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General — T3, IGI Airport
- 25 am: Zou Jiayi, President, AIIB — T3, IGI Airport
- 45 am: Mario Lubetkin, Foreign Affairs Minister, Uruguay — T3, IGI Airport
- 05 am: Cyril Ramaphosa, President, South Africa — T3, IGI Airport
- 15 am: Jessica Alupo, Vice President, Uganda — T3, IGI Airport
- 25 pm: Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General — T3, IGI Airport
- 00 pm: Dilma Rousseff, President, New Development Bank — T3, IGI Airport
- 00 pm: Masoud Pezeshkian, President, Iran — AFS Palam
- 45 pm: Kashim Shettima, Vice President, Nigeria — AFS Palam
- 35 pm: Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President, Egypt — AFS Palam
- 50 pm: Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi — AFS Palam
- 40 pm: Anwar Ibrahim, Prime Minister, Malaysia — AFS Palam
- 30 pm: Abiy Ahmed Ali, Prime Minister, Ethiopia — AFS Palam
- 45 pm: Evariste Ndayishimiye, President, Burundi — AFS Palam
- 00 pm: Prabowo Subianto, President, Indonesia — AFS Palam
- 00 pm: Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., President, Philippines — AFS Palam
- 50 pm: Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, Foreign Affairs Minister, Cuba — T3, IGI Airport
- 35 pm: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, WTO Director-General — T3, IGI Airport
September 12
- 35 am: Maxim Ryzhenkov, Foreign Affairs Minister, Belarus — T3, IGI Airport
- 05 am: Le Minh Hung, Prime Minister, Vietnam — T3, IGI Airport
- 25 pm: Xi Jinping, President, China — AFS Palam
- 30 pm: Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Foreign Affairs Minister, Bahrain — T3, IGI Airport
- 10 pm: Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President, Kazakhstan — AFS Palam
- 00 pm: Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Foreign Affairs Minister, Saudi Arabia — AFS Palam
The Big Arrivals
Russian President Vladimir Putin was the first major head of state to arrive, landing at AFS Palam early on September 11. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to meet Putin during his visit.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is scheduled to arrive at Palam at 2 pm and is expected to meet Modi later in the evening.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to arrive at 12.25 pm on September 12. His visit will mark his first trip to India in seven years. Modi and Xi are scheduled to hold bilateral talks at 6 pm on Saturday.
Other prominent figures expected in Delhi include South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
As leaders from across the expanded BRICS grouping converge on the Indian capital, the summit comes at a pivotal moment for global diplomacy — with questions over geopolitical conflicts, economic cooperation, trade routes and the future of multilateralism likely to dominate the discussions.
