Modi and Guterres Call for Global Governance Reform

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for a fundamental overhaul of global governance during the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12. Modi criticized the current international order as a "pyramid of privilege" that excludes the Global South from leadership, leaving developing nations as "rule takers." To address this, he proposed the joint formulation of 10 proposals to create a BRICS reform roadmap by the next summit, aiming to transform the Global South into "rule-shapers."

The summit, which included leaders such as Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, concluded with the adoption of the New Delhi Declaration. The document emphasized multilateral cooperation and global health initiatives. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the declaration, describing the bloc's commitment to the central role of the UN as "reassuring" amid a global climate of unilateralism, specifically noting the approach of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Following a sideline meeting with Modi in New Delhi, Guterres held a press conference in Geneva on September 17, where he called for a mandatory "redistribution of power." Guterres argued that the UN Security Council and the Bretton Woods system must be overhauled because current power relations no longer correspond to the economic realities of a world where the GDP share of emerging economies is increasing.