At BRICS, Modi warns geopolitical tensions and supply chain shocks threaten global stability

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday warned that rising geopolitical tensions, supply chain disruptions and climate crises are increasingly affecting people worldwide and called for strengthened cooperation and support across the Global South.

Addressing the BRICS summit of leading developing nations on its second day in New Delhi, Modi also warned that the "weaponization of technology and critical minerals" could hinder global development and shared prosperity.

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Founded in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India and China, BRICS has expanded to 11 members representing about half the world's population and a significant share of global economic output. It has sought greater representation for developing countries in global institutions and promoted alternatives to Western-dominated financial systems.

"The number of conflicts and tensions in the world is continuously increasing, and this is having an increasingly negative and far-reaching impact on the lives of ordinary people," Modi said, alongside bloc leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

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"Pandemics, climate disasters and supply-chain disruptions have shown that in today's interconnected world, no crisis remains confined to a single region," Modi said, while announcing that the bloc agreed to establish an integrated early warning system for infectious diseases, aimed at boosting preparedness and response to future outbreaks.

In his closing remarks at the summit, Modi urged the bloc nations to convert the summit's agreements into tangible and time-bound action and move them from "files to real-life impact."

The discussions over the past two days, he said, reinforced the belief that "BRICS is not merely a group of countries, but an ecosystem of solutions." He wished China success as it takes over the BRICS chair for the next term.

The group in a joint declaration Saturday had expressed concern over escalating tensions in the Middle East and Sudan, and called for disputes to be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy.

The bloc reiterated support for a multipolar world order and reforms to the United Nations, including its Security Council, as well as global financial institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

The leaders opposed unilateral sanctions and coercive economic measures and criticised sanctions not authorized by the U.N. They also criticised rising tariffs and nontariff barriers, saying they undermine global trade and supply chains.

The bloc backed greater use of local currencies in trade and stronger cross-border payment systems, while calling for cooperation on food security, energy, digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence and climate action.

The declaration was a significant breakthrough, as forging consensus among Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates - which hold competing positions on key regional and geopolitical issues - posed a complex diplomatic challenge amid ongoing conflicts and heightened tensions.