UN Chief Guterres To Push Multipolarity, UNSC reforms at BRICS Summit

UNITED NATIONS, Sept 10: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is expected to stress the importance of multipolarity and reforms to multilateral institutions, including the UN Security Council, when he addresses the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi this week.

Guterres will travel to New Delhi on Thursday to attend the summit, scheduled for September 12-13. He has been invited to address the Open Session on September 13 on the theme, “Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability: Shaping the Future for Inclusive Global Growth”.

UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Guterres is expected to point out that the economic, demographic and geopolitical realities of today are different from those of 1945, and that countries represented at the summit reflect this changing global landscape.

The UN chief is also expected to underline that multipolarity could help bring greater balance to global systems and institutions. However, this would require reforms to multilateral institutions, including the Bretton Woods system and the Security Council, to reflect contemporary realities, Dujarric said.

Security Council reform has long been a key demand of India and several other countries, which argue that the 15-member body does not adequately represent the geopolitical and economic realities of the 21st century. India has been seeking permanent membership of the Council as part of its campaign for comprehensive UN reforms.

During his visit, Guterres is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and hold bilateral meetings with other leaders and officials attending the summit.

India is chairing BRICS in 2026 and will host the 18th Summit, bringing together leaders of member and partner countries as well as outreach invitees. The discussions are expected to cover pressing global challenges, including the economic consequences of the West Asia crisis.

The theme of India’s BRICS chairship is “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”. Guterres’ second five-year term as UN Secretary-General ends in December 2026. (Agencies)