New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday described the BRICS Summit 2026 as a historic milestone as the grouping marks its 20th anniversary, and called for an ambitious agenda for the next two decades with greater focus on implementation and institutional continuity.

Addressing the summit in New Delhi, Modi said India’s BRICS chairmanship had followed a people-centric and humanity-first approach, with resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability among its key priorities.

"I express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you for your active contribution and support in making India’s BRICS chairmanship a success. This year’s BRICS summit marks a historic milestone. We are celebrating the 20th anniversary of BRICS. In human life, the age of 20 marks the beginning of a new phase of maturity and responsibility," he said.

Welcoming the participating leaders, Modi highlighted India's efforts to connect BRICS cooperation with people across the country.

"It gives me immense pleasure to welcome and greet you all to India. India’s BRICS chairmanship is based on a people-centric and humanity-first approach. Resilience, innovation, cooperation, and sustainability have been our priorities. Alongside these priorities, we have placed special emphasis on connecting BRICS cooperation with the common people. With this vision in mind, more than 350 meetings were organised. We had the opportunity to welcome your teams to approximately 30 cities..." he said.

Modi also welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin at Bharat Mandapam, the venue of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi.

Calling for a new institutional framework for the grouping, Modi proposed a mechanism to ensure continuity and implementation of decisions despite the annual rotation of the BRICS presidency.

"We need to work on a new and ambitious agenda for the next 20 years. We must begin this process with our own internal working systems. While the BRICS presidency rotates annually, this should not disrupt our institutional momentum. I propose the establishment of a BRICS continuity and implementation mechanism. This would enable the follow-up of all initiatives and outcomes through the 'Troika' arrangement. We could also create a secure digital repository to record the nodal point, timeframe, and implementation status associated with every decision,” Modi stated.

Emphasising the importance of unity and consensus, the prime minister said BRICS had established itself as a distinct entity on the global stage over the past two decades.

“Today, BRICS, too, has reached a moment of 'coming of age'. Over the past two decades, BRICS has established a distinct identity on the global stage. We respect each other's perspectives and move forward through consensus. We strive to advance not by opposing anyone, but by taking everyone along. Now is the time for us to translate our unity and consensus within BRICS into tangible results on the global stage."

Modi also underlined the grouping's position on global governance and called for reforms to international institutions.

He said BRICS had made its identity felt on the world stage over the past 20 years and described the current summit as a historical milestone. He also stressed that BRICS was not directed against any country or group.

At the summit, Modi proposed a 10-point roadmap for global governance and said reform of the United Nations Security Council could no longer be delayed.