India to Chair BRICS in 2026: Group Condemns J&K Attack, Pushes for UNSC Reform, and Challenges Trade Barriers

India's forthcoming BRICS Chairship in 2026, a resolute stance against terrorism, renewed advocacy for UN Security Council reforms, and concerns over trade restrictions dominated the agenda at the BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs meeting held alongside the 80th United Nations General Assembly.

The Friday meeting was presided over by India, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar leading discussions as India prepares to assume the BRICS presidency in the coming year.

According to the Joint Statement released after the meeting, Jaishankar's counterparts unanimously endorsed India's leadership for hosting the annual gathering and guiding the group's priorities.

"The Ministers expressed appreciation to India for holding the BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs/International Relations meeting on the margins of UNGA 80. They extended their full support to India for its BRICS Chairship in 2026 and the holding of the XVIII BRICS Summit in India," the collective declaration stated.

In his social media post on X, Jaishankar emphasized BRICS' role as a "voice of reason," highlighting priorities such as food and energy security, digital transformation, and United Nations reforms for his upcoming 2026 tenure. The ministers also issued an unequivocal condemnation of terrorism, specifically addressing the April 22 attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam that resulted in 26 fatalities.

"They condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir on 22 April 2025, during which 26 people were killed and many more were injured. They reaffirmed their commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including the cross-border movement of terrorists, terrorism financing and safe havens," the statement affirmed, urging zero tolerance and rejecting double standards.

This specific reference to the attack, attributed to Pakistan-supported terrorist organizations, aligns with India's recent rebuttal against Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's "absurd theatrics" and glorification of terrorism during India's Right to Reply at the UNGA.

Regarding UNSC reform, the ministers reiterated support for the 2023 Johannesburg-II Leaders' Declaration, advocating for comprehensive restructuring to render the Council "more democratic, representative, effective and efficient."

They explicitly endorsed "the aspirations of Brazil and India to play a greater role in the United Nations, including its Security Council," strengthening New Delhi's persistent campaign for permanent membership.

"Recalling the 2022 Beijing and 2023 Johannesburg II Leaders' Declarations, China and Russia, as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, reiterated their support to the aspirations of Brazil and India to play a greater role in the United Nations, including its Security Council," the statement emphasized.

Jaishankar, in his post, also underlined BRICS' call for amplifying the Global South's voice, a theme anticipated to feature prominently in his UNGA address today.

The meeting additionally expressed profound concern regarding escalating trade barriers, particularly the "indiscriminate rising of tariffs and non-tariff measures," and protectionist policies that "threaten to further reduce global trade, disrupt global supply chains, and introduce uncertainty into international economic and trade activities."

The statement implicitly criticized measures such as the recent 50 percent US tariffs on Indian goods over Russian oil imports, which India has denounced as coercive.

The ministers reaffirmed their commitment to a "non-discriminatory, open, equitable, transparent, fair, inclusive, and rules-based multilateral trading system" with the WTO at its core.

"The Ministers expressed concern over proliferation of trade-restrictive actions, whether in the form of indiscriminate rising of tariffs and non-tariff measures, or protectionism, in particular measures used as a means of coercion that threaten to further reduce global trade, disrupt global supply chains, and introduce uncertainty into international economic and trade activities, potentially exacerbating existing economic disparities and affecting prospects for global economic development. They voiced serious concerns about the rise of unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures which distort trade and are inconsistent with WTO rules. They cautioned against such practices that risk fragmenting global trade and marginalizing the Global South," the statement elaborated.

The BRICS meeting, attended by foreign ministers from Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa, and newer members including Iran, Indonesia, the UAE, Ethiopia and Egypt, demonstrates the group's expanding influence as a platform representing the Global South.