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BRICS Nations Unanimously Condemn Unilateral Tariffs, Push for WTO Reform
Confirmed
In Short: BRICS leaders adopted a declaration condemning unilateral tariffs and calling for reforms to the World Trade Organization.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the unanimous adoption of the declaration at the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi. The document, titled the New Delhi Declaration 2026, calls for reforms to global institutions and urges countries to resolve disputes through diplomacy.
The declaration also condemned unilateral economic and secondary sanctions, describing them as contrary to international law and citing their adverse consequences for development, health, and food security. BRICS nations expressed serious concerns about the rise of unilateral tariffs and non-tariff measures, which they said were distorting trade and inconsistent with WTO norms.
According to The Indian Express, the declaration reaffirmed the need to reform the Security Council to make it more democratic, representative, effective, and efficient, with greater representation for developing countries. The document also condemned the April 22, 2025, terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 people and injured several others.
The BRICS countries reached a consensus despite the ongoing war in West Asia, which has divided them. This comes in the backdrop of sweeping tariffs imposed by the US for over a year under various US trade provisions, which have targeted exports from across the world. BRICS members support reform of the WTO and to strengthen a non-discriminatory, open, equitable, transparent, fair, inclusive, predictable, and rules-based multilateral trading system, with the WTO at its core.
What's confirmed
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the unanimous adoption of the declaration at the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi. The document, titled the New Delhi Declaration 2026, calls for reforms to global institutions and urges countries to resolve disputes through diplomacy.
- The declaration also condemned unilateral economic and secondary sanctions, describing them as contrary to international law and citing their adverse consequences for development, health, and food security. BRICS nations expressed serious concerns about the rise of unilateral tariffs and non-tariff measures, which they said were distorting trade and inconsistent with WTO norms.
- According to The Indian Express, the declaration reaffirmed the need to reform the Security Council to make it more democratic, representative, effective, and efficient, with greater representation for developing countries. The document also condemned the April 22, 2025, terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 people and injured several others.
- The BRICS countries reached a consensus despite the ongoing war in West Asia, which has divided them. This comes in the backdrop of sweeping tariffs imposed by the US for over a year under various US trade provisions, which have targeted exports from across the world. BRICS members support reform of the WTO and to strengthen a non-discriminatory, open, equitable, transparent, fair, inclusive, predictable, and rules-based multilateral trading system, with the WTO at its core.
What's still developing
- The document also called for a fairer international order and a reformed multilateral system, linking stronger representation with the development priorities of emerging economies.
- “We voice serious concerns about the rise of unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures which distort trade and are inconsistent with the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) rules. We will work together to enhance the WTO’s responsiveness to trade disruptions and the needs and priorities of emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs), as well as advance discussions on outstanding issues, and support balanced, inclusive and concrete outcomes that strengthen the multilateral trading system and enable it to better address evolving global challenges,” the New Delhi Declaration 2026 said.
- BRICS members said that the proliferation of trade-restrictive actions is inconsistent with WTO rules, whether in the form of “indiscriminate raising of tariffs and non-tariff measures”, or protectionism under the “guise of environmental objectives”.
- “We will ensure the implementation of the MC14 outcomes and continue to engage constructively towards the resolution of outstanding issues. We will engage constructively in the WTO reform to enhance the WTO’s authority, effectiveness, inclusiveness, and relevance, and build an open world economy. In this regard, we recognise that it is important to identify appropriate pathways for plurilateral initiatives into the WTO legal framework, including on development-oriented issues, and to explore the formulation of forward-looking rules in the WTO,” the declaration said.
- “We look forward to working towards strengthening the organisation through the necessary reform while upholding the foundational principles of the WTO and facilitating the negotiation process within the WTO framework, and to restoring the credibility of the multilateral trading system. Echoing the aspirations of the Global South to fully integrate into the multilateral trading system, we strongly support Ethiopia and Iran’s bid for accession to the WTO. We acknowledge China for expanding its zero-tariff treatment to cover 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic ties,” the declaration said.