The 18 th BRICS Summit, hosted in New Delhi under India’s chairship, was a watershed moment for contemporary international relations. Twenty-five years after it originated as an economic acronym in 2001, BRICS has evolved into a major Global South forum. The high-level consultations brought together, for the first time, leaders from the expanded 11-member grouping (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE)