Responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI), climate action, global health and reforming global governance, peace and security are some of the key issues on the agenda of the upcoming BRICS Summit that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to attend in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro from July 5 to 8.
The summit’s overarching theme is strengthening global south cooperation for inclusive and sustainable governance.
PM Modi will arrive in Rio de Janeiro on the evening of July 5 and is expected to hold several bilateral meetings on the sidelines, while Russian and Chinese presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping will reportedly skip the meeting this year, according to PTI.
Dammu Ravi, Secretary (Economic Relations) in the Ministry of External Affairs, noted that PM Modi’s visit to Brazil is especially significant as India will be hosting the BRICS summit next year.
Per the agenda, PM Modi will also discuss strengthening multilateralism and global health, economic and financial matters with his counterparts, as well as COP30, the UN Climate Change Conference that Brazil is set to host in November.
“The summit’s agenda encapsulates the ideas of the global south and is in alignment with India’s positions,” Ravi said during a special briefing on Monday, June 30.
After the summit, Modi will stay on in Brazil to mark his state visit and hold bilateral discussions partnership between India and Brazil in areas including trade, defence, energy, space, technology, agriculture, and health, among others.
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Founded in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India and China as BRIC to keep Western dominance of the world order in check and later became BRICS when South Africa joined the group in 2010. In 2024, the group expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates, followed by Indonesia in 2025.
Five-nation visit
PM Modi will be attending the BRICS summit as part of a five-nation visit to Ghana, Trinidad & Tobago, Argentina, Brazil, and Namibia—from July 2 to July 9—many of which MEA says are historic.
He will begin the state visit from Ghana and conclude in Namibia, marking the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister in 30 years and 27 years in both countries, respectively.
In Ghana (July 2 and 3), PM Modi will meet with Ghana’s President John Mahama to deepen economic ties and address Ghana’s parliament and the country’s Indian community of 15,000 people.
“It is very important to note that Ghana is undergoing deep economic restructuring… economic agenda will dominate the talks. Bilateral trade between India and Ghana is about $3 billion in favour of Ghana because of large imports of gold,” Ravi said. India has an investment of about $2 billion in Ghana.
Few MoUs will likely be signed in areas of agriculture, vaccine, defence, critical minerals, and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI).
In Trinidad and Tobago (July 3 and 4), the Prime Minister will address a joint parliamentary session of in addition to meeting with President Christine Carla Kangaloo and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
Modi’s third stop on the five-nation tour is Argentina, where he will meet President Javier Milei for bilateral talks aimed at deepening cooperation in defence, agriculture, mining, oil and gas, renewable energy, and trade and investment. He will be in Argentina from July 4 to 5, after which he will travel to Brazil for the BRICS Summit.
In Namibia, India has an investment of about $800 million, mostly in mineral processing like zinc and diamond processing, in addition to a trade relation of $600 million, marginally in favour of India.
