Editor's note: Lidia Fagale is a journalist at Clave China Radio and the news portal www.clavechinanoticias.com. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

The 18th BRICS Summit, held in New Delhi on September 12–13, 2026, marks an important milestone in deepening South-South cooperation and advancing global governance toward a more equitable model that is more responsive to the needs of developing countries. Against an international landscape characterized by growing complexity and rapid transformation, BRICS continues to demonstrate its capacity for adaptation and integration in pursuit of common progress.

The experience of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), whose summit was recently held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, offers a valuable reference for how mutual trust, equality and open consultation, supported by a solid institutional foundation and a long-term strategic vision, can serve as effective pillars for consolidating large-scale multilateral groupings.

Under the theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability," India's BRICS presidency seeks to place the priorities of the Global South at the heart of the international agenda, which is in need of constructive dialogue and maturity in managing differences and safeguarding peace and stability.

Against the backdrop of a transition toward more equitable global governance, China's proposals have taken on structural significance. The Global Development Initiative has emerged as an important driving force for accelerating the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with priority given to poverty reduction and financing for the development of critical infrastructure across the Global South. This vision is complemented by the Global Security Initiative, which advocates common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, based on the principle that no country should pursue its own security at the expense of others. Meanwhile, the Global Civilization Initiative promotes respect for the diversity of development paths and intercultural dialogue, rejects the imposition of a single model, and reaffirms the right of every people to independently choose its own path and future.

Innovation and high technology represent the new frontier of South-South cooperation. In the face of contemporary trends toward technological fragmentation, the construction of artificial barriers ("small yards with high fences") and "decoupling policies" that risk widening the digital divide, BRICS advocates an open, fair, equitable and non-discriminatory global technological ecosystem. Technology transfer, joint development in next-generation telecommunications, and space cooperation constitute tangible pillars of this partnership.

In this context, global governance of artificial intelligence has emerged as a priority challenge. BRICS emphasizes that the development of AI should be centered on the well-being of humanity, while ensuring that emerging economies have an equal voice and meaningful participation in shaping international rules on digital safety and ethics. By integrating into these mechanisms of multilateral technological cooperation, Latin America can not only gain access to advanced infrastructure and technical training, but also safeguard its technological sovereignty and accelerate its transition toward a high-value-added, knowledge-based economy.

A central pillar of the BRICS and Global South agenda is the transition toward low-carbon development, guided by the concept of ecological civilization and long-term sustainability. In confronting the challenge of climate change, member countries reject the use of environmental agendas as a disguised form of trade protectionism or the imposition of unilateral barriers that constrain the growth of emerging economies. Instead, BRICS advocates a just, orderly and equitable energy transition based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.

In this area, pragmatic cooperation is being translated into concrete action: Joint development of clean-energy infrastructure, including solar, wind and hydropower; the modernization of electricity grids; and the promotion of sustainable mobility through new energy vehicles. By democratizing access to green technologies and facilitating international financing through institutions such as the New Development Bank, BRICS demonstrates that environmental protection and sovereign industrialization are not mutually exclusive objectives, but complementary drivers of common prosperity.

Embracing multilateralism and shared global cooperation does not require rigid ideological alignment; rather, it represents the responsible exercise of sovereignty in pursuit of the well-being of its peoples.

The New Delhi Summit and high-level diplomatic dialogues will help shape key contours of the future international order. Faced with the choice between unilateral pressure and the construction of a fairer multipolar order, the Global South has a strategic opportunity to consolidate its position as a sovereign, constructive and influential actor in shaping global governance in the 21st century.