From Representation to Rule-Making: Can BRICS Reshape Global Governance?

The 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi has sharpened a question that has long shaped the grouping’s evolution: can greater representation of the Global South translate into greater influence over the rules of global governance? The New Delhi Declaration calls for a more representative, accountable and responsive multilateral order, with reforms in the UN system, the Bretton Woods institutions and global economic governance. India has pushed this argument further by calling for the Global South to move from being merely “rule-takers” to “rule-shapers.”

From Voice to Institutional Influence

  • BRICS seeks greater representation of emerging and developing countries in the UN Security Council, IMF and World Bank.
  • Reform of quota, voting and leadership structures is essential if economic weight is to translate into real decision-making power.
  • The grouping also provides developing countries a platform to shape debates on trade, development finance, technology and sustainability rather than merely respond to rules framed elsewhere.

The Challenge of Rule-Making

Representation alone does not guarantee influence. BRICS remains internally diverse, with differences over geopolitical priorities, economic interests and relations with the West. Its ability to shape global rules will therefore depend on converting broad consensus into coordinated positions and workable institutional proposals.

Towards a More Representative Global Order

BRICS is unlikely to replace existing global institutions, nor should that be its principal objective. Its greater relevance lies in reforming them from within and widening participation in global decision-making. If BRICS can turn collective economic and demographic weight into credible institutional reform, it can help move the Global South from the margins of global governance closer to the centre of rule-making.