Remarks of President of the Republic of Indonesia at Limited Session of the 2026 BRICS Summit, in Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, the Republic of India Saturday, September 12, 2026

Excellency, Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modi;

Distinguished Leaders of BRICS;

Distinguished Delegates,

Excellencies,

Allow me first to thank our host and this year’s chair for the welcome extended to our delegation, the excellent hospitality. I would also like to commend the great leadership shown by Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modi in leading BRICS. It is a great pleasure to be here and to join all of you in this summit. We are a new member of BRICS, and we would like to thank all the founders of BRICS for receiving us very quickly to be a member of this great new organization that represents half of humanity.

There is an old Indonesian saying, “Bersatu kita teguh, terpecah kita runtuh.” It means united we stand strong, divided we fall. This simple wisdom captures the spirit that brought the global south countries from Asia and Africa together several decades ago in Bandung.

We in the global south now feel our voice is heard. Nations that have recently gained independence, that have fought imperialism and colonialism, now come together as equals. We understand that by standing together our voices will carry further. Our interests can be better protected and advanced. This lesson remains very important.  By standing together we also become stronger.

Strength always begins at home with our people, with our ability to feed our people, to secure the energy that they need, to educate our children, and to give them the opportunity to prosper. That is how we build resilient nations and we become really independent.

We do not like to be dictated to by any one or two powers. We must be resilient and then we become really independent. We have strengthened our foundation to preserve peace and to build trust.

With such a strong foundation, I am convinced that BRICS continue to strengthen cooperation in areas that directly affect our resilience. Energy is one clear example. We are connecting our energy systems and strengthening energy security across our regions to power our economies and build lasting resilience.

As I mentioned before, BRICS represents half of all humanity, and a major share of the global economy and global trade. It brings together the world’s largest markets and major energy producers. This gives us enormous collective strength.

Imagine what BRICS can achieve if this strength is fully mobilized to help secure food and energy supplies. Imagine if our markets, capital, resources, technology, and knowledge are better connected, creating greater opportunities for the developing world. Imagine if the countries of the global south can speak with greater confidence and greater coordination in shaping the institutions that govern our world, in protecting and enhancing peace, in fighting for justice.

Together, we can build a stronger multilateral system that supports the needs and the interests of all nations, big and small, strong or weak. For this to succeed, we must keep the United Nations (UN) at the center of that system. Because the United Nations remains the only multilateral institution, where all nations come together as equals. And for the UN to be at the center effectively, it must be reformed. The UN has to be more representative, more responsive, and better able to deliver concrete results for our peoples.

At the same time, our international financial institutions must also evolve. Trade and currency must not be weaponized. They must better respond to the needs of developing countries, including by providing better access to resources.

BRICS has a role to play, by strengthening our own capacity to contribute to global resilience. By mobilizing resources for infrastructure and development, we can strengthen the global south’s capacity to finance its own future.

This is the kind of collective strength we need. Strength that does not remain on paper, but translates into opportunities for our people. Strength that allows the global south to have a greater voice in shaping its own future. The same strength must also be used to build a more just and equitable international order. Together, we can make our strengths count.

Thank you.