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International Organisations & Summits 2026

BRICS under India's chairship, the G20 under the United States, the UN Secretary-General selection, and news from WHO, WTO and climate talks.

Lessons in this module

BRICS 2026: India's Chairship and the New Delhi Summit

Lesson • 5 quiz questions

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G20, G7, SCO and COP31

Lesson • 5 quiz questions

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The United Nations, WHO and WTO in 2026

Lesson • 5 quiz questions

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Lesson notes

1. BRICS 2026: India's Chairship and the New Delhi Summit

India held the chairship of BRICS in 2026, the year BRICS marked 20 years. India hosted the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi in September 2026. This is one of the most important current affairs topics for 2026.

The 18th BRICS Summit

The summit was held on 12 and 13 September 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, chaired by PM Narendra Modi.
India's chairship theme was 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability'; the first letters spell BRICS.
Leaders unanimously adopted the New Delhi Declaration on 12 September, covering global governance reform, trade, finance, technology, climate, health and agriculture.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin attended; it was Xi's first visit to India in about seven years.
A BRICS Business Forum was held at Bharat Mandapam on 11 September 2026.
China will hold the BRICS chairship and host the summit in 2027.

BRICS members and partners

BRICS started in 2006 (first ministers' meeting) with Brazil, Russia, India and China; South Africa joined in 2010.
Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the UAE joined from 2024, and Indonesia joined in 2025.
Saudi Arabia was invited to join, but it has not formally confirmed full membership.
BRICS also has 'partner countries', such as Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Cuba and Vietnam.

India's approach

India focused on reform of global institutions such as the UN Security Council and the IMF and World Bank.
India said it held over 400 BRICS meetings and events in about 30 cities during its chairship.
The New Delhi Declaration did not create a common BRICS currency; it supported settlement in local currencies and payment interoperability.

Quick facts

18th BRICS Summit: 12-13 September 2026, Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi
BRICS 2026 theme: Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability
Outcome document: New Delhi Declaration
BRICS chair 2027: China
Newest full member: Indonesia (joined 2025)
BRICS anniversary in 2026: 20 years

💡 The BRICS 2026 theme is easy to remember because the first letters of Building, Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability spell B-R-I-C-S.

📝 5-question quiz on this lesson: enrol free to take it and track your score.

2. G20, G7, SCO and COP31

Besides BRICS, several other groupings met or prepared for meetings in 2026. The United States holds the G20 presidency, France hosted the G7, Kyrgyzstan hosted the SCO, and Türkiye will host the COP31 climate conference in November 2026.

G20 under the United States

The United States took over the G20 presidency from South Africa for 2026.
The G20 Leaders' Summit is scheduled for 14-15 December 2026 at Trump National Doral in Miami (Doral), Florida.
On 27 November 2025, President Trump announced that South Africa would not be invited to the 2026 G20 events.
A G20 trade ministers' meeting was held in Milwaukee, USA, in late September-October 2026.

G7 and SCO

France held the G7 presidency in 2026, and the 52nd G7 summit was held at Évian-les-Bains in June 2026.
G7 members: USA, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada (the EU also attends).
India attended the G7 summit as an outreach partner.
The SCO summit was held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on 31 August and 1 September 2026.

COP31 (scheduled)

COP31, the UN climate change conference, is scheduled for 9-20 November 2026 in Antalya, Türkiye.
Under a compromise reached in November 2025, Türkiye hosts the conference while Australia leads the negotiations.
Türkiye's Environment Minister Murat Kurum is the COP31 President; Australia's Chris Bowen is President of Negotiations.
COP30 was held in Belém, Brazil, in November 2025.

Quick facts

G20 presidency 2026: United States
G20 summit 2026 (scheduled): 14-15 December 2026, Doral, Miami
G7 presidency 2026: France (summit at Évian-les-Bains)
SCO summit 2026: Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
COP31 (scheduled): 9-20 November 2026, Antalya, Türkiye
COP31 negotiations led by: Australia (Chris Bowen)
COP30: Belém, Brazil (2025)

💡 COP31 has an unusual arrangement: Türkiye hosts and presides, but Australia leads the negotiations. Exams may test this.

📝 5-question quiz on this lesson: enrol free to take it and track your score.

3. The United Nations, WHO and WTO in 2026

2026 is an important year for the United Nations because a new Secretary-General is being chosen to take over on 1 January 2027. There was also news from the World Health Organization and the World Trade Organization.

Choosing the next UN Secretary-General

António Guterres's second five-year term ends on 31 December 2026; the new Secretary-General takes office on 1 January 2027.
The process began with a joint letter from the Presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council on 25 November 2025, inviting nominations.
Candidates took part in public 'interactive dialogues' with member states, shown on UN Web TV, from April 2026.
The Security Council held informal 'straw polls' from 30 July 2026; it recommends one candidate, and the General Assembly appoints.
Candidates included Rebeca Grynspan (Costa Rica), Rafael Grossi (Argentina) and Macky Sall (Senegal); by custom, many members favour a candidate from Latin America and the Caribbean this time.
Many member states and public figures have also called for the first woman Secretary-General. As of early October 2026, Rebeca Grynspan had led most of the straw polls, but the Security Council had not yet made a recommendation.

WHO and WTO

The United States formally left the World Health Organization (WHO) on 22 January 2026, one year after President Trump's executive order of January 2025.
WHO's theme for World Health Day 2026 (7 April) was 'Together for health. Stand with science.'
The 14th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC14) was held in Yaoundé, Cameroon, from 26 to 29 March 2026.
MC14 was chaired by Cameroon's Trade Minister Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana; the WTO Director-General is Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

UN International Years 2026

International Year of the Woman Farmer.
International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development.
International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists.

Quick facts

UN Secretary-General (till 31 Dec 2026): António Guterres
New UN SG takes office: 1 January 2027
UN SG appointed by: General Assembly, on Security Council recommendation
US exit from WHO: Effective 22 January 2026
WTO MC14: Yaoundé, Cameroon (March 2026)
WTO Director-General: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
International Years 2026: Woman Farmer; Volunteers; Rangelands and Pastoralists

💡 For the UN Secretary-General, remember the two-step process: the Security Council recommends, and the General Assembly appoints.

📝 5-question quiz on this lesson: enrol free to take it and track your score.

Other modules in Current Affairs 2026: India & World

Polity & Governance 2026FREE PREVIEW → Economy, Budget & Banking 2026FREE PREVIEW → Schemes, Social Sector & Infrastructure 2026FREE PREVIEW → Science, Space, Technology & Defence 2026FREE PREVIEW → Environment, Geography & Disasters 2026FREE PREVIEW → Sports, Awards, Persons in News & Important Days 2026FREE PREVIEW → World Politics & Leaders 2026FREE PREVIEW → India's Foreign Relations 2026FREE PREVIEW → Global Economy, Science & Technology 2026FREE PREVIEW → World Sports, Awards & Important Days 2026FREE PREVIEW → Final AssessmentFREE PREVIEW →

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