International Summits 2026 | BRICS, G20, G7, SCO, NATO & BIMSTEC | UPSC 2027 | Drishti IAS English

Summary: International Summits 2026

The lesson reviews BRICS, the G7, NATO, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), the G20 and BIMSTEC, focusing on their 2026 meetings, origins, membership, purposes and exam-relevant facts. The presenter emphasizes that UPSC questions often test details such as membership, summit locations, declarations, treaty articles, headquarters and institutional structure.

BRICS Summit

• 2026 summit: India hosted the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi. Its stated theme was “Building Resilience, Cooperation, Innovation and Sustainability,” and it adopted the New Delhi Declaration.
• Origins: Goldman Sachs coined the term “BRIC” in 2001. The group became a political forum in 2006 and held its first summit in 2009. South Africa joined in 2010, making the acronym BRICS.
• Membership: The lesson lists 11 full members: Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the UAE. It notes that Saudi Arabia’s status may be treated differently because, according to the lecture, it had not ratified its membership.
• Partner countries: BRICS has introduced a Partner Country Framework. The lecture names Belarus, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand and Vietnam among the partner countries and describes the framework as a way to broaden cooperation, particularly among developing countries.
• Scale and institution: The group is described as representing about 49.5% of the world’s population, 40% of global GDP and 26% of global trade. Its associated bank is the New Development Bank (NDB), headquartered in Shanghai.

G7 Summit

• 2026 summit: France was to host the 52nd G7 Summit under the theme “Forging New Partnerships and Rebuilding International Solidarity.”
• Origins and membership: The group began in 1975 as the G6—France, Germany, Italy, the UK, Japan and the United States—in response to the 1973 oil crisis. Canada joined in 1976. Russia was later included, briefly making it the G8, but was expelled in 2014 following the annexation of Crimea; the group returned to the G7.
• European Union: The EU participates, but the lecture distinguishes it from the G7’s country members.
• Purpose and structure: The group’s agenda has expanded from energy and economic concerns to issues including international security, trade and governance. It is an informal grouping without a founding treaty, permanent secretariat or fixed headquarters.
• Economic weight: The lesson contrasts the G7’s roughly 10% share of the global population with its 43% share of global GDP.

NATO Summit

• 2026 summit: The NATO Summit was held in Ankara, Türkiye, on 7–8 July 2026. Its focus was collective defence and Euro-Atlantic security challenges.
• Treaty and structure: NATO’s founding treaty is also known as the Washington Treaty. The lecture identifies Brussels, Belgium, as NATO’s headquarters and notes that Article 10 allows eligible European states to join.
• Collective defence: Under Article 5, an armed attack against one member is treated as an attack against all. The presenter uses a shared-bill analogy to illustrate that collective defence requires members to contribute.
• Membership: The lecture identifies Finland and Sweden as the most recent members, joining in 2023 and 2024, respectively, and notes that NATO has 32 members.

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)

• 2026 summit: Kyrgyzstan hosted the summit in Bishkek. The stated theme was “25 Years of SCO: Togetherness for Sustainable Peace, Development and Prosperity.” The lecture also refers to an SCO-Plus meeting.
• Origins: The SCO grew out of the Shanghai Five, formed in 1996 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to address border issues and build military confidence. Uzbekistan’s inclusion preceded the SCO’s establishment in 2001. Its charter was signed in 2002 and came into force in 2003.
• Membership: India and Pakistan became full members in 2017, and Iran joined in 2023. The lecture describes the SCO as having 10 full members and emphasizes that Turkmenistan is not a member.
• Exam detail: A practice question refers to the SCO Secretariat in Beijing and its Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure in Tashkent.

G20 Summit

• 2026 summit: The United States was to host the G20 Summit in Miami, Florida, on 14–15 December 2026.
• Origins and expanding agenda: The G20 emerged after the Asian financial crisis. It initially brought together finance ministers and central-bank governors to discuss global financial stability. Its agenda later expanded to include trade, climate change, health, food security, energy and digital governance.
• Membership and scale: The lecture describes the G20 as 19 countries plus the European Union and the African Union. It notes that the African Union became a permanent member during India’s 2023 presidency. The group is said to account for about 85% of global GDP, 75% of global trade and two-thirds of the world’s population.
• Structure: The presidency rotates annually, and the G20 has no permanent secretariat.

BIMSTEC

• Purpose and membership: BIMSTEC—the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation—connects South Asia with Southeast Asia. Its seven members are Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
• Origins and structure: It was established on 6 June 1997 through the Bangkok Declaration. Its Secretariat is in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
• India’s role: The lecture says India leads BIMSTEC cooperation in the security sector, correcting a possible confusion with tourism.
• 2026 developments: A preparatory meeting was held in New Delhi on 14 July 2026 in connection with BIMSTEC’s 30th anniversary. India was also to host an inaugural BIMSTEC maritime security exercise in Sri Vijaya Puram, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, from 30 October to 3 November 2026. The lesson refers to the sixth summit’s vision as “Prosperous, Resilient and Open.”

Exam Preparation and Practice

The presenter suggests prioritizing:

• The host country, location, year and theme of each summit.
• Membership changes, including the newest members and countries that are not members.
• Each organization’s origins, purpose and chronology.
• Relevant treaties, articles, declarations and headquarters.
• The organization’s institutional structure and global economic or demographic share.
• India’s role in each grouping, especially in BRICS and BIMSTEC.

The session includes UPSC-style previous-year and practice questions on BRICS and the NDB, NATO Article 5 and Sweden’s membership, and SCO headquarters and membership chronology. The presenter leaves these questions for viewers to answer rather than providing solutions. A repeated segment also advertises Drishti IAS courses and a Diwali sale.

Speakers and Sources

• Speaker: Divya Kawatra, presenter for Drishti IAS English.
• Sources and materials referenced: UPSC previous-year and practice questions; summit and organization information about BRICS, the G7, NATO, the SCO, the G20 and BIMSTEC; and the New Delhi and Bangkok declarations mentioned in the lesson.