Ethiopia’s Three International Priorities Backed by BRICS Leaders in the New Delhi Declaration

Addis Ababa, September 14, 2026 (FMC) — Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed attended the opening session of the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit on September 12, 2026, before joining leaders from BRICS member and partner states at a gala dinner banquet following the summit session.

The second and final day of the summit was held on September 13 under the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability,” bringing together heads of state and government from BRICS member and partner countries, as well as leaders of various international institutions.

The summit concluded with the adoption of the New Delhi Declaration, which outlines 140 consensus positions and reflects the collective stance of BRICS member states on key global issues, including global governance reform, international and regional peace, sustainable economic growth and people-to-people exchange.

Among the declaration’s positions, BRICS leaders reaffirmed the bloc’s robust support for Ethiopia’s ongoing accession process to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The declaration also expressed strong support for Ethiopia’s candidature as the sole candidate endorsed by the African Union to secure an additional seat on the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council.

In addition, BRICS member states jointly backed Ethiopia’s preparations to host the 32nd United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP32).

The three positions represent key areas of Ethiopia’s international engagement, spanning multilateral trade, global civil aviation governance and international climate diplomacy.

The BRICS leaders also approved China as the host country for the upcoming 19th BRICS Summit.

On the sidelines of the leaders’ summit, Prime Minister Abiy held bilateral discussions with heads of state and government from BRICS member and partner nations. The high-level talks focused on expanding mutual cooperation across trade, investment, defense collaboration and digitalization.

Following the official conclusion of the two-day BRICS Leaders’ Summit, Prime Minister Abiy returned to Addis Ababa.