NEW DELHI — United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Friday, just days before India assumes the presidency of BRICS and hosts the group's 2026 summit. The bilateral discussions centred on some of the most pressing geopolitical crises of our time and the structural flaws in global governance that allow them to persist unchecked.
The two leaders spoke extensively about the ongoing conflicts in West Asia and Ukraine, examining how these wars are exacerbating humanitarian crises far beyond their immediate battlefields. Of particular concern was the impact on global food and fertiliser access, as both conflicts have disrupted critical supply chains that developing nations depend upon for sustenance and agricultural production. India, as a major importer of fertilisers and a key player in global food security, has been vocal about these vulnerabilities in international forums.
Freedom of navigation emerged as another significant topic, with both leaders acknowledging the need to protect maritime trade routes from escalation and instability. The discussion also covered lethal autonomous weapons systems — increasingly deployed on modern battlefields — and the absence of a coherent international regulatory framework to govern their use.
A substantial portion of the meeting was dedicated to multilateral reform, a cause closely aligned with India's long-standing advocacy at the United Nations. Guterres and Modi both stressed the need to make global institutions more representative and responsive to the realities of the 21st century, particularly regarding reform of the UN Security Council.
The meeting comes at a pivotal moment for India's foreign policy, as it prepares to steer the BRICS bloc through its 2026 agenda. New Delhi is expected to place issues of global South representation, climate justice, and equitable development at the forefront of its BRICS presidency priorities. The interaction between Guterres and Modi underscores the growing convergence between India's regional leadership ambitions and the broader aspirations of emerging economies within the United Nations system.
