Members of BRICS countries on Thursday adopted a declaration calling for reforms of the principal organs of the United Nations including instilling new life in the discussions on the reform of the UN Security Council (UNSC).

At the conclusion of the 13th BRICS Summit, leaders adopted the "New Delhi Declaration" and pledged resolve towards strengthening and reforming the multilateral system to make global governance more responsive and effective.

"Leaders acknowledged that continued relevance of the UN system would be determined by its ability to adapt to contemporary realities. They pledged resolve towards strengthening and reforming the multilateral system to make global governance more responsive and agile, effective, transparent, democratic, representative and accountable to Member States," the declaration read.

"Called for reforms of the principal organs of the United Nations including instilling new life in the discussions on reform of the UN Security Council with a view to making it more representative, effective and efficient, and to increase the representation of the developing countries," it added.

Leaders also expressed appreciation of the role of India during its ongoing tenure in the UNSC for 2021-2022. They also endorsed the BRICS Joint Statement on Strengthening and Reforming the Multilateral System adopted by BRICS Foreign Ministers on 1 June 2021.

Furthermore, leaders also highlighted the need for cooperation on the study of the origins of the SARS-COV-2 - an important aspect of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

They also called for COVID-19 extensive immunization as a global public good and recognized the importance of experience and knowledge-sharing on Traditional Medicines.

The BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a virtual format. The theme for the Summit is 'BRICS@15: Intra-BRICS cooperation for continuity, consolidation and consensus'. Brazil President Jair Bolsanaro, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping also attended the meeting.

ANI