World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived in New Delhi on Saturday to attend the 18th BRICS Summit.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) welcomed Ghebreyesus and posted on X: “The visit underscores the importance of global cooperation in health-related matters for shared progress and prosperity.”

Belarus Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov also arrived in the national capital to participate in the BRICS Summit.

Welcoming Ryzhenkov, the MEA said: “India and Belarus share warm and friendly relations, marked by growing cooperation across a broad range of areas, in bilateral and multilateral spheres.”

India will host the 18th BRICS Summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Saturday and Sunday, September 12-13. The summit will bring together leaders from BRICS member and partner countries, along with outreach invitees.

India has chosen “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability” as the theme for its BRICS Chairship. According to the MEA, the theme reflects Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a people-centric approach rooted in the spirit of “Humanity First.”

On Friday, Philippines President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. arrived in New Delhi to attend the 18th BRICS Summit as the current chair of ASEAN. Union Minister of State (MoS) Anupriya Patel received him at the airport.

The MEA said India and ASEAN maintain a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which serves as an important pillar of India’s ‘Act East’ policy. The partnership focuses on trade, maritime security and regional connectivity across the Indo-Pacific.

Several other world leaders, including World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, also arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the summit.

Welcoming Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the MEA said, “Her participation in the Summit will advance the dialogue on inclusive trade and development, and on ensuring that the global trading system delivers for all.”

Following the Cuban Foreign Minister’s arrival, the MEA posted on X: “Warm welcome to Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla of Cuba on his arrival in New Delhi for the 18th BRICS Summit. India and Cuba share warm and friendly ties. As partners in the Global South, we are working together to advance shared priorities.”

During India’s BRICS Chairship this year, the country has hosted more than 350 meetings and high-level engagements across more than 25 cities. These engagements aim to strengthen the BRICS strategic partnership across three key pillars: political and security cooperation, economic and financial cooperation, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

Through these meetings, along with business-to-business and people-to-people initiatives, India has sought to advance BRICS cooperation through practical and development-oriented outcomes.