The 18th BRICS Summit has formally backed Ethiopia’s bid to join the World Trade Organization, strengthening the country’s efforts to secure membership in the global trading body.
The endorsement was included in the New Delhi Declaration adopted at the summit, which was held under the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed attended the summit with a high-level Ethiopian delegation as the country continued to expand its engagement in multilateral economic and governance institutions.
BRICS leaders reaffirmed their support for an open, transparent, fair and rules-based multilateral trading system centered on the WTO. The declaration also expressed strong support for the WTO accession bids of Ethiopia and Iran.
The backing comes as Ethiopia continues negotiations aimed at completing its accession process. In May 2026, Ethiopia and India signed a bilateral market access agreement in Geneva as part of the country’s WTO membership negotiations.
During the summit, Prime Minister Abiy called for stronger cooperation among BRICS members and deeper economic engagement with Africa, particularly in investment, technology, trade and market access.
The New Delhi Declaration also recognized Ethiopia’s growing role in global aviation governance. BRICS leaders welcomed Ethiopia’s candidacy for one of the newly expanded seats on the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization.
Ethiopia has been endorsed by the African Union as Africa’s sole candidate for the upcoming ICAO Council election.
The two endorsements provide additional diplomatic support for Ethiopia as it seeks deeper integration into the global economy and stronger representation in international institutions.
Source (including image): Ethiopian News Agency
