Global Summits and International Relations 2025

Study Guide: Global Summits and International Relations 2025

This guide provides a review of key international summits and geopolitical developments from 2025, based on the provided source materials. It includes a short-answer quiz to test comprehension, a set of essay questions for deeper analysis, and a comprehensive glossary of relevant terms and organizations.

Short-Answer Quiz

Instructions: Answer the following ten questions in two to three sentences each, using only information from the provided context.

1. Where was the 17th BRICS summit held, and what was its official theme?
2. What significant economic and demographic milestones has the BRICS grouping achieved as of July 2025?
3. Who hosted the 51st G7 summit in 2025, and where did the leaders' meeting take place?
4. According to the provided sources, what were the main topics of discussion at the 51st G7 summit?
5. What was the United States' position regarding the 2025 G20 summit in South Africa and its joint declaration?
6. Identify two specific outcomes from the G20 summit in South Africa related to Africa's development agenda.
7. What is the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), and what are its four member countries?
8. How did the Quad foreign ministers respond to the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir?
9. What agreement was reached regarding the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) at COP 30?
10. What is the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), and in what context was it mentioned?

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Answer Key

1. The 17th BRICS summit was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The official theme of the summit was “Strengthening Global South Cooperation and Promoting a More Inclusive and Sustainable Global Governance.”
2. As of July 2025, the BRICS grouping accounts for over 45% of nominal global GDP and over 50% at Purchasing Power Parity (PPP). It also represents more than half of the world's population and controls significant shares of global energy reserves, industrial capacity, and critical mineral resources.
3. The 51st G7 summit was hosted by Canada under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Mark Carney. The Leaders' Summit took place from June 16-17, 2025, in Kananaskis, Alberta.
4. The main topics included the unfolding conflict between Israel and Iran, global trade issues with a focus on China's "nonmarket policies," the Russia-Ukraine war, and global development. The official website also listed protecting communities, building energy security, accelerating the digital transition, and securing future partnerships as core actions.
5. The United States, under President Donald Trump, decided to skip the G20 gathering in South Africa. The U.S. sent letters to the South African hosts stating that a joint declaration should not be approved because the G20 operates on consensus, and its absence should prevent such an outcome.
6. The G20 summit produced an AI initiative for Africa and a commitment to develop a critical minerals framework to address the needs of developing countries. The final document also contained actions to deal with money laundering and illicit financial flows, which are significant issues on the African agenda.
7. The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) is a strategic partnership comprising four countries: the United States, India, Australia, and Japan. The group is committed to working as a force for a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.
8. The Quad foreign ministers condemned the terrorist attack in a joint statement from Washington. They called for the perpetrators, organizers, and financiers of the attack to be brought to justice without delay and expressed solidarity with India's right to defend its citizens from state-sponsored terrorism.
9. At COP 30, countries agreed on a set of indicators for the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA). This provides a common framework for evaluating improvements in areas like water security, food systems, infrastructure resilience, early warning systems, and access to adaptation finance, although the indicators will require further refinement.
10. The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) is an institutionalized dialogue mentioned in the context of the strategic shift in the Europe-India partnership. It was announced during India's G20 Presidency as a key initiative alongside the EU-India Connectivity Partnership and the EU-India Trade and Technology Council.

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Essay Questions

Instructions: The following questions are designed for essay-length responses that require synthesizing information from across the provided source materials.

1. Analyze the evolving priorities of the Quad in 2025. How do its focus areas, such as the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) and the Quad Critical Minerals Initiative, reflect the strategic interests and concerns of its member nations, particularly in response to China?
2. Compare and contrast the membership, stated goals, and primary concerns of the G7 and BRICS groupings as depicted in the 2025 summits. Discuss how their respective agendas address issues of global governance, economic development, and international security.
3. Discuss the concept of the "Global South" as it appears in the contexts of the 2025 BRICS, G20, and Indian foreign policy documents. How is this concept being used to shape diplomatic priorities, advocate for institutional reform, and build new international coalitions?
4. Examine the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a recurring theme in the 2025 international summits (BRICS, G20, G7). What common concerns and proposed actions regarding AI governance, development, and security were raised across these different forums?
5. Based on the provided reports, evaluate the challenges and opportunities facing multilateralism in 2025. Consider the impact of the United States' foreign policy shifts, the differing positions of major powers on conflicts like the Russia-Ukraine war, and the push for reform in institutions like the UN and WTO.

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Glossary of Key Terms

Term	Definition
BRICS	An intergovernmental organization originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, and China (launched in 2006), with South Africa joining in 2011 and Indonesia being admitted on January 8, 2025. As of July 2025, it represents over 45% of nominal global GDP and more than half of the world's population.
Common Framework for Debt Treatments	An initiative launched by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 2020 to address the massive debt accumulated by the least-developed countries. By the 2025 G20 summit, it had incorporated only four countries, all in Africa.
COP 30	The 30th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC, held in Belém, Brazil. The summit produced an agreed set of indicators for the Global Goal on Adaptation but failed to secure formal language for a fossil fuel phase-out.
Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Rules, 2025	Draft rules released by India's Union government for public consultation to be enforced under the DPDP Act of 2023. Key highlights include requirements for informed consent, data breach reporting within 72 hours, parental consent for children's data, and data localization for sensitive data.
G7 (Group of Seven)	An intergovernmental political and economic forum consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, with the European Union also participating. The 51st summit was held in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, in June 2025.
G20 (Group of Twenty)	An intergovernmental forum comprising 19 countries and two regional unions (the European Union and the African Union). Brazil held the presidency in 2024, followed by South Africa in 2025. The 2025 summit in South Africa was the first G20 summit to take place in Africa.
Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA)	A framework under the UNFCCC for which COP 30 produced an agreed set of indicators to measure global progress on adaptation. These indicators cover areas such as water security, food systems, and infrastructure resilience.
Global South	A term used to refer to developing countries, often used in the context of promoting cooperation and advocating for reforms in global governance. The theme of the 17th BRICS summit was strengthening Global South cooperation, and India's foreign policy championing its priorities.
Indo-Pacific	A geopolitical concept redefining the "Asia-Pacific" to deepen ties between the Indian and Pacific Ocean areas, largely to deal with the rise of China. The Quad has played a major role in popularizing the term.
India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC)	An economic corridor announced during India’s G20 Presidency. It is cited as a key institutionalized dialogue reflecting the new strategic dimension of the Europe-India partnership.
NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation)	India's indigenous regional satellite navigation system (IRNSS) developed by ISRO. The GSLV-F15 mission on January 29, 2025, launched the second-generation NVS-02 NavIC satellite.
OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development)	An international organization established in 1961 with 38 member countries, primarily developed economies. Its Global Tax Deal, which the U.S. withdrew from in 2025, aimed to establish a global minimum corporate tax rate of 15%.
Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme	A scheme introduced by the Indian government during the COVID-19 pandemic to promote domestic manufacturing. A new PLI scheme for the steel sector was launched on January 6, 2025, to boost specialty steel production.
Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad)	A strategic security dialogue between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States. Its stated purpose is to support a "free, open and inclusive" Indo-Pacific and is viewed by some as an "Asian Arc of Democracy" or an "anti-Chinese move."
Quad Critical Minerals Initiative	An initiative to strengthen cooperation among Quad members on securing and diversifying reliable supply chains for critical minerals, including recovery and re-processing from electronic waste.
Rio Declaration	The declaration issued by BRICS leaders at the 17th summit in Rio de Janeiro. It focused on inclusive global governance and urged the United Nations to lead global AI regulation efforts.
Samudrayaan Mission	A component of India's Deep Ocean Mission, preparing to launch the first human-operated underwater submersible, named Matsya. The submersible is designed to reach a depth of 6,000 meters with a crew of three scientists.
UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change)	A global treaty adopted at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations. India is an active party and has submitted Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under its key instrument, the Paris Agreement.