RIO DE JANEIRO -Leaders of the growing BRICS group of developing nations were set to gather in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, calling for reform of traditional Western institutions while presenting the bloc as a defender of multilateralism in an increasingly fractured world.

Diplomats from the BRICS group of developing nations have agreed on a joint declaration of their leaders at a summit in Rio de Janeiro this week, three people familiar with the talks said on Saturday.

By bnl editorial staff Leaders from the BRICS group of developing nations have convened at Rio de Janeiro's Museum of Modern Art for their 17th annual summit, touting the recently expanded bloc as a counterweight to Western institutions whilst grappling with internal rifts over key geopolitical flashpoints.