The BRICS mechanism began with the Meeting of the BRIC Ministers of Foreign Affairs on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in 2006. In 2009, it was upgraded to summit level which was hosted once a year. By the end of 2021, the BRICS leaders have convened 13 formal meetings.

In June 2009, the BRIC leaders convened the 1st BRIC Summit in Yekaterinburg, Russia. The agenda items covered the international situation, global financial issues, G20 affairs, BRIC cooperation, food security, energy security, climate change and development aid. The Joint Statement of the BRIC Leaders was adopted after the summit, calling for greater voice and representation of emerging markets and developing countries in international financial institutions, and endorsed the BRIC Joint Statement on Global Food Security.

In April 2010, the BRIC leaders convened the 2nd BRIC Summit in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil. The agenda items covered the international situation, international and regional hotspot issues, the international financial crisis, BRIC cooperation, G20 affairs, climate change and UN reform. A joint statement was adopted after the meeting, agreeing on specific measures to promote BRIC cooperation and coordination, marking the initial establishment of the BRICS cooperation mechanism. During the summit, supporting events such as the BRIC entrepreneur forum, the BRIC inter-bank cooperation mechanism, the BRIC cooperative forum and think-tank conference were also held.

In April 2011, South Africa participated, for the first time, in the 3rd BRICS Summit held in Sanya, China. The theme is "Broad Vision, Shared Prosperity", and the agenda items covered the international situation, international economy and finance, development issues and BRICS cooperation. During the summit, supporting events such as the BRICS think-tank conference, the BRICS Inter-Bank Cooperation Mechanism Annual Meeting and finance forum, the BRICS Business Forum and the BRICS Economy and Trade Ministers’ conference were also held. The Sanya Declaration was adopted after the summit.

In March 2012, the BRICS leaders convened the 4th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, India, under the theme of "BRICS Partnership for Global Stability, Security and Prosperity", with agenda items including global governance and sustainable development. After the summit, the Delhi Declaration was adopted to brief the progress of BRICS cooperation and support BRICS countries in playing a critical role in the world economy of post international financial crisis era.

In March 2013, the BRICS leaders convened the 5th BRICS Summit in Durban, South Africa, under the theme of "BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Development, Integration and Industrialization". After the summit, the leaders adopted the Durban Declaration and Action Plan, decided to establish the BRICS New Development Bank and Contingency Reserve Arrangement, and announced the founding of the BRICS Business Council and BRICS Think Tank Council. A dialogue between the BRICS leaders and the African leaders was also held during the summit.

In July 2014, the BRICS leaders convened the 6th BRICS Summit in Fortaleza, Brazil, under the theme of "Inclusive Growth: Sustainable Solutions", with agenda items covering political coordination, sustainable development and inclusive growth. After the summit, the Fortaleza Declaration was adopted and the signing of the agreement on the establishment of the New Development Bank and the Treaty for the Establishment of a BRICS Contingency Reserve Arrangement was witnessed by the leaders. A dialogue between the leaders of BRICS and South American countries was also held during the summit.

In July 2015, the BRICS leaders convened the 7th BRICS Summit in Ufa, Russia, under the theme of "BRICS Partnership–a Powerful Factor of Global Development", with agenda items including international political and economic issues and BRICS cooperation. After the summit, the 2015 Ufa Declaration and 2015 Ufa Action Plan were adopted, and the signing of the BRICS Inter-Governmental Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Culture, the MOU on Cooperation between the BRICS Banking Mechanism and the New Development Bank, and the MOU on the Establishment of a BRICS Joint Website were witnessed by the leaders. On the sidelines of the summit, the BRICS leaders had dialogue with other parties including the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), Shanghai Cooperation Organization members and observer states, and other guest countries.

In October 2016, the BRICS leaders convened the 8th BRICS Summit in Goa, India, under the theme of "Building Responsive, Inclusive, and Collective Solutions". The agenda items covered the international political and economic situation, global governance and BRICS cooperation. After the summit, the Goa Declaration and Plan of Action were adopted and the MOU on the Establishment of the BRICS Agricultural Research Platform and the MOU on Cooperation between the BRICS Diplomatic Academies were signed. On the sidelines of the summit, the BRICS leaders had a dialogue with the member state leaders of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).

In September 2017, the BRICS leaders convened the 9th BRICS Summit in Xiamen, China, under the theme of "BRICS: Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future". The agenda items covered international political and economic situation, global governance, sustainable development and BRICS cooperation. The BRICS Leaders Xiamen Declaration and Action Plan were adopted after the summit, and the Dialogue of Emerging Market and Developing Countries was held during the summit.

In July 2018, the BRICS leaders convened the 10th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, under the theme of "BRICS in Africa: Collaboration for Inclusive Growth and Shared Prosperity in the Fourth Industrial Revolution". The agenda items of discussion covered BRICS strategic cooperation, opportunities and challenges in addressing the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The 10th BRICS Summit Johannesburg Declaration and Plan of Action were adopted after the summit. An informal meeting commemorating the 10th anniversary of the BRICS Summit and the Dialogue of Emerging Market and Developing Countries were held during the summit.

In November 2019, the BRICS leaders convened the 11th BRICS Summit in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, under the theme of "BRICS: Economic Growth for an Innovative Future". The agenda items covered the international and regional situation, BRICS cooperation, and global economic governance. The Brasilia Declaration was adopted after the summit. During the summit, BRICS leaders jointly attended the closing ceremony of the Business Forum and held closed-door meetings, open meetings and dialogue sessions with the Business Council and the New Development Bank.

In November 2020, the BRICS leaders convened the 12th BRICS Summit via live video link under the theme "BRICS Partnership for Global Stability, Shared Security, and Innovative Growth". The agenda items covered BRICS cooperation in combating COVID-19, international and regional situations, and global economic governance. The Moscow Declaration was adopted after the summit. During the summit, the BRICS leaders also listened to working reports from the heads of the New Development Bank and other cooperation mechanisms.

In September 2021, the BRICS leaders convened the 13th BRICS Summit via video link under the theme of " BRICS@15: Intra BRICS cooperation for continuity, consolidation, and consensus". The agenda items covered further cooperation in combating COVID-19, promoting pragmatic cooperation and addressing global and regional hotspot issues. The New Delhi Declaration was adopted after the summit, which summarized the achievements of BRICS cooperation in various fields and expressed a common BRICS voice on strengthening cooperation in public health and vaccines, promoting world economic recovery, implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and safeguarding world equity and justice.

In addition, BRICs leaders have held informal meetings during the G20 leaders' summit since 2011, the most recent of which was during the G20 leaders' summit in Osaka in June 2019.