The 13th BRICS Urbanisation Forum under India’s 2026 Chairship commenced on Thursday at Sushma Swaraj Bhavan in the national capital.
Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal formally inaugurated the two-day event, which has brought together ministers, senior officials and urban experts from BRICS nations and partner countries.
Hosted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the Forum includes participants from Brazil, Russia, Indonesia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
This marks the fourth time India is hosting the BRICS Urbanisation Forum, following previous editions in New Delhi (2013), Visakhapatnam (2016) and a virtual session in 2021.
The central theme of the Forum is ‘Cities for People: BRICS Cooperation for Inclusive and Resilient Urban Futures’.
Addressing the gathering, Manohar Lal emphasised that the event provides a platform to integrate the urban agenda more strongly into global development discussions. He identified inclusive urban development, climate- and disaster-resilient infrastructure, institutional strengthening and digital innovation as key pillars of India’s growth narrative.
Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Srinivas Katikithala welcomed the delegates and noted that the Forum has consistently facilitated the exchange of best practices, fostered mutual understanding of governance systems and built trust for long-term collaboration among member countries.
During the inaugural session, Manohar Lal released a publication titled ‘India’s Urban Transformation: Stories of Change’. The document highlights successful urban initiatives and experiences from various states and Union Territories across the Forum’s four priority areas.
A high-level plenary session followed, chaired by Manohar Lal. It offered member nations an opportunity to share country statements on common urban challenges, future prospects and collective aspirations.
On the sidelines, India and Russia held a bilateral meeting co-chaired by Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu and Deputy Minister of Construction, Housing and Utilities of the Russian Federation Yury Mutsenek.
The discussions reviewed progress on a proposed memorandum of understanding on sustainable urban development and expressed a commitment to finalise it soon. Topics discussed included urban planning, affordable housing, municipal infrastructure, sustainable construction technologies, capacity building and governance best practices.
Bilateral talks also took place between Iran and Russia, Iran and China, and Russia and the United Arab Emirates.
Delegates later visited key urban projects in and around New Delhi, including the New Parliament Complex and the India Gate-Kartavya Path precinct, gaining direct insights into India’s ongoing urban transformation.
Picture Courtesy: X/ Manohar Lal
