Urban agenda takes centre stage as BRICS Forum opens in Delhi
A two-day BRICS Urbanisation Forum commenced here on Thursday, with Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal describing it as a key platform to place urban development more prominently within the global development discourse.
Hosted by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) under India’s BRICS Chairship, the forum is being attended by ministers, senior government officials and urban practitioners from Brazil, Russia, Indonesia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
The forum focuses on the theme — ‘Cities for People: BRICS Cooperation for Inclusive and Resilient Urban Futures’.
Addressing the inaugural session, Manohar Lal said the platform offers an opportunity to bring the urban agenda more firmly into global development discussions.
According to the government, India is hosting the BRICS Urbanisation Forum for the fourth time, following the editions held in New Delhi in 2013, Visakhapatnam in 2016 and virtually in 2021.
The minister said, “Under India’s BRICS Chairship, this Forum is an opportunity to bring the urban agenda more firmly into the global development conversation.”
He highlighted the anchors of India’s development story as inclusive urban development, climate and disaster-resilient infrastructure, strengthening institutions, and digital innovation.
Welcoming the delegations, ministry secretary Srinivas Katikithala set the context for the Forum, saying, “Over the years, this Forum has enabled member countries to exchange good practices, deepen mutual understanding of each other’s systems, and build the trust required for sustained cooperation.”
The ministry said that on the sidelines of the BRICS Urbanisation Forum, a bilateral meeting was held between India and the Russian Federation, co-chaired by Tokhan Sahu, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India, and Yury Mutsenek, Deputy Minister of Construction, Housing and Utilities of the Russian Federation.
The meeting provided an opportunity for substantive and forward-looking discussions on enhancing bilateral cooperation in the field of sustainable urban development.
Both sides reviewed the progress of discussions on the proposed Memorandum of Understanding on Sustainable Urban Development and expressed their commitment to expediting its finalization and conclusion at the earliest.
The deliberations encompassed a broad range of areas of mutual interest, including urban planning, affordable housing, municipal infrastructure, sustainable construction technologies, capacity building, and the exchange of best practices in urban governance.
Bilateral discussions were also conducted between Iran and Russia, Iran and China, Russia and the United Arab Emirates.
The delegations subsequently undertook a curated field to select urban interventions in and around New Delhi, offering first-hand exposure to India’s urban transformation, including the New Parliament Complex and the India Gate–Kartavya Path precinct, the HUA ministry also said.
