BRICS Urbanisation Forum Brings Urban Agenda Into Global Conversation: Union Minister Manohar Lal

The 13th BRICS Urbanisation Forum began in New Delhi today. The two day forum, under India’s Chairship, brings together Ministers, senior government officials and urban practitioners from Brazil, Russia, Indonesia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates, to deliberate on critical urban development priorities.

Inaugurating the forum, Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal said, this Forum is an opportunity to bring the urban agenda more firmly into the global development conversation. He highlighted that inclusive urban development, climate- and disaster-resilient infrastructure, strengthening institutions, and digital innovation are the anchors of India’s development story.

On the sidelines of the BRICS Urbanisation Forum, a bilateral meeting was also held between India and Russia. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs informed that the meeting was co-chaired by Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu and Deputy Minister of Construction, Housing and Utilities of Russia Yury Mutsenek. The meeting provided an opportunity for substantive and forward-looking discussions on enhancing bilateral cooperation in the field of sustainable urban development.

During the meeting, 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 ministry said that bilateral discussions were also conducted between Iran and Russia, Iran and China, Russia and the United Arab Emirates..(upated on 11th June 2026)