Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar at the 13th BRICS Urbanisation Forum 2026 at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, in New Delhi on June 12, 2026. Photo: X/@mlkhattar via ANI
The BRICS nations on Friday (June 12, 2026) adopted a declaration on inclusive, resilient and people-centred urban development.
The Ministerial declaration adopted on the concluding day of the 13th BRICS Urbanisation Forum in the national capital, highlights key priorities shared by member nations and reaffirms commitment to advancing people-centred urban development.
It emphasises the importance of creating inclusive, sustainable, resilient and liveable cities that ensure equitable access to urban services, particularly for marginalised groups, according to an official statement of the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
Hosted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs under India’s BRICS chairship in 2026, the two-day forum brought together Ministers, senior government officials and urban practitioners from BRICS member nations to deliberate on the theme, ‘Cities for People: BRICS Cooperation for Inclusive and Resilient Urban Futures’.
The forum also presented a compilation of good practices from BRICS nations, titled ‘Cities for People: Urban Stories from BRICS Nations’.
Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs M.L. Khattar, in his valedictory address, emphasised the value of the forum as a platform for shared learning and practical cooperation among BRICS member nations.
He called for the discussions held in New Delhi to be carried forward through sustained institutional engagement, exchange among cities and continued cooperation beyond India’s chairship.
For continued cooperation, the member countries welcomed India’s proposal for the establishment of the ‘BRICS Urban Research and Knowledge Network’, for applied urban research, knowledge sharing, and peer-to-peer learning.
The Network has been designed as a chairship-led, institutionally connected platform to provide a practical and sustained mechanism for urban cooperation within BRICS. It will support systematic knowledge-sharing and mutual learning, while helping bridge the gap between policy and implementation through the exchange of practical solutions, city-level experiences and operational lessons.
Operating through a virtual, low-cost and flexible model, the Network will be coordinated each year by the lead institution of the BRICS chair country, with activities and outputs handed over to the next chairship, a senior official said.
Published – June 12, 2026 11:33 pm IST
