BRICS Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Risk Reduction to be held in New Delhi under India’s Chairmanship

What happened

India’s BRICS Chairmanship in 2026 includes hosting the BRICS Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in New Delhi. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, hosts the meeting on 24 July 2026. The Ministerial Meeting of the DRR Group is chaired by Minister of State (Home) Shri Nityanand Rai, with Ministers and Heads of Delegations from 10 BRICS member countries participating.

Background and earlier position

The BRICS Disaster Risk Reduction cooperation has been described as evolving through a sequence of institutional steps. The Udaipur Declaration (2016) established a Joint Task Force on Disaster Risk Management. Later, the Kazan Declaration (2024) institutionalised the BRICS Disaster Risk Reduction Group (DRRG) and adopted the BRICS DRR Work Plan for 2025–2028.

What changed now

Under India’s chairmanship, the 24 July 2026 ministerial meeting is positioned as a practical, implementation-oriented and action-driven agenda. The meeting is guided by the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability,” and includes two structured components: (i) a High-Level Policy Dialogue on “Advancing Climate Smart and Disaster Resilient Infrastructure Systems: Partnerships, Innovation and Financing for Resilient Development,” and (ii) a Ministerial Roundtable on “Accelerating Implementation of the BRICS Disaster Risk Reduction Work Plan (2025–2028).” The Ministers are expected to adopt a BRICS Joint Statement on Disaster Risk Reduction and reaffirm collective commitment to strengthen disaster resilience, promote innovation, support sustainable development, and implement the DRR Work Plan (2025–2028).