PIB: Published on 24 July 2026
India successfully hosted the 3rd BRICS Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in New Delhi on 24 July 2026 under its BRICS Chairship. Chaired by Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai and attended by ministers and heads of delegation from BRICS members, the meeting ended with the unanimous adoption of a BRICS Joint Statement on Disaster Risk Reduction. The outcome reaffirms commitment to accelerating the BRICS DRR Work Plan (2025–2028) and positions disaster resilience as central to sustainable development, climate adaptation and human security.
Continuity and Elevation of the Agenda
The trajectory of BRICS cooperation on DRR runs from the Udaipur Declaration (2016) through the Kazan Declaration (2024) to the formal establishment of the BRICS Disaster Risk Reduction Group (DRRG). Brazil’s earlier elevation of the group to ministerial level, combined with India’s chairship theme;“Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”;marks a deliberate move from high-level political signalling toward practical, action-oriented collaboration. The New Delhi meeting institutionalises this shift by focusing on implementation rather than new broad commitments.
India framed its leadership around Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Ten-Point Agenda for Disaster Risk Reduction and five strategic priorities under the chairship. These centre on science and technology, early warning systems, resilient infrastructure, nature-based solutions and community resilience. The approach is explicitly people-centric and seeks to embed DRR within broader sustainable development rather than treat it as a standalone emergency-management issue.
Substantive Focus Areas
Two structured sessions drove the substantive discussion. A High-Level Policy Dialogue examined “Advancing Climate-Smart and Disaster-Resilient Infrastructure Systems,” covering partnerships, innovation and financing. A Ministerial Roundtable concentrated on accelerating the 2025–2028 Work Plan, emphasising institutional cooperation, capacity building, knowledge sharing and concrete implementation pathways.
Six flagship knowledge products were launched under India’s chairship. These are intended to support evidence-based policymaking, institutional strengthening and practical capacity building across member countries;an important step beyond statements toward usable tools and shared resources.
Looking ahead, ministers committed to regular technical exchanges, joint projects, simulation exercises, expert exchanges and annual thematic workstreams. The emphasis on measurable outcomes and operational cooperation suggests an attempt to move BRICS DRR from consultative to delivery-oriented mode.
Strategic and Geopolitical Context
For India, hosting the meeting under its 2026 chairship reinforces its claim to leadership in the Global South on climate resilience and disaster risk management. India’s domestic experience;frequent exposure to cyclones, floods, heatwaves and earthquakes, coupled with investments in early warning systems, the National Disaster Management Authority architecture and community-based approaches;gives it practical credibility. Linking these experiences to BRICS cooperation allows New Delhi to showcase scalable models while deepening South–South technical collaboration.
The meeting also reflects a broader recognition among BRICS members that disaster and climate risks are growing faster than traditional response capacities. By prioritising resilient infrastructure, innovative financing and nature-based solutions, the group is aligning DRR with the realities of intensifying climate impacts and rapid urbanisation in emerging economies. The Joint Statement’s focus on accelerating an existing work plan (rather than launching an entirely new framework) indicates a preference for continuity and delivery over proliferation of parallel initiatives.
Challenges and Open Questions
Several practical questions remain. Translation of ministerial commitments into funded joint projects, interoperable early-warning systems and shared technical standards will determine whether the Work Plan delivers measurable resilience gains. Financing mechanisms for climate-smart infrastructure;particularly for lower-income members;will be critical. Coordination between the BRICS DRRG and existing multilateral platforms (Sendai Framework, UN system, regional disaster-management arrangements) will also need careful management to avoid duplication.
Domestic political ownership in each member country, continuity beyond India’s chairship, and the ability to move from knowledge products to operational joint exercises will be key tests. The emphasis on simulation exercises and technical expert exchanges is promising, but sustained bureaucratic and budgetary follow-through will be required.
Bottom Line
The 3rd BRICS Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Risk Reduction marks a modest but meaningful evolution: from political declarations to an implementation-focused agenda under India’s chairship. The adoption of the Joint Statement, launch of six knowledge products, and commitment to practical cooperation mechanisms strengthen BRICS’ collective posture on disaster resilience. Whether this translates into tangible reductions in risk and improved response capacity across member countries will depend on the quality of follow-up technical work, financing arrangements and sustained political attention after the New Delhi meeting. For now, India has used its chairship to elevate DRR within BRICS and to project a people-centric, science-and-innovation-driven model of resilience cooperation
