Under India's BRICS Chairship 2026, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, successfully hosted the BRICS Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in New Delhi on 24 July 2026. The Meeting was chaired by Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Nityanand Rai, and attended by Ministers and Heads of Delegation from BRICS Member Countries, reaffirming their shared commitment to strengthening disaster resilience through enhanced cooperation, innovation and sustainable development.

The Meeting marked a significant milestone in the evolution of BRICS cooperation on disaster risk reduction and concluded with the unanimous adoption of the BRICS Joint Statement on Disaster Risk Reduction, reaffirming the collective commitment of Member Countries to accelerate implementation of the BRICS Disaster Risk Reduction Work Plan (2025-2028) and deepen cooperation for building resilient societies.

Addressing the Ministerial Meeting, Shri Nityanand Rai stated that the evolution of BRICS cooperation-from the Udaipur Declaration (2016) to the Kazan Declaration (2024) and the establishment of the BRICS Disaster Risk Reduction Group (DRRG)-reflects the growing recognition that disaster risk reduction is central to sustainable development, climate resilience and human security. He noted that under India's BRICS Chairship, the Group has adopted a practical and action-oriented approach under the theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability," and appreciated Brazil for elevating the DRR Group to the Ministerial level.

Highlighting India's leadership in disaster risk reduction, the Minister said that India's people-centric approach is guided by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's Ten-Point Agenda for Disaster Risk Reduction. He emphasized India's five strategic priorities under its Chairship to accelerate implementation of the BRICS DRR Work Plan (2025-2028) and called upon Member Countries to strengthen cooperation in science and technology, early warning systems, resilient infrastructure, nature-based solutions and community resilience to make disaster risk reduction an integral part of sustainable development.

The Ministerial Meeting featured a High-Level Policy Dialogue on "Advancing Climate-Smart and Disaster-Resilient Infrastructure Systems: Partnerships, Innovation and Financing for Resilient Development," where Ministers deliberated on resilient infrastructure, innovative financing, emerging technologies and international partnerships to address increasing disaster and climate risks.

A Ministerial Roundtable on "Accelerating Implementation of the BRICS Disaster Risk Reduction Work Plan (2025-2028)" enabled Member Countries to exchange experiences and identify practical pathways for strengthening institutional cooperation, capacity building, knowledge sharing and implementation of the agreed priorities.

As part of India's Chairship, six flagship knowledge products were launched to support evidence-based policymaking, institutional strengthening, capacity building and practical implementation of disaster risk reduction initiatives across BRICS Member Countries.

As a way forward, the Ministers emphasized strengthening practical and action-oriented cooperation through regular technical exchanges, joint projects, simulation exercises, technical expert exchanges and annual thematic workstreams to promote knowledge sharing, innovation and measurable outcomes in disaster resilience.

The successful conclusion of the 3rd BRICS Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Risk Reduction reinforces BRICS' collective commitment to advancing resilient, inclusive and sustainable development through strengthened international cooperation on disaster risk reduction.

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RK/PR/PS