13th BRICS Urbanisation Forum: Declaration on Inclusive and Resilient Urban Futures
How a multilateral urban compact shapes India's smart city diplomacy and GS2-GS3 intersections
What happened
With India's urban population projected to reach 600 million by 2036, the question of who governs urban futures — and through what multilateral compacts — is no longer peripheral to UPSC preparation. The 13th BRICS Urbanisation Forum Declaration arrives at a moment when India simultaneously chairs key multilateral urban dialogues and faces a domestic housing deficit of 18.78 million units (MoHUA, 2023). A serious aspirant must read this not as a diplomatic footnote but as the intersection of GS2 international institutions, GS3 urban infrastructure, and the essay theme of 'cities as engines of inclusive growth.'
Municipal Own-Source Revenue & Informal Settlement Gap: India vs Benchmarks
Municipal Own-Source Revenue (% of GDP)
Brazil: Informal Settlement Population Share (% of Urban)
upgrading
Sources: 15th Finance Commission Report (2021); IBGE Brazil Census (2019); Economic Survey 2024-25
The BRICS Urbanisation Forum is a Track-II multilateral mechanism operating under the BRICS framework, distinct from the BRICS Summit itself.
●It functions as a platform for urban ministers, city planners, and technical experts to exchange best practices and adopt non-binding declarations.
●The 2026 Declaration's emphasis on 'inclusive and resilient urban futures' maps directly onto SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and the New Urban Agenda (Quito, 2016). For prelims, note that BRICS expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and UAE — making it a 10-member grouping.
●India's urban governance architecture relevant here includes the 74th Constitutional Amendment (Municipalities), AMRUT 2.0 (₹77,640 crore outlay), Smart Cities Mission (100 cities), and PM Awas Yojana-Urban.
●The New Development Bank (NDB), BRICS's multilateral development bank headquartered in Shanghai, is a key financing instrument for urban infrastructure projects in member states.
The BRICS Urbanisation Forum Declaration is a non-binding but politically significant compact; its real UPSC weight lies in connecting SDG 11, the 74th Amendment, NDB financing, and India's urban deficit — not in the event itself.
◎ In Simple Words
Imagine a club of some of the world's biggest countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and more — getting together to agree on rules for making their cities better, fairer, and safer from floods and heat waves. That is what the BRICS Urbanisation Forum does every year. This time, all the countries signed a special agreement called a Declaration, promising to share ideas and money to build cities where even the poorest people have homes, clean water, and safe roads. For India, this matters because our cities are growing very fast and we need good plans to make sure everyone benefits.
Factual Pointers
Practice · 2 questions
With reference to the New Development Bank (NDB), which of the following statements is/are correct?
1. NDB is headquartered in Shanghai, China.
2. India is a founding member of NDB.
3. NDB's mandate is restricted exclusively to infrastructure financing in BRICS nations.
Select the correct answer using the codes below:
The 12th Schedule of the Indian Constitution, inserted by the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992, relates to which of the following?
Mains Practice Questions
The BRICS Declaration on Inclusive and Resilient Urban Futures reflects a growing multilateral consensus on urban governance. Critically examine whether India's domestic urban policy architecture is aligned with the commitments implied by such declarations. (250 words, GS2/GS3)
'Indian cities are engines of growth that have been deliberately kept underpowered.' In the context of fiscal decentralisation and the 74th Constitutional Amendment, analyse the structural constraints on Urban Local Bodies and suggest reforms to make Indian urbanisation truly inclusive. (250 words, GS2)
Urban resilience has emerged as a key concept in both disaster management and climate adaptation discourse. Discuss how the Sendai Framework, SDG 11, and BRICS urbanisation commitments collectively shape India's urban resilience agenda, and identify the gaps in implementation. (250 words, GS3)