BRICS Parliamentary Forum Opens in New Delhi as Om Birla Urges Parliaments to Build Trust and Ease Tensions
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday, October 26, 2026, inaugurated the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in New Delhi, telling parliamentary delegates that parliaments can play a key role in building trust and easing tensions between countries. The two-day forum, hosted by the Parliament of India at the Parliament House complex, brings together delegations from 21 nations, including 11 BRICS member countries and 10 partner nations.
In his inaugural address at the historic Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan, the old Parliament building, Birla said regional conflicts, wars, economic instability, trade tensions, terrorism and climate change do not stop at one’s border, and that such global challenges make dialogue, diplomacy and cooperation all the more important. He said parliaments can play a special role in strengthening mutual understanding and trust, reducing international tension and resolving global challenges peacefully, addressing the gathering in Hindi.
What happened
The forum opened on Monday morning, with the inaugural ceremony scheduled at 10:00 am. Birla, who is also Chairman of the Forum, delivered the inaugural address. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to meet later on Monday with the visiting Speakers and Heads of Delegations of BRICS member and partner countries.
The forum is being held under the theme Fostering Parliaments for People-Centric Development. It marks the 20th anniversary of the forum, and delegates were welcomed to Samvidhan Sadan for that occasion. New Delhi is hosting the two-day event, which will conclude on October 27 with the adoption of a Joint Statement, followed by Birla’s valedictory address and the handover of the BRICS Parliamentary Forum chairmanship to China.
BRICS nations hold nearly half the world’s population and about a third of its land, with a significant share of the global economy and trade. Despite differences in geography, culture, language and society, Birla noted that the members are bound by democratic values and a shared commitment to humanity.
Why it matters
Parliamentary forums do not make foreign policy in the way governments do, but they do something governments alone cannot easily do: they create a space where legislators from very different systems can test ideas, compare laws and build personal trust before a crisis arrives. That is the argument Birla made on Monday, and it is also why the forum’s four thematic sessions matter.
The conference features four high-level sessions covering Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability. Key discussions will include institutional capacity building, the growing role of legislative oversight in Artificial Intelligence and emerging digital technologies, and sustainable development goals. A special meeting of parliamentary committee chairpersons on international affairs will also take place to discuss parliamentary diplomacy and legislative best practices.
Birla also lauded the unanimous joint statement adopted at the BRICS Heads of State meeting held in New Delhi under Prime Minister Modi’s chairmanship. Those commitments now need to become tangible results, he said, with parliaments contributing through lawmaking, budgeting, deliberation and oversight.
People-centric development in focus
Addressing the gathering, Birla emphasised the need for parliaments to become more transparent, participatory, accountable and responsive to public expectations. He highlighted the importance of adopting innovative working methods to make democratic institutions more effective and strengthen public trust.
He called on BRICS member countries to share their parliamentary experiences, exchange best practices and work together to find solutions to common challenges. Parliamentary cooperation, he said, should lead to tangible improvements in citizens’ lives and contribute to a more inclusive, equitable and peaceful world.
Discussing sustainable development, Birla noted that development and environmental protection should complement each other. He also underlined the responsibility of parliaments to understand the aspirations of young people, provide opportunities that match their talent and encourage their participation in nation-building.
Highlighting parliamentary diplomacy, he said countries should respect one another’s sovereignty while building mutual understanding through dialogue and cooperation. Referring to Prime Minister Modi’s vision, Birla called for BRICS to evolve into an ecosystem of solutions, emphasising that the forum’s success should be measured by concrete outcomes rather than discussions alone.
That test – outcomes, not discussions – will be applied on Tuesday, when the Joint Statement is adopted. If the statement contains specific commitments on parliamentary cooperation, AI oversight, sustainability or development, it will be a stronger result than a general declaration of goodwill. If it does not, the forum will still have value as a meeting, but Birla’s own standard will be the one to judge it by.
What happens next
The forum continues on Tuesday, October 27, with its thematic sessions and committee chairpersons’ meeting, before concluding with the Joint Statement, Birla’s valedictory address and the chairmanship handover to China.
For India, the forum is also a platform to advocate for the shared priorities of the Global South and address pressing multilateral challenges, as organisers have described it. For the other delegations, it is a chance to compare how different parliaments handle the same pressures: AI regulation, climate policy, trade disruption and public trust.
The wider context for this kind of parliamentary diplomacy is familiar from other recent international meetings, including the Coalition of the Willing London talks, where leaders and legislators had to turn a shared concern into a shared plan. The BRICS forum will be judged in the same way: not by who attended, but by what the parliaments do next.
Timeline
Monday morning, October 26, 2026: Delegations from 21 nations arrive in New Delhi for the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum.
10:00 am, October 26: Inaugural ceremony at the Parliament House complex, with Om Birla delivering the inaugural address at Samvidhan Sadan.
Later Monday, October 26: Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled to meet visiting Speakers and Heads of Delegations.
October 26-27: Four thematic sessions on Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability, plus a special meeting of parliamentary committee chairpersons on international affairs.
October 27: Adoption of a Joint Statement, valedictory address by Om Birla, and handover of the forum chairmanship to China.
Frequently asked questions
What is the BRICS Parliamentary Forum? It is a forum of parliamentary delegations from BRICS member and partner countries, held to discuss democratic values, development and parliamentary cooperation. The 12th forum is being held in New Delhi in October 2026.
Who inaugurated the 2026 forum? Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who is also Chairman of the Forum, inaugurated it on Monday, October 26, 2026, at Samvidhan Sadan in New Delhi.
How many nations are participating? Delegations from 21 nations, including 11 BRICS member countries and 10 partner nations.
What is the theme? Fostering Parliaments for People-Centric Development.
What will happen on October 27? The forum will conclude with the adoption of a Joint Statement, a valedictory address by Om Birla, and the handover of the chairmanship to China.
What did Birla say about parliaments and tensions? He said parliaments can play a special role in strengthening mutual understanding and trust, reducing international tension and resolving global challenges peacefully, because conflicts, wars, economic instability, trade tensions, terrorism and climate change do not stop at borders.
The forum’s success, by Birla’s own measure, will be in concrete outcomes. For the latest on this forum and other major stories, see the Politics section.