Mumbai To Host BRICS Friendship Cities Conclave 2026 On August 11-12

Mumbai: With Mumbai facing a range of urban challenges linked to climate change, congestion, air pollution, housing and rapid development, experts and policymakers from BRICS and partner countries will gather in the city on August 11 and 12 for the BRICS Friendship Cities Conclave 2026.

The two-day conclave, to be held at the Four Seasons Hotel, will bring together urban administrators, climate experts and specialists from India, Russia, China, South Africa, Egypt, Indonesia and other BRICS countries to discuss strategies for making cities more resilient, inclusive and sustainable.

The conclave is themed ‘Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability’ and will focus on some of the key issues confronting rapidly growing cities.

The opening session, ‘Protecting Coastal Cities: Managing Sea-Level Rise, Coastal Erosion, and Flood Risks’, is particularly relevant to Mumbai. Retired IAS officer Sanjay Ubale, Indonesia’s Nurina Widagdo, Shanghai Smart City Development Institute president Sheng Xuefeng and Egypt’s Dr Alaaeldin Sayed Ewase are among the speakers.

Urban heat will be another major focus, with the session ‘Cooling Cities’ examining nature-based solutions and climate-responsive design. Speakers include climate adaptation expert Dr Vishwas Chitale, Gates Foundation’s Dr Oommen John and Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Commissioner Abhinav Goyal.

The transport session will bring a strong Maharashtra and Mumbai perspective, with Maharashtra Institution for Transformation CEO Praveen Pardeshi and MMRDA Metropolitan Commissioner Sanjay Mukherjee among the participants. The session will examine integrated and low-carbon transport infrastructure, alongside international experiences from China, Brazil and Russia.

Air pollution will also be discussed, with experts from India, China and South Africa examining air-quality management, vehicle emissions, industrial pollution and PM2.5 reduction.

Another session will focus on inclusive housing and community-led urban regeneration, featuring MHADA Vice-President and CEO Sanjeev Jaiswal and experts from Malaysia and Iran.

The concluding session will examine AI-enabled urban governance, including its potential to transform public service delivery and decision-making. Maharashtra Additional Chief Secretary Aseem Gupta and experts from India and Russia will participate.

The organisers aim to use the conclave as a platform for sharing urban governance practices and developing cooperation towards resilient, inclusive, innovative and sustainable cities.

To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/