Iran’s Ghalibaf and Russia’s Volodin to lead delegations to New Delhi BRICS Parliamentary forum

New Delhi: India is set to host the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in New Delhi on 26 and 27 October, bringing together presiding speakers and lawmakers from member and partner countries under the theme of strengthening parliaments for people-centric development.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who is chairing the gathering, said the two-day conference at the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan (the historic old Parliament building) marks a new chapter in India’s parliamentary diplomacy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend and meet leaders of the visiting delegations. The Vice-President will host a banquet, and the programme includes bilateral meetings, a cultural programme, and visits to the Parliament complex and sites in Delhi.

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Discussions will focus on four high-level areas: resilience of institutions, human-centred innovation in artificial intelligence and digital technologies, parliamentary cooperation for a more representative system of global governance, and sustainability for an inclusive future. A special meeting of chairs of international affairs committees will cover parliamentary diplomacy and capacity-building. Secretaries of the delegations are due to meet on 25 October to finalise a joint statement. India has also expanded parliamentary friendship groups with 64 countries.
Confirmed high-level representation includes Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf with four MPs, Russian State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin with 10 MPs, Chinese Vice-Chairperson of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee Zheng Jianbang with three MPs, UAE Federal National Council President Saqr Ghobash with three MPs, and Egypt’s Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Sameh Shoukry with two MPs. Brazil is represented by Senator Irajá Silvestre Filho, chair of its parliamentary group for BRICS relations.

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Partner countries sending delegations include Thailand (Senate President Mongkol Surasajja with two MPs), Uganda (Speaker Marcusons Jacob Oboth with five MPs), Cuba (Vice-President of the National Assembly Ana María Mari Machado with four MPs), Belarus (Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives Vadim Ipatov with one MP), Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, and Uzbekistan (details pending). Five delegations are led by speakers or presidents, three by deputy speakers or vice-presidents, and others by MPs.
The forum follows the BRICS summit held under India’s chairmanship earlier this year. Organisers describe it as an opportunity to build consensus on shared challenges through dialogue among legislatures of the expanded grouping. The conference concludes on 27 October.