BRICS Urbanisation Forum to be held in South Africa next week

The BRICS Urbanisation Forum which was inaugurated in New Delhi in February 2013 will have its first in-person follow-up in the South African city of Durban next week.

During the two-day gathering that begins on July 26, the delegates from the five-nation BRICS bloc will discuss some of the key urban developmental issues to understand how globally cities are becoming more resilient towards these challenges.

The last edition of the forum was hosted online under the presidency of China in 2022. The forum brings together ministerial delegations, representatives from local governments, policymakers, and other stakeholders to place key issues of urbanisation on their agenda for action.

As the current chair of BRICS, South African Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Thembi Nkadimeng will host the forum under the theme “Advancing urban resilience for sustainable cities and towns for future generations”.

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The forum is one of several high-level interactions taking place in the weeks leading up to the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg on August 22, which will be attended by the heads of state of Brazil, India, China and South Africa.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be attending in person but participating online to avoid his arrest in the wake of an International Court of Justice warrant against him for alleged war crimes.

The BRICS Urbanisation Forum provides a platform for governments, organisations, experts and scholars from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) to engage with some of the issues expected to arise at the BRICS Summit, and subsequently provide policy advice to the leaders of the bloc when they meet next month.

Areas of discussion will include building productive and sustainable urban economies and livelihood survival strategies in urban environments.

“The BRICS Urbanisation Forum will go a long way to sharing insights, exchanging best practices, and fostering collaboration on urban development challenges among the BRICS member countries," CoGTA said in a statement.

South Africa will utilise this opportunity to also showcase the country's achievements in urbanisation, highlighting successful projects that have contributed to sustainable development and inclusive growth, it said.

“The Forum acknowledges the global trend of increasing urbanisation, with a significant influx of people migrating to cities worldwide.

"It further acknowledges that cities must transform into centres of innovation and creativity to overcome the challenges that arise from rapid urbanisation, rural-urban migration, climate change, and limited resources,” it added.

Also expected to come under the spotlight is the increasing number of cities that are choosing to employ smart technologies and promote innovative practices as part of their endeavours to enhance resilience and liveability, in response to challenges such as congestion, rising crime rates, growing urban poverty, and the need for more efficient service delivery.

"South Africa is honoured to welcome distinguished delegates from BRICS countries as well as other African countries for this vital gathering that will dissect some of the key urban development issues to understand how globally cities are becoming more resilient towards these challenges,” Nkadimeng said.

Localisation of the UN sustainable development goals; digital transformation; sustainable human settlements; climate change; and urban water resilience will also be on the agenda.

The eThekwini Metro, within which the city of Durban falls, has been chosen to host the forum to highlight its response to the devastating floods experienced in 2022. Massive destruction of homes, businesses and infrastructure continues to be addressed in the city.

The metro will show how it brought together all of government and society to collaborate and align efforts toward achieving common goals in such crises.