New Delhi is set to host one of the biggest parliamentary gatherings of the year. The 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum opens in the national capital on Monday, October 26, bringing presiding officers, lawmakers and delegates from 13 countries to the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan for two days of talks on the future of parliaments, artificial intelligence and global governance.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will host the forum, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to meet the visiting delegations after the inaugural session. The theme for this edition is “Strengthening Parliaments for People-Centric Development”, a line that captures what India wants the conversation to be about: how elected assemblies can stay relevant, responsive and trusted at a time when democracies everywhere are under strain.
Preparations moved into their final phase on Sunday. Birla met the Russian parliamentary delegation led by Vyacheslav Volodin, Chairman of the State Duma, ahead of the forum, and secretaries of the visiting delegations sat down the same day to finalise the draft of a joint statement that leaders hope to adopt when the forum concludes on Tuesday.
Who is coming to Delhi
Thirteen countries are taking part, six BRICS members and seven partner nations. Four delegations are led by Speakers, from Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Thailand and Uganda. Three more are led by Deputy Speakers, from China, Belarus and Cuba. The remaining six, including Iran, Egypt, Brazil, Vietnam, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, are led by senior parliamentarians.
Alongside the foreign delegations, the forum will include Union ministers, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, presiding officers of state legislatures and Members of Parliament from across India. Chairpersons of foreign affairs committees will also hold separate discussions on parliamentary diplomacy, capacity building and best practices.
Two notable absences have already been confirmed. The Speakers of Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia will not take part in this edition of the forum.
Iran’s Speaker cancels, delegation still coming
The most watched development ahead of the forum came from Tehran. Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf has cancelled his planned visit to New Delhi, with the Iranian Embassy citing “certain unforeseen circumstances”. Qalibaf is one of Iran’s top leaders and has played a leading role in the country’s recent negotiations with the United States.
The embassy was quick to stress that the cancellation changes nothing about Iran’s participation. A parliamentary delegation from Tehran will attend the two-day meeting, and Iran has reaffirmed its commitment to active participation in BRICS at the highest levels.
The backdrop is hard to ignore. West Asia remains on edge amid fears of a fresh flare-up, and while the region’s tensions are not formally on the forum’s agenda, delegates may well raise them in corridor conversations. India has pointed out that the BRICS summit it hosted last month still ended with a unanimous declaration despite differences among members, and Birla has expressed hope that this forum too can close with a joint statement agreed by all.
What will be discussed
The formal agenda is built around four big questions:
- Stronger institutions: how parliaments can stay resilient and responsive when public trust is fragile and street movements are shaking democracies, as recently seen in France and Albania.
- Human-centred AI: how lawmakers should shape rules for artificial intelligence and digital technologies so innovation serves people rather than overtaking them.
- Global governance reform: how to make international institutions more representative, with a stronger voice for the Global South.
- Sustainable development: the role of parliaments in delivering an inclusive future, from climate action to social welfare.
Birla has described the forum as a new chapter in India’s parliamentary diplomacy, and a key set piece of India’s BRICS chairmanship.
Why this forum matters
Parliamentary forums rarely make headlines the way leaders’ summits do, but they do quiet, durable work. They are where the people who actually write and scrutinise laws compare notes, and where personal relationships between legislatures are built. In a year when conflicts continue in Ukraine and West Asia, and when the rules of the global order are openly contested, a room full of presiding officers talking about institutional resilience is more than ceremony.
For India, the forum is also a chance to showcase its own parliamentary story. Hosting 13 delegations in the historic Central Hall, the room where India’s Constitution was debated, sends a deliberate message about democratic continuity.
Whether the forum ends with a joint statement will be the first test of that ambition. Delegation secretaries worked through the draft on Sunday, and Birla has said he hopes agreement can be reached with the consent of all countries.
FAQs
When is the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum?
It is being held in New Delhi on October 26 and 27, 2026.
Where is the forum taking place?
In the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan, within the Parliament complex in New Delhi.
Who is hosting the forum?
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is hosting it, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to meet the visiting delegations.
How many countries are participating?
Thirteen countries, comprising six BRICS members and seven partner nations.
Why is Iran’s Speaker not attending?
Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf cancelled his visit due to what the Iranian Embassy described as “certain unforeseen circumstances”, though an Iranian parliamentary delegation will still attend.
The forum opens on Monday morning, and its closing statement on Tuesday will show whether 13 very different parliaments can still find common ground.
