Second Meeting of Indo-Russian Emergency Management Commission Held in Moscow

Moscow: The Second Meeting of the Joint Russian-Indian Commission on Cooperation in the Field of Emergency Management took place today in Moscow. The Indian delegation was led by Nityanand Rai, Minister of State for Home Affairs, who was joined by senior officials including Vinay Kumar, Ambassador of India to Russia, Rajendra Singh, Member & Head of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), and Sanjeev Kumar Jindal, Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

The meeting was marked by the signing of the working plan for 2025-2026, which was endorsed by Nityanand Rai and Kurenkov Aleksandr Vyacheslavovich, Minister of the Russian Federation for Civil Defence, Emergencies, and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters (EMERCOM). This agreement aims to enhance bilateral cooperation in disaster management and underscores the commitment of both nations to implement the plan over the next two years.

The discussions highlighted several key areas for future collaboration. Both countries agreed to continue exchanging best practices and lessons learned in disaster management. The meeting also focused on implementing previous agreements, including the Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) established in December 2010 and the 2013 Regulation for the Indo-Russian Joint Commission on Emergency Management. The inaugural meeting of this commission was held in New Delhi in 2016.

The agenda of the current meeting included three specific issues: the use of space monitoring technologies for risk forecasting and emergency response, the exchange of experiences in responding to large-scale disasters, and cooperation in the training of fire and rescue specialists. The Indian and Russian delegations expressed their intentions to further develop cooperation in these areas.

Both sides committed to intensifying joint efforts to advance emergency management practices, including the development of disaster monitoring and forecasting systems and the training of rescue specialists and firefighters. They also agreed to extend cooperation between educational and research institutions in both countries and to hold the next meeting of the Joint Commission in India in 2026.

The new working plan aims to strengthen bilateral efforts in emergency preparedness, prevention, response, and planning. It also seeks to enhance early warning systems and build capacity in both nations. Nityanand Rai reaffirmed India’s commitment to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 10-point agenda on disaster risk reduction. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the Indian government continues its efforts to build a disaster-resilient nation.

The workshop also included Vinay Kumar, Ambassador of India to Russia, and other senior officials from the Indian delegation, including the Director of the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC). The outcomes of the meeting are expected to pave the way for more robust bilateral cooperation and shared advancements in disaster management strategies.