The first in-person technical meeting of the BRICS Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Working Group under India's BRICS Presidency began in Puri, Odisha. The discussions centre on building disaster resilience and linking risk reduction with sustainable development, with special attention to the needs of countries of the Global South. Odisha, which has a well-known record in cyclone preparedness, provided the venue for the deliberations among member nations.