India is hosting the 12th BRICS Environment Ministers Meeting in New Delhi on August 18, 2026, preceded by the BRICS Senior Officers' Meeting of the Environment Working Group and Contact Group on Climate Change and Sustainable Development on August 17, 2026. The event is being held under India's BRICS Chairship 2026 theme of 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability'.
Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shri Bhupender Yadav will preside over the Environment Ministers' Meeting, which will provide a platform for ministers, senior officers, policymakers, and experts from BRICS member countries to engage in substantive discussions and strengthen environmental cooperation. The first day will feature the Senior Officers' Meeting with an inaugural session and deliberations on BRICS Environment Working Group priorities. The second day will include ministerial-level deliberations on the outcome document and thematic discussions.
India has identified four priority areas for the BRICS Environment Working Group: Promoting Sustainable Lifestyles through mindful consumption and community practices; Afforestation, Forest Fire Management and Disaster Resilience focusing on land restoration and integrated greening approaches; Circular Economy showcasing effective waste management practices and Extended Producer Responsibility frameworks; and Adaptation advancing climate adaptation through people-centric approaches built on traditional knowledge.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change initiated discussions through a series of virtual meetings, technical sessions, webinars, and dialogues from March to July 2026, including dialogues on BRICS Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy, Aligning Carbon Markets with Adaptation Goals, and webinars on addressing Land Degradation, Desertification and Drought, and Integrated Approaches to Wildfire Management for Disaster Resilience.
The BRICS Environment Working Group was established in 2015 during the first BRICS Environment Ministers' Meeting in Moscow, while the Contact Group on Climate Change and Sustainable Development was established in 2024 as a mechanism for cooperation on climate change issues among BRICS member countries.