India to Host 12th BRICS Environment Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi

India will host the 12th BRICS Environment Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi on August 18, 2026, with a Senior Officers’ Meeting scheduled a day earlier to discuss environmental cooperation, climate action and sustainable development among member countries.

The meetings will be held under India’s BRICS 2026 Chairship theme, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.” Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav will preside over the ministerial meeting, which will bring together ministers, senior officials, policymakers and experts from BRICS member countries.

The August 17 Senior Officers’ Meeting will include an inaugural session and discussions on priorities under the BRICS Environment Working Group (EWG) and the Contact Group on Climate Change and Sustainable Development. The ministerial meeting on August 18 will focus on thematic discussions and finalising an outcome document.

India has identified four priority areas for environmental cooperation during its chairship. These include promoting sustainable lifestyles through responsible consumption and community practices; strengthening afforestation, forest-fire management and disaster resilience; advancing the circular economy through effective waste management and Extended Producer Responsibility frameworks; and enhancing climate adaptation through people-centric, community-led approaches.

The adaptation agenda will also encourage the exchange of traditional knowledge and best practices to strengthen climate resilience across BRICS countries.

Ahead of the meetings, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change conducted a series of virtual meetings, technical sessions, webinars and dialogues between March and July 2026. Discussions covered resource efficiency, circular economy, carbon markets, land degradation, desertification, drought and integrated wildfire management.

The BRICS Environment Working Group was established in 2015 during the first BRICS Environment Ministers’ Meeting in Moscow. The Contact Group on Climate Change and Sustainable Development was established in 2024 to strengthen cooperation on climate-related issues.