India will host the 12th BRICS Environment Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday under its 2026 BRICS Chairship, with environmental cooperation, climate resilience and sustainable development on the agenda.
The meeting will be chaired by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) Bhupender Yadav.
The discussions will be held under the overarching theme of India’s BRICS Chairship 2026, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.” The meeting is expected to provide a platform for BRICS member countries to exchange views, build consensus and strengthen practical cooperation on pressing environmental challenges.
It is preceded by a Senior Officers’ Meeting of the BRICS Environment Working Group and the Contact Group on Climate Change and Sustainable Development held at Bharat Mandapam on Monday.
Officials from the BRICS member countries, including Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates, participated in yesterday’s meeting, which was chaired by Tanmay Kumar, Secretary, MoEFCC.
During India’s chairship, the Environment Working Group and the Contact Group on Climate Change and Sustainable Development have focused their cooperation on four interconnected areas – promoting sustainable lifestyles; afforestation, forest fire management and disaster resilience; circular economy; and adaptation.
The priorities reflect the common environmental challenges faced by BRICS countries and the need for coordinated responses, officials said. The meeting emphasised that climate resilience, ecosystem restoration, resource efficiency and sustainable development are closely interconnected and require integrated approaches rather than isolated interventions.
