India to host BRICS Environment Working Group meetings on August 17-18

New Delhi: India is set to host the 12th BRICS Environment Ministers Meeting in New Delhi on August 18, preceded by the BRICS Senior Officers' Meeting of the Environment Working Group and Contact Group on Climate Change and Sustainable Development on August 17. The event would be held under the overarching theme of India's BRICS Chairship 2026 - 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability'.

According to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the BRICS Environment Ministers' Meeting would be presided over by Union Minister Bhupender Yadav and would provide a platform for Ministers, Senior Officers, policymakers, and experts from the Member Countries to engage in substantive discussions, foster consensus, and strengthen environmental cooperation.

The first day would witness the Senior Officers' Meeting, which would include an inaugural session and deliberations on the priorities of the BRICS Environment Working Group and Contact Group on Climate Change and Sustainable Development.


The second day would culminate in Ministerial-level deliberations on the outcome document and thematic discussions that underscore the collective commitment of BRICS Member Countries to environmental cooperation and sustainable development.

As part of the Chairship, India has identified four priority areas for focused engagements under the BRICS Environment Working Group, the release said.

Priority one would be promoting Sustainable Lifestyles, which underscores environmental commitments by promoting sustainable lifestyles through mindful consumption and community practices, while fostering collaboration, sharing knowledge, leading practices and success stories to develop innovative approaches from the Member Countries.

The second would be afforestation. Forest Fire Management and Disaster Resilience focuses on strengthening land restoration by combining structured knowledge exchange and capacity building with advanced data collection, monitoring and addressing shared challenges through integrated, landscape-based greening approaches. This priority also emphasises forest fire management, prevention, preparedness, early detection and rapid response, as noted in the release.

Priority three would be that the Circular Economy showcases effective waste management practices by developing robust Extended Producer Responsibility policy frameworks and regulatory approaches. This priority aims to exemplify leading practices across Member Countries to ensure equity and resource use efficiency, which would lead to a pivotal policy instrument for advancing circular economy transitions.

Priority fourth is the adaptation focuses on advancing cooperation on climate adaptation through people-centric and community-led adaptation built on traditional knowledge. This priority supports the deliberation on practical cooperation, structured knowledge exchange, exchange of best practices and policy-relevant outcomes built on traditional knowledge systems that strengthen climate resilience across BRICS Member Countries, as per the release.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, under its BRICS 2026 Chairship, initiated discussions and deliberations through a series of virtual meetings, technical sessions, webinars and dialogues during the period March to July. Dialogues on BRICS Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy, and Aligning Carbon Markets with Adaptation Goals, besides Webinars on Initiatives Towards addressing Land Degradation, Desertification and Drought, and Integrated Approaches to Wildfire Management for Disaster Resilience, were also organised. These consultations provided an important platform for building consensus and setting the context for in-person deliberations in New Delhi on August 17-18.

The BRICS Environment Working Group (EWG) was established in 2015 during the first BRICS Environment Ministers' Meeting in Moscow. It was envisioned as a platform for BRICS to address fundamental environmental priorities, exchange experiences, share best practices and strengthen collective action amongst BRICS Member Countries, according to a release.

The Contact Group on Climate Change and Sustainable Development was established in 2024 as an effective mechanism for cooperation on climate change issues amongst BRICS member countries.