New Delhi: India on Tuesday hosted the 12th BRICS Environment Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi under its 2026 BRICS Chairship, with environmental cooperation, climate resilience and sustainable development placed centre stage.
Ministers, senior officials meet under India’s chairship theme
The meeting was chaired by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav and followed preparatory sessions including the BRICS Senior Officers’ Meeting of the Environment Working Group and the Contact Group on Climate Change and Sustainable Development. The deliberations took place under India’s 2026 BRICS Chairship theme:
“Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”
According to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, delegates used the platform to exchange policy experiences, technical approaches and best practices aimed at strengthening cooperation on pressing environmental challenges faced by BRICS members and partner countries.
Priority areas identified for focused engagement
India has outlined a set of priority areas for the BRICS Environment Working Group intended to link environmental protection with sustainable development and climate adaptation. The ministry said these priorities reflect India’s emphasis on actionable cooperation that can be transferred across developing economies.
- Sustainable lifestyles and public engagement to reduce consumption-related pressures on ecosystems;
- Afforestation efforts and forest management to restore and enhance ecosystems;
- Forest fire management and disaster resilience measures to reduce vulnerability;
- Circular economy approaches to improve resource efficiency and waste management;
- Adaptation measures to strengthen resilience of communities and ecosystems to climate impacts.
The meeting was expected to encourage practical cooperation through sharing of policies, technologies and experiences among BRICS members, and to strengthen collaborative responses on ecosystem restoration, resource efficiency and disaster resilience, the ministry said.
Significance for developing economies
India framed its chairship as an opportunity to steer BRICS discussions beyond economic cooperation, towards environmental governance and climate adaptation priorities that have particular relevance for developing countries. The ministerial-level talks were designed to build upon earlier technical and senior-official consultations and to push a pragmatic agenda at ministerial level.
In remarks reported ahead of the meeting, senior officials emphasised BRICS’ evolution from primarily an economic forum to a broader platform addressing sustainable development and adaptation — areas that India has sought to prioritise during its chairship.
Outcomes and next steps
Officials said the ministerial meeting would aim to consolidate consensus on shared priorities and identify avenues for operational cooperation, including policy exchange, technology transfer and joint capacity-building activities. The ministry indicated that discussions would inform the environmental component of India’s BRICS 2026 programme and serve as a basis for follow-up at working-group level.
| Area | Focus |
|---|---|
| Afforestation | Forest restoration and management |
| Disaster resilience | Forest fire management and adaptation planning |
| Circular economy | Resource efficiency and waste reduction |
By prioritising areas such as adaptation, circular economy and ecosystem restoration, India aims to channel BRICS cooperation into outcomes that are scalable across member states with varying development needs. The ministerial meeting is expected to feed into subsequent technical initiatives and bilateral or multilateral projects under the BRICS environment framework.
The ministry highlighted that the gathering would provide an opportunity for member countries to align on practical measures that bolster climate resilience while supporting sustainable development objectives.
