India to Host BRICS Environment Meetings in New Delhi

India will host the BRICS Environment Working Group meetings in New Delhi on 17 and 18 August 2026. The meetings will include the BRICS Senior Officers’ Meeting of the Environment Working Group and the Contact Group on Climate Change and Sustainable Development at Bharat Mandapam.

BRICS and its environmental mechanism

BRICS is an intergovernmental grouping of major emerging economies. The Environment Working Group was established in Moscow in 2015 as a BRICS mechanism for environmental cooperation. The Contact Group on Climate Change and Sustainable Development was established in 2024 as a newer BRICS platform.

Meeting schedule and venue

The BRICS Senior Officers’ Meeting of the Environment Working Group and the Contact Group on Climate Change and Sustainable Development will begin on 17 August 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. The 12th BRICS Environment Ministers’ Meeting will be held on 18 August 2026 at the same venue.

India’s chairship theme and priority areas

India is organising the meetings under the theme of its BRICS Chairship 2026, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”. India has identified four priority areas for the session: sustainable lifestyles, afforestation and forest fire management, disaster resilience, circular economy, and climate adaptation. The ministerial-level deliberations on 18 August 2026 are scheduled to produce a joint environmental outcome document.

Important Facts for Exams

• BRICS is a grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and it later expanded to include new members.
• Bharat Mandapam is a convention and exhibition complex in New Delhi.
• Bhupender Yadav is India’s Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is the nodal ministry for environmental policy in India.

Environmental cooperation in BRICS

BRICS environmental meetings usually cover climate change, biodiversity, sustainable development and resource efficiency. The Environment Ministers’ Meeting is a ministerial-level forum within BRICS for policy coordination on environmental issues.