India to host BRICS Environment Working Group meetings in Delhi on Aug 17-18

The ministry also said under its chairship, it has already initiated discussions and deliberations through a series of virtual meetings

Published on: Aug 16, 2026, 15:13:21 IST

By Jasjeev Gandhiok

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India will host BRICS Environment Working Group meetings in the national capital from August 17-18 at Bharat Mandapam, the environment ministry said on Sunday.

he Contact Group on Climate Change and Sustainable Development was established in 2024. (ANI)

The event will be held under the overarching theme of India’s BRICS chairship 2026 -- focusing on ‘Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability’, officials said.

The ministry said the BRICS Senior Officers’ Meeting of the Environment Working Group (EWG) and the Contact Group on Climate Change and Sustainable Development will hold meetings on Monday, while Tuesday will see Delhi hosting the 12th BRICS Environment Ministers’ Meeting.

The BRICS Environment Ministers’ Meeting will presided over by Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav and aims to 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 BRICS Environment Working Group (EWG) was established in 2015 during the first BRICS Environment Ministers’ Meeting in Moscow – to address fundamental environment priorities, exchange experiences, share best practices and strengthen collective action amongst BRICS Member Countries.

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.

Officials said the first day will 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,” said the ministry in a statement, adding these include promoting sustainable lifestyles; afforestation, forest fire management and disaster resilience; circular economy and adaptation to climate change.

The ministry also said under its chairship, it has already initiated discussions and deliberations through a series of virtual meetings, technical sessions, webinars and dialogues between March and July 2026.

“Dialogue 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,” said the ministry in a statement.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jasjeev Gandhiok
Jasjeev Gandhiok is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times, where he covers environment, climate change, the clean energy transition and wildlife at the National Bureau. Gandhiok has over a decade of experience in journalism and is based in Delhi. He has reported extensively on Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). This includes the region's air pollution woes, a polluted Yamuna and on urban wildlife still thriving in the region. He joined HT in October 2021. Prior to that, he had five-year stint at The Times of India in Delhi, where he also covered Delhi, with a focus on environment and wildlife. Gandhiok has covered some recent events around the Capital too, ranging from the farmers' protests, the northeast Delhi riots and the CAA-NRC protests, reporting from the ground on all of these. He also travels across the country to report on how environment and climate change impact everyday life, while also writing on endangered species. His reports in 2019 on toxic leachate from Delhi's landfills led to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) taking suo motu cognisance and ultimately asking the state government to start bio-mining to flatten and remove all three landfills in the capital. He also closely tracks the implementation of government policies on climate, renewable energy and environmental protection. His focus remains on impactful, public-interest journalism which explains how environmental decisions affect people's everyday lives.Read More

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