Senior Officers from BRICS Member Countries hold discussions on Key Priorities of the Environment Working Group and Contact Group on Climate Change and Sustainable Development in New Delhi
Read or download the official PDF of this gazette notification issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on 17th August 2026. Classified under Press Release.
Executive Summary
On August 17, 2026, senior officers from BRICS member countries met in New Delhi under India’s 2026 Chairship to discuss key environmental and climate change priorities. The meeting aimed to finalize a consensus on integrated approaches to sustainability and resource efficiency. This session serves as the immediate precursor to the 12th BRICS Environment Ministers' Meeting scheduled for August 18, 2026.
Key Points / Main Content
Core Priority Areas
Sustainable Lifestyles: Promoting environmental action through the lens of sustainable living.
Forest Management: Focusing on afforestation, forest fire management, and building disaster resilience.
Resource Efficiency: Advancing cooperation regarding the circular economy.
Climate Adaptation: Integrating climate resilience and adaptation strategies across member nations.
Strategic Vision and Framework
Theme: The 2026 Chairship operates under the theme 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation, and Sustainability.'
Humanity-First Approach: Global cooperation is guided by a people-centric vision that seeks to integrate ecological sustainability with developmental objectives.
Holistic Integration: The group moved away from isolated interventions in favor of holistic responses to interconnected challenges like biodiversity loss, pollution, and global warming.
Progress and Consultation Milestones
Extensive Deliberations: The current consensus-building is the result of 21 virtual thematic meetings, 10 bilateral consultations, two thematic dialogues, and two technical webinars.
Diplomatic Participation: The meeting included representatives from Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates.
Impact Analysis
BRICS Member CountriesImpact
Member nations have transitioned from a primarily economic dialogue to a unified platform for environmental governance and climate resilience.
Action Required
Delegates must reach a final consensus on the priority areas to be presented at the ministerial level.
Environment Ministers of BRICS NationsImpact
The outcomes of the Senior Officers' Meeting will form the basis for high-level discussions and decision-making during the upcoming ministerial summit.
Action Required
Ministers are required to attend the 12th BRICS Environment Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi on August 18, 2026.
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), IndiaImpact
As the Chair, the Ministry is responsible for leading the transition toward a "humanity-first" approach in global environmental cooperation.
Action Required
The Ministry must continue to facilitate the dialogue and finalize the proceedings for the 2026 Chairship.
Key Entities Referenced
BRICS: An intergovernmental organization comprising major emerging economies that held discussions on global environmental challenges and climate resilience under India's 2026 Chairship.
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC): The primary Indian ministry that chaired the Senior Officers' Meeting and spearheaded the 2026 BRICS environmental agenda.
Environment Working Group (EWG): A specialized BRICS body focused on defining collective approaches to pollution, biodiversity loss, and environmental governance.
Contact Group on Climate Change and Sustainable Development (CGCCSD): A BRICS group dedicated to advancing cooperation on climate resilience, adaptation, and resource efficiency.
Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi: The central venue hosting the high-level BRICS senior officers' and ministerial meetings.
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Senior Officers from BRICS Member Countries
hold discussions on Key Priorities of the
Environment Working Group and Contact Group
on Climate Change and Sustainable
Development in New Delhi
प्रव तथ: 17 AUG 2026 11:40AM by PIB Delhi
Under India’s BRICS Chairship 2026, Senior Officers’ Meeting of the Environment Working Group and
Contact Group on Climate Change and Sustainable Development was held in Bharat Mandapam, New
Delhi, on 17th August 2026. The meeting was chaired by Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and
Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India, Shri Tanmay Kumar. The proceedings witnessed
participation from BRICS member countries including Federative Republic of Brazil, People’s Republic
of China, Arab Republic of Egypt, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Republic of Indonesia,
Islamic Republic of Iran, Russian Federation, Republic of South Africa and United Arab Emirates.
Secretary, @moefcc , Shri Tanmay Kumar, welcomed the distinguished delegates
from BRICS Member Countries to the Environment Working Group-Senior
Officers' Meeting affirming solidarity & shared commitments towards a
sustainable future.#BRICS2026#BRICSIndia2026… pic.twitter.com/6T5n3bWabA
— MoEF&CC (@moefcc) August 17, 2026
In his keynote address, the Chair stated that over the past two decades, the BRICS alliance has expanded
from an economic dialogue into an increasingly influential platform for defining its approach to the
critical challenges facing the environment, including pressing global issues of increasing pollution,
biodiversity loss as well as global warming. He said, "Our partnership has broadened in terms of relevance
to sustainable development, climate resilience and adaptation, resource efficiency and circular economy,
as well as environmental governance."
The Chair informed that BRICS 2026 has been guided by the vision of the Prime Minister of India, Shri
Narendra Modi, that global cooperation must remain people-centric by advancing a humanity-first
approach. This vision finds expression in the Chairship theme - 'Building for Resilience, Innovation,
Cooperation, and Sustainability'. India has sought to advance environmental action through approaches
that integrate ecological sustainability with development objectives, it was stated.
Over the course of India’s Chairship, the Environment Working Group and the Contact Group on Climate
Change and Sustainable Development have together advanced cooperation across four interconnected
priority areas: Promoting Sustainable Lifestyles; Afforestation, Forest Fire Management and Disaster
Resilience; Circular Economy and Adaptation.The Chair stated that these priorities reflect both the shared environmental challenges confronting the
BRICS countries and the collective wisdom and strength to address them. They reflect the unanimous
recognition that climate resilience, ecosystem restoration, resource efficiency and sustainable development
are deeply interconnected challenges that require integrated and holistic responses rather than isolated
interventions in silos.
It was informed that since the commencement of India’s Chairship, Member Countries have engaged
through 21 virtual thematic and negotiation meetings, 10 bilateral consultations, 2 thematic dialogues and
2 technical webinars, reflecting an extraordinary level of commitment to advancing the shared agenda.
The marathon deliberations would culminate in building a consensus on the key priorities during the
Senior Officers' meeting being held today.
Concluding the address, the chair expressed confidence that the spirit of co-operation and mutual respect
which has guided the collective dialogues and discussions so far would continue to guide the
deliberations today. The 12th BRICS Environment Ministers' Meeting is scheduled to be held in New
Delhi tomorrow.
The participating delegations from the BRICS member countries congratulated India for its successful
leadership as the BRICS Chair and bringing together each side through productive deliberations on the
priority areas, under an atmosphere of mutual respect, trust and consensus-based decision making.
*****
VM
(रलीज़ आईडी: 2300324) आगंतुक पटल : 1349
इस वज्ञ को इन भाषाओ ंम पढ़: Urdu , Marathi , ही , Bengali , Bengali-TR , Manipuri , Punjabi , Gujarati , Tamil , Telugu , Kannada
, Malayalam