Senior officials from BRICS member countries met in New Delhi on Monday to discuss key priorities related to environmental protection, climate change and sustainable development as part of India’s BRICS Chairship 2026.
The Senior Officers’ Meeting of the BRICS Environment Working Group and the Contact Group on Climate Change and Sustainable Development was held at Bharat Mandapam and chaired by Tanmay Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
Officials from the BRICS member countries, including Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates, participated in the meeting.
In his keynote address, Kumar said the BRICS grouping had evolved over the past two decades from an economic dialogue into an increasingly influential platform addressing major global environmental challenges.
He highlighted issues including rising pollution, biodiversity loss and global warming, along with sustainable development, climate resilience and adaptation, resource efficiency, the circular economy and environmental governance.
According to the Chair, India’s BRICS Chairship in 2026 has been guided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of people-centric global cooperation based on a humanity-first approach. This vision is reflected in India’s BRICS 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, the meeting was informed.
Four priority areas for BRICS environmental cooperation
During India’s chairship, the Environment Working Group and the Contact Group on Climate Change and Sustainable Development have focused their cooperation on four interconnected areas – promoting sustainable lifestyles; afforestation, forest fire management and disaster resilience; circular economy; and adaptation.
The priorities reflect the common environmental challenges faced by BRICS countries and the need for coordinated responses, officials said.
The meeting emphasised that climate resilience, ecosystem restoration, resource efficiency and sustainable development are closely interconnected and require integrated approaches rather than isolated interventions.
Extensive consultations under India’s chairship
The meeting was preceded by extensive consultations among BRICS member countries.
Since the beginning of India’s BRICS Chairship, member countries have participated in 21 virtual thematic and negotiation meetings, 10 bilateral consultations, two thematic dialogues and two technical webinars.
The discussions were aimed at developing a shared understanding and building consensus on the key environmental and climate-related priorities of the grouping.
The Senior Officers’ Meeting is expected to help consolidate the outcomes of these discussions and advance consensus on the priority areas.
Kumar expressed confidence that the spirit of cooperation and mutual respect that has characterised the discussions would continue to guide the deliberations.
BRICS Environment Ministers’ Meeting on August 18
The discussions among senior officials come ahead of the 12th BRICS Environment Ministers’ Meeting, which is scheduled to be held in New Delhi on August 18.
Participating delegations congratulated India on its leadership as BRICS Chair and appreciated its efforts to bring member countries together for productive discussions on the identified priority areas.
The delegations also noted the atmosphere of mutual respect, trust and consensus-based decision-making that has characterised the deliberations during India’s BRICS Chairship.
