4th Indo-German Environment Forum (IGEF 2026)
Project : Indo-German Support Project for Climate Action in India
MOEFCC & BMUKN | Hotel Leela Palace, New Delhi
The 4th Indo-German Environment Forum (IGEF) was held on 1 September 2026 in New Delhi under the theme “Together For More Resilience,” marking a significant milestone in India-Germany environmental cooperation in the year the two countries celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations. The IGEF is the highest-level bilateral forum between India and Germany on environmental policy, held since 2008, and was jointly organised by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India, and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Protection, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN), Germany, in association with the Asia-Pacific Committee of German Business (APA) and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), and coordinated by the IKI India Interface Project (GIZ India) and Strategic Environment Dialogues Project (GIZ Germany).
The Forum was co-chaired by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shri Bhupender Yadav and German Federal Minister for Environment, Climate Protection, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety H.E. Carsten Schneider. Shri Yadav called for stronger knowledge-sharing, scalable solutions and institutional capacity in environmental conservation, while Mr Schneider described India as a role model in renewable energy expansion and reaffirmed Germany’s interest in deepening the partnership. On the sidelines, the two ministers signed a Joint Declaration of Intent on the Conservation and Wise Use of Wetlands of International Importance. Discussions across four thematic parallel sessions – Low-Carbon Industries; Biodiversity in Wetlands, Mountains and Forests; Resource Efficiency & Circular Economy as a Business Model; and Sustainable Finance, Green Skills & Investment Mobilization – drew participation from government, industry, research institutions and civil society.
Closing reflections described the partnership as having reached an ‘inflexion point,’ with both countries leveraging the moment to build economic resilience through deeper cooperation on green technologies, circular economy, biodiversity and catalytic financing. Participants called for stronger cross-sectoral collaboration, joint research and development, and mechanisms such as an Indo-German CEOs Forum to sustain momentum, with the upcoming India-EU FTA expected to provide a further platform for exchange.
Attached Report
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