Global Big Cat Summit to promote South–South cooperation: Bhupender Yadav

Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav announced that the upcoming Global Big Cat Summit, to be held by the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) on June 1–2, 2026, will adopt the Delhi Declaration on Big Cat Conservation. He also launched the website and logo for the IBCA Summit 2026, and described the summit as a platform to strengthen transboundary cooperation, promote South–South cooperation, and align conservation efforts with global biodiversity and climate goals. Yadav urged all big cat range countries yet to join IBCA to participate at the highest level. He noted India's past successes in tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, and cheetah conservation and their links to livelihoods and climate resilience. The article lists 24 IBCA member countries, including Angola, Armenia, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Guatemala, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal and Russia.

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the proposal for India to become a member country of the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) by signing and ratifying the framework agreement for its establishment in 2024.

The International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) was established by the Government of India in 2024 through its nodal organisation, the National Tiger Conservation Authority, under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Its primary objective is to facilitate collaboration and synergy among range countries and other stakeholders, consolidating successful conservation practices and expertise into a centralised repository, with financial support for focused conservation efforts.