New Delhi, Sep 13 (IANS) India will host the World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF) 2026 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, from September 15 to 18, marking the first time the global forum will be held in South Asia, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said on Sunday.
The forum will be organised under the theme “Circular Economy: Transition for People and Prosperity” and will be jointly inaugurated on September 15 by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel.
The inaugural session will also be attended by Gujarat Forest, Environment and Climate Change Minister Arjunbhai Modhwadia, Ambassador of Finland to India Mikko Kivikoski and Marieke Spijkerboer from the Netherlands’ Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate, along with senior officials from the Centre and Gujarat government.
The ministry said circularity focuses on reusing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products and returning them to the economy as valuable resources. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, India is undertaking a major transformation in environmental governance with a focus on advancing a modern circular economy.
WCEF 2026 is being jointly organised by the Central Pollution Control Board, the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra, Government of Finland, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of Gujarat and Gujarat Pollution Control Board.
The forum is expected to bring together more than 2,000 stakeholders from over 65 countries, including business leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators, researchers, policymakers, academicians and other changemakers. It will showcase India’s initiatives on circularity and provide a platform for strengthening international cooperation, particularly with the Global South.
The event will also focus on mobilising circular finance and private-sector investment, promoting policy dialogue and cross-sector partnerships, and advancing innovation, digitalisation and technology for circularity.
On September 15 and 16, the forum will feature four plenary sessions and 16 parallel thematic sessions covering areas including artificial intelligence, employment potential, energy production, finance, governance, sustainable products, industrial solutions, start-up ecosystems and youth leadership.
An exhibition featuring more than 125 national and international exhibitors will showcase practical circular solutions developed by start-ups as well as investment-ready innovations.
On the sidelines of the forum, the Board of the 10 Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns (10 YFP) will hold an in-person meeting in Gandhinagar on September 15.
