♦ The first Assembly of the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) was held in New Delhi.

♦ The meeting was chaired by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and attended by ministerial delegations from nine countries, including Bhutan, Cambodia, Eswatini, Guinea, India, Liberia, Suriname, Somalia, and Kazakhstan.

♦ IBCA is a global initiative envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the conservation of big cats. 

♦ The Assembly unanimously endorsed Bhupender Yadav as the President and S.P. Yadav as the Director General of IBCA. 

♦ The IBCA, established by the Government of India through the National Tiger Conservation Authority in March 2024, comprises 95 range countries.

♦ It aims to create a global platform for conservation cooperation, knowledge sharing, and technical and financial support to halt the decline of big cat populations and safeguard biodiversity.