The G20 Culture Ministers’ Meeting, under India’s Presidency, concluded today in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

The G20 Culture Ministers’ Meeting, under India’s Presidency, convened in Varanasi today. Ministers of Culture and dignitaries from G20 members and invitee countries attended the meeting along with representatives from international organizations.

Under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture, the G20 Culture Working Group (CWG) under India's Presidency engaged in shaping tangible action-oriented outcomes for the four priority areas articulated by India’s CWG. This engagement was achieved through continuous deliberations via the CWG meetings, bilateral sessions, and a series of Global Thematic Webinars. The Culture Ministers’ Meeting  (CMM) was a culmination of all the discussions, deliberations and initiatives of the previous meetings.

After the Lamp lighting ceremony in the presence of Shri G Kishan Reddy, Hon’ble Union Minister for Culture, Tourism and DoNER; Shri Arjun Ram Meghal, Hon’ble MoS, (I/C) Law & Justice, Culture & Parliamentary Affairs; SmtMeenakashiLekhi, MoS, Culture and External Affairs; Shri Govind Mohan, Secretary, Ministry of Culture, a Video Statement from the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi was presented.

PM Modi expressed, “I am confident that your efforts will foster sustainable practice and lifestyle. We believe that heritage is a vital asset for economic growth and diversification that is in accord with our mantra ‘vikasbhivirasatbhi’ which means ‘with development as well as heritage.’”

This was followed by the welcome remarks by Hon’ble Minister for Culture, Tourism and DoNER, Shri G Kishan Reddy. In his remarks, Shri G Kishan Reddy shared, “Under India's Presidency, we have tried to capture the spirit of our collective vision and commitment to progress together. Through our combined wisdom and shared responsibility, we can transform the challenges that lie before us into opportunities, raising the profile of culture within our public policies while consolidating the positioning of culture as an engine for sustainable and inclusive development.”

The G20Culture Ministers agreed to harness the transformative power of culture to address today’s multifaceted development challenges such as climate change, rising inequalities and the impact of the digital transformation among others, laying forth the need to shape more inclusive societies, grounded in the full respect for and recognition of the diversity and equal dignity of all cultures.

The Outcome Document of India’s Culture Ministers Meeting has been christened as the “Kashi Culture Pathway”. It summarizes the commitments and consensus arrived by the G20 Culture Ministers on the priorities articulated by the G20 Culture Working Group under India’s G20 Presidency.

The G20 MoC have unanimously adopted the outcome doc christened as the Kashi Culture Pathway.

The report ‘G20 Culture: Shaping the Global Narrative for Inclusive Growth’ was launched by the G20 Ministers of Culture during the G20 Culture Ministers’ Meeting. It includes insights and recommendations from the expert-driven Global Thematic Webinars on the four priorities articulated by the Indian presidency that were held during March-April 2023. This compendious publication documents the proceedings of the Global Thematic Webinars organised by India’s G20 Presidency.

The Culture Ministers released a special edition stamp today, on 26 August 2023 in Varanasi. This special stamp was launched to commemorate the hallmark campaign ‘Culture Unites All’, which was an initiative of the Culture Working Group under India’s G20 Presidency. Throughout the course of the CWG, the ‘Culture Unites All’ campaign stood as a testament to India’s unwavering belief in multilateralism for inclusive growth.

Thereafter, the Culture Ministers and the delegates witnessed the G20 Orchestra- ‘Sur Vasudha’, organised by the Culture Working Group under India’s G20 Presidency.  ‘Sur Vasudha’ or a treasure trove of melodies celebrates the rich musical knowledge and heritage of G20 member nations and guest countries. 

In the spirit of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ or ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’, the concert incorporated the music and musical instruments from the G20 member and guest countries. This shared platform for musicians aims to promote inclusion and diversity, and encourage exchange of ideas and international collaboration through music.

The important outcomes of the Culture Ministers’ Meeting will feed into the ambitious and collective actions that G20 Leaders will discuss during the G20 New Delhi Summit in September 2023. With the conclusion of the Culture Working Group under India’s G20 Presidency, now we look forward to the G20 Leaders Summit on 9-10th September 2023 in New Delhi.