Culture Working Group meeting under India’s G2O Presidency kicks off in Odisha

Bhubaneswar, May 14

The four-day-long Culture Working Group meeting under India’s G2O Presidency kicked off at Bhubaneshwar in Odisha on Sunday. The meeting will emphasise ‘Culture Unites All’ in a campaign mode to highlight India’s unwavering belief in multilateralism based on peaceful coexistence among diverse cultures and communities.

Briefing media persons jointly at Bhubaneswar, Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, G Kishan Reddy and Minister of State for Culture and Parliamentary Affairs, Arjun Ram Meghwal said, culture plays a critical role in driving collaborative outcomes and promoting inclusivity and harmonious living. They said, culture provides pathways to collaborate and develop sustainable and balanced solutions to contemporary global challenges.

“Meeting will be attended by delegates from G20 members, guest nations, and several international organisations. The meeting offers an opportunity to discuss pressing issues facing the culture sector to further deliberate in-depth work towards tangible, action-oriented recommendations,” Reddy said.

He said that at this 2nd meeting, a delegation from International Organizations will also participate. “To ensure participation from different states, we have 30 delegates from different states, 30 delegates from the Government of India”.

“The meetings of the Culture Working Group focus on 4 key priority areas articulated under Culture Track of India’s G20 Presidency, these 4 priority areas include, Protection and Restitution of Cultural Property, Harnessing Living Heritage for a Sustainable Future, Promotion of Cultural and Creative Industries and Creative Economy and Leveraging Digital Technologies for the Protection and Promotion of Culture,” Reddy said.
To mark the occasion, Padma Shri Sudarshan Patnaik of Odisha has created sand art on the theme at Puri Beach as part of the ‘Culture Unites All’ campaign.BM