Third G20 Culture Working Group Meeting to begin today in Hampi, Karnataka
The third Culture Working Group Meeting under G20 India Presidency will begin in Hampi, near the World Heritage site in Karnataka today. The delegates from G20 member countries, guest countries and international organisations will be part of the deliberations from the 9th to the 12th of July.
India has set four priorities for the Working Group to protect Cultural properties, harness living heritage, promote Cultural and Creative Industries and leverage technologies for the protection and promotion of Culture.
During the deliberations in Hampi, the delegates from the participating Countries and International Organisations like UNESCO will share their expertise and best practices to firmly position culture as an engine for propelling inclusive sustainable socio-economic recovery and development.
Union Minister for Culture G Kishan Reddy, Ministers of State for Culture, Arjun Ram Meghwal and Meenakshi Lekhi, and Secretary of the Culture Ministry Govind Mohan will be guests during the inaugural event tomorrow.
Tomorrow, the delegates will hold the roundtable discussion on the preamble and guiding principles. Subsequent sessions till the 11th of July will be on Call for Action and Terms of Reference. Updates will be given on G20 Cultural projects, on the fourth meeting in Varanasi and the report on G20 Culture Thematic Webinars.
India will showcase its rich cultural diversity and heritage during the event. Hampi was the capital of the Vijayanagar empire in the 14th Century and is today a UNESCO world heritage site.
The delegates will visit the historical monuments during their stay. They will visit Hampi digital museum and engage with the artists of leather puppetry, Ganjifa artwork, Bidri and Kinhal crafts.
They will interact with artisans from the Lambani community. They will be taken on a coracle ride on the Tungabhadra River. In the evening there will be cultural performances and a gala dinner.
