UAE highlights inclusion of culture in climate action at G20 Culture Working Group meeting

Ministry of Culture and Youth’s

The Ministry of Culture and Youth’s (MCY) delegation participated in the third G20 Culture Working Group’s (CWG) meeting held in Hampi, India to present the UAE’s viewpoint on the culture-related priorities set forth by the Indian presidency.

G20 members, guest nations and international organisations participated in roundtable meetings to discuss the various global cultural priorities to develop the final ministerial declaration. The meeting is the third one in a series of four meetings whose outcomes will contribute to the ministerial declaration to be discussed at the G20 Culture Ministers’ meeting taking place on 26th August, 2023.

The Ministry’s delegation reiterated the critical role of culture in fostering multilateral cooperation and inclusivity focusing on the intersection of climate and culture. Highlighting concerns about the adverse impact of climate change on both tangible and intangible cultural assets, and the importance of preserving traditional knowledge in mitigating the challenges facing humanity today, the delegation emphasised the urgent need to consolidate global resources and efforts to protect and safeguard the world's cultural and natural heritage from the impact of climate change.

The UAE’s spokesperson, Shatha Al Mulla, Acting Under-Secretary of the Arts and Heritage Sector at MCY, highlighted the importance of “recognising the opportunity presented by the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), to be held in Dubai, and the preparatory meetings, to support global action on climate change and its impacts on cultural heritage and cultural diversity; to build greater resilience from the impact of climate change and climate-related disasters; and to better leverage the potential of culture, including cultural heritage, traditional knowledge, ancestral ways of life that are in harmony with nature, and contemporary arts, to provide solutions to climate change and to inspire climate action”.

The delegation also highlighted the role of culture as a powerful tool in public education to preserve traditional knowledge and foster sustainable indigenous practices that serve as mitigation and adaptation responses to climate change. The UAE spokespersons supported the need for developing policies and frameworks to safeguard the rights of creatives to build resilience in the cultural and creative industries sector.

Underlining the UAE’s desire for action-oriented outcomes which are inclusive and sustainable and benefit the entirety of humanity, the delegation supported an all-encompassing approach to reducing disparities between the Global South and the Global North. The delegation shared the UAE’s viewpoint on the need for global platforms such as the G20 to serve as a bridge to address the gaps between the Global North and Global South, thus supporting the right to inclusive progress.

The fourth and final meeting of the G20 Culture Working Group will be held in August, leading up to the G20 culture ministerial meeting on 26th August 2023, which will feed into the 18th G20 Leaders’ Summit to be held on 9th-10th September 2023.