5th BRICS Culture Ministers’ Meet

• 05 Sep 2020

Why in News

The 5^th BRICS Culture Ministers’ Meeting was held through a video conference under the Chairpersonship of Russian Federation.

• The delegates from Culture Ministries of the BRICS nations - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - participated in the meeting.

Key Points

• Discussions Held:
  
  • Impact of the Covid-19 situation on the cultural sphere in the BRICS countries.
  • Review of the possible implementation of joint cultural online-projects within BRICS.
• Suggestions Given by India:
  
  • Digitisation:
    
    • Exploring possibilities of hosting a Digital Online Exhibition on a shared theme towards the end of 2021 under the auspices of BRICS Alliance of Museums.
    • Extending full cooperation and content sharing for the website envisaged under the BRICS Alliance.
  • BRICS Corner: Opening the BRICS Corner under the auspices of BRICS Alliance of Libraries proposed to be inaugurated during India's BRICS Presidency in 2021. The Corner will disseminate information related to the history and culture of BRICS countries.
• Joint Exhibition to be Organised by India: The National Gallery of Modern Arts, New Delhi will host the BRICS Joint Exhibition titled ‘Bonding Regions & Imagining Cultural Synergies’ under the auspices of the BRICS Alliance of Art Museums and Galleries in 2021.
• Cultural Cooperation among BRICS Nations:
  
  • In 2018, the BRICS nations endorsed institution-to-institution collaborations in the form of BRICS Alliance of Museums, BRICS Alliance of Art Museums and Galleries.
  • In 2017, the agreement on cooperation in the field of culture (2017-21) between the governments of BRICS nations was signed.

BRICS

• BRICS is an acronym for the grouping of the world’s leading emerging economies, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
  
  • In 2001, the British Economist Jim O’Neill coined the term BRIC to describe the four emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, and China.
  • The grouping was formalised during the first meeting of BRIC Foreign Ministers’ in 2006.
  • South Africa was invited to join BRIC in December 2010, after which the group adopted the acronym BRICS.
• The chairmanship of the forum is rotated annually among the members, in accordance with the acronym B-R-I-C-S.
• During the Sixth BRICS Summit in Fortaleza (Brazil) in 2014, the leaders signed the Agreement establishing the New Development Bank (NDB - Shanghai, China). They also signed the BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement to provide short-term liquidity support to the members.

Way Forward

• Culture is a particularly opportune area because most BRICS countries have historical or even ancient ties with one another. For instance, India, China and Russia were all connected by the ancient Silk Route, which was a corridor not only for trade, but also for religions and philosophies. Cultural cooperation can reduce conflicts and lead to peace among the BRICS nations.
• The New Development Bank has a definite role here. Numerous tourist destinations need investment in infrastructure—roads to drive, facilities like hotels and motels, and rail and aviation infrastructure linking the multiple BRICS centers.

Source: PIB