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New Delhi, India – On 9 September 2023, the Group of 20 adopted a  during the 18^th Heads of State and Government Summit, in which culture was firmly anchored at the heart of the stronger policy commitment of the G20 members. UNESCO served as a Knowledge Partner of the Culture Working Group, one of the 13 thematic groups under the Presidency of India.

Under a paragraph titled “Culture as a Transformative Driver of SDGs”, G20, formed by the world’s largest economies, recognized the importance of the return and restitution of cultural property enabled by North-South cultural diplomacy. The global leaders recognized the creative economy as an engine for inclusive growth, and called for the reference to culture in global development agenda post-2030. Culture’s role in addressing contemporary challenges and fostering multilateral cooperation, social cohesion and sustainable development was also centrally highlighted.

Today, the cultural and creative sectors account for 3.1% of the global GDP and 6.2% of all employment. Given that the G20 accounts for 85% of global GDP, the global meeting is a strategic platform to raise awareness of the power of culture to shape, diversify and adapt economies according to the local contexts, helping to reduce North-South disparities. 

In the lead-up to the Heads of State Summit, the Culture Ministers’ Meeting was held in Varanasi, India, on 26 August. The “” was adopted by G20 Culture Ministers, summarizing a set of commitments on the four priorities identified by the members:

• Enable the return and restitution of cultural property as an ethical imperative of social justice, as well as expanding the fight against illicit trafficking, notably by better regulating online trade

• Acknowledge the invaluable contribution of local communities and living heritage to sustain livelihoods and inclusive development

• Invest in the cultural and creative industries and the creative economy as drivers of employment and inclusive growth, particularly through conceptual and monitoring frameworks

• Harness the opportunities of digital transformation for the protection and promotion of culture through policy adaptation and legal frameworks encompassing digital technologies

These priorities were also discussed during a series of Global Thematic Webinars, held between March and April 2023, to build knowledge among the stakeholders. The outcomes of the Global Thematic Webinars are summarized in the comprehensive report “”, featuring good practices and action-oriented recommendations to fully leverage the potential of culture as a global public good.

Culture began to receive an increased attention by the G20 under the Presidency of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2020, when the Culture Ministers met for the first time on the sidelines of the summit. In the following year, under Italy’s Presidency of the G20, the Ministers of Culture of the G20 agreed on the historic G20 Ministers of Culture’s Declaration that firmly positions culture as a major source for sustainable socio-economic development. Through the Declaration, the global commitment was renewed to place culture at the core of the policy spectrum in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The following year, under Indonesia’s Presidency of the G20, the emphasis was laid on culture for sustainable living as well as the cultural and creative industries for job creation, echoing the ambitions of the 2021 International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development. 

The increasing importance of culture at the G20 reflects a shift towards a more global, inclusive reflection on contemporary issues. It has also demonstrated an increasing alignment of G20 priorities to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, notably by supporting balanced growth and holistic governance mechanisms.

India will hand over the Presidency of the G20 on 30 November 2023 to Brazil to host the Summit in 2024.