UAE reviews efforts in cultural and creative sector at second G20 meeting

A delegation representing the UAE Ministry of Culture and Youth reviewed the country’s effort in protecting cultural property, harnessing tangible heritage for sustainable future, its strategy to promote the creative economy and the cultural and creative industries and leveraging digital technologies in protecting culture and heritage at the second G20 Culture Working Group (CWG) meeting in Bhubaneshwar, India in May. 

Held under the theme of 'Culture Unites All’, the meeting built on the momentum gained in the past two months from discussions with global organizations such as UNESCO focusing on key areas that the UAE shares with the member states.

Shatha Al Mulla, Acting Assistant Undersecretary of the Heritage and Arts Sector in the Ministry of Culture and Youth pointed out the risks posed by climate change to cultural assets. She said that the world today is in dire need to act quickly to mitigate these challenges. The upcoming COP28 hosted by the UAE at Expo City in November-December this year will be an important opportunity to discuss the climate crisis and strengthen efforts to find appropriate solutions. 

The UAE delegation stressed the role of multilateral cooperation and the importance of creating a G20 Culture Working Group Taskforce to align global and national policies on culture and heritage. Efforts to standardize the documentation processes for cultural property was also highlighted. The delegates also spoke about the importance of harnessing modern technologies in registration and documentation of antiquities. 

The delegation explored how living and natural heritage can be harnessed for sustainable future. They highlighted the importance of documenting indigenous practices while advocating learning and capacity building among youth to ensure these practices are passed on to the future generations. They explained how the UAE has been promoting traditions and cultural practices through education. 

The UAE delegates called for international and multilateral organisations to establish statistical frameworks for data from the cultural and creative industries or the CCI data to gauge the market accurately and identify gaps. The UAE’s partnership with WIPO to standardize the statistical framework and measure the CCI’s contribution to the economy was highlighted. The UAE is dedicated to developing policies and frameworks in supporting and protecting creatives and urged other member states to work closely with international entities to forge global harmonized frameworks.

The need to provide pension schemes and unemployment benefits to creatives was also put forth while also discussing capacity building and training opportunities for the creative sector practitioners. 

Member states were urged to encourage sustainable practices through policies and initiatives to incentivize companies to adopt sustainable practices and take advantage of digital technologies to protect and promote culture. 

The UAE recommended unified standards to develop, connect and provide accessibility to digital heritage platforms. 

Leveraging technology to create digital inventory of heritage was a way to pass on the assets to the future generations. Digital technologies can promote and drive cultural tourism and make culture more accessible to people. 

The UAE delegates also pointed out the need to combat challenges such as cybersecurity and data privacy through international cooperation and building national and international policies to ensure safe access to technology.

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