After a gap of almost eight years, Culture Ministers and officials from SAARC countries will gather in New Delhi for two days from Wednesday to deliberate on joint efforts to preserve the region’s collective heritage.
One of the major decisions that is likely to be taken during the third meeting of the SAARC Culture Ministers is the setting up of the SAARC heritage committee on the lines of the UNESCO to identify and preserve monuments considered to be of major importance in South Asia but not listed in world heritage list.
“We are looking at building a consensus on establishment of the committee at the meet. The list will be documented once the committee is constituted,” Joint Secretary in the Culture Ministry V Srinivas said at a Press conference here on Tuesday.
However the meet will miss as many as three culture ministers from the countries of South Asia region-Nepal, Bhutan and Pakistan who have expressed their inability to attend the session.
Culture Ministers of the four member nations —Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri lanka, Maldives — besides India, which is the host country, would participate in the deliberations.
The meeting, among other things, will also deliberate for an initiative to have a SAARC digital library to promote literary works and cooperation in areas of archives, museums, performing arts and conservation activities. It will also adopt a Delhi Declaration to chart a roadmap for cultural ties in the region for 2014-17, Srinivas said.
On Wednesday, senior SAARC officials will meet to review the SAARC agenda for culture that was adopted by the second meeting of SAARC Ministers of Culture while the next day the Minister will discuss the developments in their countries in the areas of heritage conservation.
Culture Minister Shripad Naik will inaugurate the meeting and hold bilateral talks with his counterparts from the participating nations.
The official said that India attempted to organise this when UPA was in power, but it did not materialise because of a SAARC member's request.