SAARC Culture Ministers' meet will chart out 2014-17 action plan

India will host the third meeting of the SAARC Culture Ministers this year on September 25.

This meeting will be preceded by the Senior Officers Meeting on September 24, here in the national capital.

The meeting aims to promote multilateral cooperation in the field of cultural relations by South Asia in the backdrop of a common heritage linking the eight- member grouping.

A highlight of the meeting will be adoption of a Delhi Declaration to chart a roadmap for cultural ties in the region for 2014-17.

Confirmations have been received that the Culture Ministers of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives and India would participate in the deliberations. Bhutan, Nepal and Pakistan would be represented by Senior Officials.

On September 24, senior SAARC officials will meet to review the SAARC Agenda for Culture that was adopted by the second meeting of SAARC Ministers of Culture held in Colombo in 2006.

On September 25, the SAARC Culture Ministers will hold a meeting to discuss the developments in their countries in the areas of heritage conservation before adopting the Delhi Declaration.

The September 25 Inaugural session would be addressed by Minister of State for Culture and Tourism, Shripad Naik. Naik would also deliver a banquet speech at an official dinner being hosted in honour of the SAARC delegates on September 24.

The event would focus on ways to bolstering maintenance of heritage of the member-countries and improving cultural cooperation. The SAARC Cultural Centre, which began functioning in 2010, has proved to be a powerful tool to bring the SAARC countries closer with launching a strategic five-year programme.

On the sidelines of the Delhi event, Naik, will hold bilateral meetings with the culture ministers and secretaries of SAARC nations.