Bhopal

The 11th BRICS Culture Ministers' Meeting on Saturday adopted the Bhopal Declaration which aims to strengthen the institutional framework for cultural cooperation, Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said here.

It also identifies "provenance research" regarding cultural property along with its restitution as an area for increased cooperation, including exploring the potential of AI-based tracing tools, he told reporters after the meeting held under India's presidency concluded.

"A key outcome was the adoption of the Bhopal Declaration...It aims to strengthen the institutional framework for BRICS cultural cooperation and provide a shared roadmap covering a wide range of contemporary and traditional areas of culture and heritage," said Shekhawat, Minister for Culture and Tourism.

A major area of focus is cooperation in cultural and creative industries and creative economy which encompasses exchange of methodologies, experiences and best practices, as well as support for creators, networking and expansion of market access through digital tools, he told reporters.

"The Declaration includes provisions to enhance cooperation on UNESCO's multinational nomination processes, aiming to strengthen a collaborative approach toward the recognition and preservation of shared and interconnected cultural heritage," Shekhawat said.

The preservation of traditional knowledge systems and traditional cultural expressions is another significant area included in the Declaration, he said.

The Declaration also seeks to promote cooperation among museums, libraries and archives. This will open up vast possibilities for institutional exchange and the sharing of expertise in the preservation of cultural and documentary resources, Shekhawat said.

Rights of creators also form part of the areas of cooperation, the minister added.

The Declaration addresses the issues of transparency and fair and equitable remuneration regarding the use of copyright-protected works in artificial intelligence systems, he said.

Under India's presidency, a structured process of consultation and deliberation was adopted, comprising three meetings of the BRICS Culture Working Group followed by ministerial-level deliberations in Bhopal, Shekhawat said.

The deliberations were guided by India's overarching BRICS theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation, and Sustainability", he said.

The first BRICS Culture Working Group meeting was held virtually on April 29-30, 2026. The second meeting was held in Varanasi on June 4 -5. The third meeting was held in Bhopal on August 5-6.

The deliberations of these meetings culminated in the 11th BRICS Culture Ministers' Meeting held on Saturday, Shekhawat said.

As many as 55 delegates from 14 countries participated in the ministerial-level meeting.

The BRICS member nations participating in the ‘culture track’ were Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates.

Egypt participated online. The four participating partner countries were Belarus, Cuba, Kazakhstan and Thailand.

The participation of Culture Ministers from Indonesia, South Africa and the UAE reflected the high-level commitment of the participating nations to the BRICS culture track, said Shekhawat.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, Chief Secretary Ashok Barnwal, Union Culture Secretary Vivek Aggarwal and state culture secretary Sheo Shekhar Shukla were present on the occasion.

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The BRICS meeting, which took place in Bhopal, the city of Raja Bhoj, was a matter of pride for the people of the state, CM Yadav said.