India takes part in global G7 ministers' meeting on culture in Italy

Ahead of the UN Summit of the Future, India on Saturday told a key global meeting of culture ministers in Italy that it is "incumbent upon us to advocate vociferously" for the inclusion of culture as an autonomous goal within the Pact for the Future.

The summit in New York, to be held on September 22 and 23, will produce an inter-governmentally negotiated, action-oriented Pact for the Future with chapters on issues ranging from sustainable development and financing for development to international peace and security.

An Indian delegation led by Arunish Chawla, the secretary in the Union Ministry of Culture, along with Lily Pandeya, the joint secretary in the ministry, took part in the Special Session of G7 Ministers meeting on Culture in Italy's Naples, the ministry said in a statement.

In his address, Chawla emphasised recognising culture not as a "static relic of our collective past, but as a dynamic catalyst for growth", it said.

He advocated that the recognition of culture as a