Hampi, Khajuraho on list for G20 culture track

Context

The Government is planning to host five key meetings focusing on the “culture track” at Khajuraho, Bhubaneswar, Hampi and Agra, as part of India’s G20 Presidency between December 2022 and November 2023.

The Chosen sites

• These cities have been chosen mainly for well-known monuments and UNESCO World Heritage Sites such as:
• Taj Mahal and Agra Fort (UP)
• The Hindu and Jain temples of Khajuraho (Madhya Pradesh)
• The Konark Sun Temple around 65 km from Bhubaneswar (Odisha)
• The sites at Hampi (Karnataka)

About G-20 Grouping

• It is an informal group of 19 countries and the European Union (EU), founded in 1999, with representatives of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
• Its members are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the EU.
• The members are divided into five groups (India is in Group 2, along with Russia, South Africa and Turkey).
• Nigeria was meant to be the “20th” member and was dropped at the last minute due to political troubles at the time.
• The membership comprises a mix of the world’s largest advanced and emerging economies, representing:
• two-thirds of the world’s population
• 85% of global gross domestic product
• 80% of global investment
• over 75% of global trade.
• It does not have any permanent secretariat or headquarters.
• The G20 Summit is formally known as the “Summit on Financial Markets and the World Economy”.
• The G-20 agenda that still depends heavily on the guidance of Finance Ministers and central Governors is finalised by a unique system of ‘Sherpas’, who are special envoys of G-20 leaders.
• Another feature of the G-20 is ‘Troika’ meetings, comprising the countries presiding over the G-20 in the past year, present year, and next year. 
• At present, the Troika is made up of Italy, Indonesia and India.

Hosting Countries

• Indonesia holds the G20 presidency in 2022.
• Italy hosted the G20 Leaders' Summit in October 2021 and leaders released the G20 Rome Leaders' Declaration.
• India will host the G20 in 2023, followed by Brazil in 2024.

Significance

• This presidency also provides a fantastic opportunity for India to shape the global agenda on culture across multiple work streams and engagement areas. These include-
• Protection and restitution of cultural property
• Advancement of traditional cultural practices for sustainable living
• Promotion of cultural and creative industries for livelihood generation
• Preservation and dissemination of culture by leveraging technology