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Varanasi nominated as the first SCO Tourism and Cultural Capital

  • Posted By
    10Pointer
  • Categories
    World Affairs
  • Published
    19th Sep, 2022

Context

The city of Varanasi has been nominated as the first-ever SCO Tourism and Cultural Capital during the period 2022-2023 at the 22nd Meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.


Key facts

  • During the 22nd Meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Varanasi was nominated as the first-ever SCO Tourism and Cultural Capital for the period of 2022-23.
  • This would promote tourism, cultural and humanitarian exchanges between India and other SCO member states.
  • Under this framework, various events will be organized in Varanasi in 2022-23.
    • These events bring together musicians, authors, scholars, Indologists and artists as well as other invited guests.
  • The regulations for the nomination of the SCO Tourism and Cultural Capital were adopted at the Dushanbe SCO Summit in 2021.
  • The purpose of this initiative is to promote cooperation between the SCO members in the area of culture and tourism.
  • It also highlights India’s ancient civilizational links with SCO members, especially those from Central Asia.

Background

  • During the 2019 Bishkek Summit, the President of Uzbekistan suggested the establishment of an annual SCO tradition of nominating a city in the country presiding over the SCO as the SCO tourism and culture capital.
  • The objective of this proposal is to realize the tourism potential of cities and promote the cultural and historic heritage of the SCO member states.

Varanasi

  • Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh dates back to the 11th century BC. 
  • It is considered to be the “spiritual capital” of India. 
  • It hosts some 2,000 temples, including Kashi Vishwanath. 
  • It is situated at the left bank of River Ganga in the middle-Ganges valley.

About Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

  • The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a political, economic and security alliance established in 2001. 
  • It is headquartered in Beijing. 
  • Its members are China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. 
    • India and Pakistan became members in 2017. 
  • The SCO is currently the world’s largest regional organisation.

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