New Delhi: The BRICS group of emerging economies on Saturday reaffirmed the importance of strengthening cultural and people-to-people cooperation through the New Delhi Declaration at the 18th BRICS Summit.
The leaders of BRICS countries reaffirmed the importance of BRICS people-to-people exchanges and initiatives in enhancing mutual understanding, friendship and cooperation amongst nations and peoples.
“We welcome the holding of important engagements such as the Parliamentary Forum, the BRICS Tourism Ministers’ Meeting, the Business Council, the Business Forum, the Women’s Business Alliance, the Youth Council, the Youth Summit, Meeting of the Deans of Diplomatic Academies, the Think Tank Council, the Academic Forum, the Civil Council and the Civil Forum,” read the joint declaration.
They called for more efforts to respect the diversity of cultures, innovation and creativity, and jointly advocated for robust international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation. They recalled the adoption of the UNGA Resolution A/RES/78/286 entitled “International Day for Dialogue among Civilisations”.
The leaders welcomed the outcomes of the BRICS Women Ministerial meeting held in Kochi, anchored in the vision of women-led development and women’s all-round development.
They also welcomed the outcomes of the 13th BRICS Education Ministers’ Meeting in Bhubaneswar and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation in education as a key driver of sustainable development, inclusive growth, and people-to-people exchanges.
“We encourage strengthening BRICS Labour cooperation in stepping up efforts to protect and improve people’s livelihoods, promoting high-quality, full and productive employment investing in human capital and advancing high-quality population development through sustainable development and inclusive, human-centred labour markets,” stated the joint declaration by the BRICS leaders.
The joint declaration welcomed the adoption of the Bhopal Declaration at the 11th BRICS Culture Ministers’ Meeting, reaffirming the important role of culture in fostering people-to-people cooperation and strengthening ties among BRICS countries.
“We call for the protection of cultural heritage, including in regions affected by conflict, to prevent the destruction and illicit trafficking of cultural property, which is vital for preserving the history and identity of affected communities, as well as on the need to ensure the restitution and repatriation of cultural heritage, antiquities, and objects of spiritual, ancestral, historical and cultural value, to their country of origin,” the leaders emphasised in the joint declaration.
While recognising tourism as an important driver of economic growth, employment generation, foreign exchange earnings, inclusive and sustainable development, local livelihoods, economic diversification, heritage preservation, national image building, cultural understanding and people-to-people exchanges, the declaration acknowledged that the BRICS countries have immense potential in the tourism sector and offer significant opportunities for the growth and development of sustainable and resilient tourism, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, including through the promotion of ecotourism.
The New Delhi Declaration emphasised the importance of sport as a vehicle for social development, people-to- people exchanges and promotion of healthy and active societies.
“We commend the progress of the BRICS Sports Working Group, including the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation in the Field of Physical Culture and Sport,” read the New Delhi declaration.
The declaration reaffirmed the important role of youth as drivers of resilience, innovation, inclusion and sustainable development and welcomed the discussions at the BRICS Ministerial for Youth Affairs and commended the role of the BRICS Youth Council and the BRICS Youth Summit in strengthening BRICS cooperation and meaningful youth engagements.
“We commend India’s BRICS Chairship in 2026 and express our gratitude to the government and people of India for holding the 18th BRICS Summit in the city of New Delhi,” read the joint declaration.
(IANS)
