Second BRICS Culture Working Group Meeting in Varanasi

The Second BRICS Culture Working Group (CWG) Meeting is scheduled in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, from 4 to 5 June 2026. India holds the BRICS Chairship for 2026 and is hosting the meeting under the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”.

BRICS and its 2026 Membership

BRICS is an intergovernmental grouping that includes 11 member countries in 2026. The member countries are Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia.

Culture Working Group Agenda

The meeting will discuss three priority areas in the culture track. These areas are Creative Economy, Cultural Industries and Copyright in the Age of Artificial Intelligence; Cultural Heritage Protection and Return of Cultural Property; and Culture, Climate and Sustainable Development. Five thematic panel discussions are planned for the meeting. The panels will cover creative economy and people-to-people cooperation, ethical artificial intelligence in the creative economy, safeguarding shared heritage, and culture as a driver of sustainable development.

Outcome Document and Related Meetings

The Varanasi deliberations are intended to contribute to an Outcome Document. The document will be discussed further at the BRICS Culture Ministers’ meeting in Bhopal. The first virtual BRICS Culture Working Group meeting was held on 29 and 30 April 2026. The third working group meeting, the BRICS Cultural Festival and the BRICS Culture Ministers’ meeting are scheduled in Bhopal in August 2026.

Important Facts for Exams

• Varanasi is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and is associated with the Ganga river and Hindu pilgrimage traditions.
• Sarnath, near Varanasi, is a Buddhist heritage site where Gautama Buddha delivered his first sermon.
• BRICS began as an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India and China, and South Africa joined later to form BRICS.
• Culture Working Groups are common preparatory mechanisms in multilateral forums for drafting ministerial outcomes and joint statements.

Varanasi as a Cultural Venue

Varanasi is known for its living heritage, riverfront ghats and religious traditions. The city is also associated with cultural programmes, Ganga aarti and Buddhist heritage at Sarnath.