Noura Al Kaabi co-chaired the third meeting of the UAE-India Cultural Council Joint Steering Committee in New Delhi on September 30 with K Nandini Singla Director General of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations according to the Emirates News Agency. The session brought together senior officials from both countries to assess advancements since the previous gathering held in Abu Dhabi in October 2025 and to identify fresh opportunities for collaboration. Discussions centred on priority fields that included youth and sports engagement joint archival and artefact exchanges tourism promotion and institutional partnerships between government and heritage bodies. Al Kaabi highlighted how the progress achieved across these initiatives demonstrates the council’s role as an effective platform for delivering practical outcomes aligned with the shared vision of the two countries’ leaderships the Emirates News Agency reported.
The meeting built upon an MoU signed in 2022 during the 14th India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting to establish the Cultural Council according to the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. That agreement followed a cultural cooperation pact first concluded in 1975 and aimed at reinforcing deep-rooted historical social and people-to-people connections. With more than 4.3 million Indians residing in the UAE the Indian Council for Cultural Relations has described this community as the largest cultural bridge between the nations and a cornerstone of bilateral friendship. Bilateral trade between the countries surpassed 100 billion dollars in the 2024-25 fiscal year Gulf News figures show further underscoring the breadth of the strategic partnership within which cultural ties form a vital dimension.
Al Kaabi described the cultural relationship as exceptionally strong and deeply human while speaking to ANI. She pointed to the forthcoming establishment of an India House in the UAE terming it the crown jewel of bilateral cultural cooperation. The minister outlined specific areas of focus that encompassed sports literature crafts and archiving with plans for exchanges that link youth to museums arts music and performing arts. Such collaboration she added creates a platform for generating new ideas that connect not only current generations but also those to come.
Sports emerged as a particular emphasis with Yoga from India and Jujutsu from the UAE identified as vehicles for building relations among young people according to Al Kaabi’s comments to ANI. The two sides also agreed to pursue detailed exchanges in crafts and artisanal work designed to sustain vocational skills while fostering exciting fusions of tradition. Translation projects will see books moved from Hindi to Arabic and vice versa with announcements planned at prominent book fairs the minister stated. These initiatives form part of a broader effort to ensure projects carry clear timelines and measurable momentum.
The third meeting follows the inaugural session convened in New Delhi in March 2025 and the second round hosted in Abu Dhabi last October the Indian Council for Cultural Relations documented. Both previous gatherings similarly prioritised youth engagement education tourism and archival cooperation while exploring innovative projects between public and private entities. Al Kaabi had previously commended the strength of the strategic relationship noting that cultural social and historical bonds serve as a foundation for cooperation across multiple domains a Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement recorded. Singla for her part has described culture as the soul of the two nations whose ties reflect shared history geography and civilisational links.
Officials from the UAE side included representatives of the ministries of foreign affairs culture education higher education and scientific research as well as economy and tourism entities such as the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi Dubai Culture Dubai Tourism the National Youth Federation and the National Library and Archives according to records from the second meeting that set the pattern for the third. Their Indian counterparts drew from the ministries of external affairs culture youth affairs and tourism along with the National Archives of India and Nalanda University. The Joint Steering Committee continues to coordinate these contributions with the goal of translating high-level vision into operational programmes that produce tangible results for citizens of both countries.
