When UNESCO released its Global Report on Cultural Policies 2025 titled “Culture: The Missing SDG” it sent out a call for introspection. Drawing on data from 196 countries and 116 cities, the report does more than capture the state of global cultural governance; it urges the world to treat culture more than a decorative add-on, as a stand-alone Sustainable Development Goal. For India, this is not a distant debate in Paris or New York. It is a deeply relevant moment of reckoning and opportunity.

Culture as a Framework

The report underscores an essential truth that culture shapes who we are, how we coexist, and how we envision the future. It is the connective tissue between heritage and innovation, identity and inclusion, economy and ecology.

Globally, cultural and creative industries already contribute 3.39% of world GDP and 3.55% of total employment. Yet, cultural budgets remain grossly uneven with Europe spending nearly thirteen times more per capita on culture than the rest of the world combined. This gap reveals a disparity of investment, and vision.

Bharat with its immense cultural capital, is uniquely positioned to bridge that gap. From the crafts of Kutch to the cinema of Mumbai, from janjatiya art to tech-enabled storytelling, India demonstrates how heritage and innovation can coexist if policy keeps pace with creativity.

Momentum and Alignment

The recent policy landscape already reflects many of the international recommendations. The National Education Policy 2020 and National Curriculum Framework 2023 bring art-integrated learning, multilingualism, and local knowledge into mainstream education. The Kala Sanskriti Vikas Yojana (KSVY) and Global Engagement Scheme ensure welfare and recognition for artists, while Digital India has expanded the creative marketplace.

These are significant strides. Yet, UNESCO’s report points to what still needs to evolve is a shift from fragmented initiatives to integrated cultural governance, where culture influences education, economy, climate, and diplomacy simultaneously.

Ancient Bharat had the integrated cultural governance model later evolved with foreign approaches. Our country has in-depth research and proven models of governance. We are still in the process of decoding and understanding those treasures of knowledge.

A New Economic Vision

The report makes an emphatic declaration that culture is not a luxury rather it is a global public good. For us, this means going back to our ancient way of understanding and institutionalizing cultural planning, funding, and data collection at a national scale.

Despite the country’s prolific creative economy, consolidated cultural data is scarce. How much does culture contribute to GDP? How many livelihoods does it sustain? Which regions or communities are underserved? Without this evidence, culture risks remaining anecdotal in policy terms.

Establishing a National Cultural Data Observatory, can fill this gap quantifying culture’s economic and social impact while ensuring inclusivity for women, youth, and indigenous creators.

Digital Futures and Frontiers

Global experts warns that the unregulated rise of AI and digital platforms could homogenize creativity, marginalize local voices, and erode intellectual property. The market for AI-generated audiovisual content, valued at €6 billion in 2023, is expected to jump to €48 billion by 2028.

For Bharat, this is a double-edged sword. The digital surge empowers millions of creators through platforms and vernacular innovation but it also raises questions about ownership, fair remuneration, and cultural authenticity.

The country must therefore invest in digital cultural literacy and ethical AI frameworks, enabling artists and entrepreneurs to use technology responsibly. Local digital hubs that document and disseminate folk art, oral history, and craft traditions could become powerful tools for both preservation and participation.

Culture and Climate

One of the report’s most profound observations is the relationship between culture and climate resilience. Indigenous and traditional practices often contain centuries-old ecological wisdom from water harvesting in Rajasthan to bamboo architecture in the Northeast.

By integrating these cultural practices into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and climate adaptation plans, India can lead a global example of how culture informs sustainability. UNESCO’s call to “embed culture in climate policy” is a reminder that ecological balance which is a scientific challenge and not a cultural one.

Towards a Cultural SDG

If culture becomes a standalone SDG in the post-2030 framework, the country must arrive prepared. This calls for:

•A National Cultural Policy 2026–2036 linking culture with education, environment, and digital innovation.

•Greater investment in creative and cultural industries as engines of employment, especially for women and youth.

•South-South cultural partnerships that amplify India’s civilizational knowledge across the Global South.

•Decentralized frameworks empowering states and cities to integrate culture into local development goals.

Bharat’s leadership of the G20 in 2023 and its historic emphasis on Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (“The world is one family”) already set the tone. The next step is to embed that philosophy in measurable, actionable cultural governance.

Human Core of Development

The development without culture is development without soul. As the report notes, “culture is not a peripheral sector to be supported, but a central force to be mobilized.”

The country’s strength lies precisely here: in its ability to see culture as living and not as an artifact, breathing ecosystem of ideas, languages, crafts, cuisines, and consciousness.

To make culture the next SDG is not merely to add another goal, it is to reclaim the essence of human progress. And in that journey, Bharat has both the legacy and the responsibility to lead.

(The writer is a Creative Economy Expert)