The Director-General of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Ms. K. Nandini Singla, concluded a three-day visit to the United Arab Emirates on, highlighted by her co-chairing of the second Joint Steering Committee Meeting of the India-UAE Cultural Council alongside Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the UAE.
The meeting, held in Abu Dhabi on October 9, 2025, built upon the foundation established during the first Joint Steering Committee Meeting in New Delhi in March this year, when Minister Al Kaabi visited India. The Cultural Council Forum was established through a Memorandum of Understanding signed by both nations with the objective of strengthening the deep-rooted cultural and people-to-people bonds between India and the UAE.
During discussions, both sides explored several initiatives to enhance collaboration across multiple domains, including youth engagement, sports, yoga, arts, education, tourism, and archival cooperation. The co-chairs emphasized the importance of advancing cultural ties as part of the broader strategic partnership between the two countries. Ms. Singla expressed gratitude to the UAE leadership for their care and warmth toward the Indian community in the Emirates, which numbers over 4.3 million people and serves as the biggest cultural bridge between the two nations.
The meeting witnessed robust participation from both sides. The Indian delegation included representatives from the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Youth Affairs, Ministry of Tourism, National Archives of India, and Nalanda University. The UAE was represented by officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Ministry of Economy and Tourism, Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, Dubai Culture, Dubai Tourism, National Youth Federation, and National Library and Archives.
During her visit, Ms. Singla held separate meetings to explore additional avenues of cooperation. On October 8, she met with Mr. Fabio Piano, Vice-Chancellor of New York University Abu Dhabi, and Mr. Bill Bragin, Executive Director of the NYUAD Arts Centre, to discuss potential collaboration between the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and the university in academic and cultural domains.
The Director-General also visited the Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum, where she met with Mr. Manuel Rabate, the museum’s Director. Their discussions focused on ways to enhance India-UAE ties in museums, visual arts, and capacity building in museology.
