In a landmark step toward global creative cooperation, member nations participating in the Global Media Dialogue 2025 unanimously adopted the WAVES Declaration — a commitment to promoting cross-cultural collaborations, responsible use of emerging technologies, and giving greater voice to heritage, tradition and ethical storytelling in the digital age.

The Global Media Dialogue, held during the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES 2025) in Mumbai, saw delegates from 77 countries converge with a shared vision of harnessing the power of media and entertainment to bridge divides and spark meaningful global change. The deliberations culminated in a renewed focus on co-productions, joint creative funds and cultural storytelling across borders.

The session, held as part of the WAVES 2025 summit, was detailed in a press release issued by the Press Information Bureau (PIB), Government of India. The dialogue saw a rich exchange of ideas on how traditional knowledge, cultural diversity and emerging technology — especially AI — can be harmonized to enrich global content ecosystems.

External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, who addressed the session, described WAVES 2025 as a “microcosm of the global community” and emphasized the need to bring young talent into an era of creative collaborations through focused skill development. “It is essential that we give voice to our traditions, heritage, ideas, practices and creativity. Technology and tradition must go hand in hand,” he said. He also urged for responsible use of emerging tech to reduce bias, democratize content and ensure ethical dissemination of narratives.

Dr. Jaishankar stressed the importance of transforming frameworks and mindsets to fit an interconnected global workplace and workforce. “The world order is undergoing a strong cultural transformation and media, at the intersection of culture and innovation, has a key role to play,” he noted.

Setting the tone earlier in the session, Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw underlined that culture fuels creativity and creativity, in turn, connects the world. “We are at an inflection point. Technology is reshaping the way stories are told, and we must incentivize local content and empower global collaboration,” he said, welcoming delegates to Mumbai — the ‘City of Dreams’.

Shri Vaishnaw called for renewed focus on co-production treaties, creation of joint funds, and an actionable declaration that not only helps bridge the digital divide, but also fosters global peace and harmony. “We must widen the global bridge of creativity into an expressway of ideas,” he said.

As part of its ongoing efforts, India informed the participating countries about its 32 Create in India challenges, which have helped identify over 700 top creators globally. In a major expansion, it was announced that these challenges will be held in 25 international languages in the next edition of WAVES — opening up creative opportunities for multilingual storytellers from around the world.

Delegates at the summit appreciated the rising global profile of Indian cinema and its role in fostering understanding through cultural storytelling. The importance of individual creators and their potential in the new digital-first storytelling economy was also acknowledged, with many countries voicing support for platforms like WAVES to nurture this potential.

The dialogue also addressed the need for “responsible journalism” and how collaborative media frameworks can play a vital role in countering misinformation and building trust in an age of abundant, fast-moving content.

The event was also attended by Dr. L. Murugan, Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting, Government of India; Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting; and other senior officials.