Reflecting upon and further Developing Creative Economy Cooperation

Continuing the implementation of various activities within the framework of the 2021 International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development (IYCE) initiated by Indonesia, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs collaborated with various creative economy stakeholders in a virtual Public Discussion on "Reflecting upon and further Developing Creative Economy Cooperation" to be held on March 30, 2022.

UNCTAD is invited to deliver key remarks in session I "Reflection and Development of Creative Economy Cooperation" and session IV "Marking Creative Economy More Inclusive by Empowering Women and Enhancing Data Collection".

This public discussion aims to formulate strategies for cooperation development and promotion of national creative economy potential in the global sphere, especially based on an understanding of the domestic needs. This activity is also the first step in brainstorming plans for international activities related to the creative economy initiated by Indonesia. It also serves to provide information on the implementation of Resolution A/RES/74/198 to various stakeholders in Indonesia and to formulate a post-2021 strategy for the promotion of creative economy.

The expected outputs of this event are (i) to increase public understanding of the importance of creative economy for sustainable development and (ii) to formulate recommendations from various stakeholders in the implementation of policies related to the development of creative economic cooperation at the global level.

There will be five (5) sessions during the event:

Session 1- Reflection and Development of Creative Economy Cooperation is expected to inform participants on the linkage between the creative economy and sustainable development and to gather policy recommendations regarding the post-2021 strategy to promote creative economy globally.

Session 2- Support for the Creative Economy Sector Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: Through financing and Market Access. The pandemic severely affects market access for products and services from the creative economy sector due to restrictions on movement and mass gathering. The purpose of this session is to inform creatives and entrepreneurs about various government policies as well as collaboration between government and private sectors to facilitate access to finance and access to markets. 

Session 3- Support for the Creative Economy Sector Entrepreneurs: Technology and Intellectual Property. Innovation pursued by creative economy sectors must consider intellectual property so that their products are better valued, protected, and monetized. This session will convey to the public about policies and programs to facilitate access to technology and registration of intellectual property. 

Session 4- Development of Inclusive and Sustainable Creative Economy Policy. About 56% of creative economy entrepreneurs in Indonesia are women. To develop policies to empower women, the availability of supporting data is essential. This session will (1) underline the importance of women's empowerment and equality policies through the creative economy and (ii) the importance of the availability of gender-sensitive data and statistics to support policy formulation.

Session 5- Creative Economy Network and Ecosystem Development. The development of enabling ecosystems and networks at community, provincial, national, and global levels need to join forces from all stakeholders. The session will facilitate dialogue among various stakeholders, assist in the development of enabling ecosystems, and expand the network of the creative economy.

Background:

Although COVID-19 pandemic is not over yet, global GPD in 2021 grew by 5.3% (UNCTAD). However, this growth is not shared by all countries and is expected to slow down to 3.6% in 2022. The trend of slow global economic growth in the next few years could hinder developing countries in their efforts to achieve various SDGs targets.

To deal with daunting economic challenges, an inclusive and holistic approach is crucial to foster global economic recovery. In that regard, creativity is a key to the success of achieving SDG goals. UNGA Resolution No. A/RES/74/198 has declared 2021 as the International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development. Among other points, the resolution reiterated the importance of global cooperation from all stakeholders, including UN agencies, in fostering creative economy.

To follow up on the resolution, UNCTAD is expected to submit a report before the 77th UNGA in 2022 about the implementation of the resolution. As one of the initiators, Indonesia has hosted and partnered with other countries and UN Agencies in organizing various activities at national and international levels in line with the resolution.

For Indonesia, it is of utmost importance to continue building momentum from 2021 to foster the development of creative economy at the national level and enhance global cooperation. Speakers in this public discussion will come from government agencies and creative economy stakeholders, including the business sector, academics, associations, and civil societies. The Government invites representatives from UNCTAD, WIPO, UNIDO, UNESCO, and UN Women to share their views, expertise, experience, and knowledge about the creative economy and provide policy recommendations.