Jakarta, 18 July 2024 – Creative economy is indisputably one of the fastest growing global economic sectors, including in Asia and the Pacific. Ever since the first World Conference on Creative Economy (WCCE) was held in Indonesia in 2018, the attention to the creative economy sector has increased significantly, resulting in the United Nations’ recognition of the sector’s role in supporting human-centered development to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
The speed of which creative economy recovers from the global COVID-19 pandemic is also remarkable compared to other sectors. Not only does the creative economy currently represent roughly 3% of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the number is expected to triple by 2030. In Indonesia alone, the sector contributes more than 82 billion US dollars to the country’s GDP (around 1,300 trillion ID rupiah) and employs at least 22 million people by 2023.
The 2024 International Discussion on Creative Economy: Creative Economy, Our Common Future was held on July 18, 2024 in Jakarta as an attempt to gather Asia’s top experts and practitioners to discuss the future direction of creative economy in Asia and the Pacific. Not only did the international seminar serve as a follow-up to the report Creative Economy 2030: Imagining and Delivering a Creative, Inclusive, and Sustainable Recovery published by ADBI in early 2022 during Indonesia’s G20 presidency. It was also a prelude to the fourth WCCE that will take place in Uzbekistan in October 2024.
A Collective Effort
Building the momentum and resilience of the creative economy in Asia and the Pacific is a huge and all-encompassing task that is impossible to be handled by any individual country or organization. The 2024 International Discussion on Creative Economy itself was organized collaboratively by the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin Indonesia), Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy (Kemenparekraf) of the Republic of Indonesia, and Asian Creative and Digital Economy Youth Summit (ACE-YS).
“The ongoing COVID-19 crisis, geopolitics and climate change have shown how fragile the creative economy sector is. By increasing cooperation and collaboration between various creative sector actors, the creative economy will be able to become a driver of social inclusion, sustainable development and additional job opportunities,” said Nicolas J. Buchoud, Senior Consultant and Advisor to the Dean ADBI, who also chaired the fourth panel discussion session.
In his opening speech, Triawan Munaf, Deputy Chair for Tourism and Creative Economy, Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Kadin Indonesia emphasized the sector’s potential in shaping a more vibrant and inclusive future in the region. “The creative economy is unique in that sector of the economy that transcends boundaries of geography, gender, race, or economic status,” Triawan said.
Bringing Recommendations to Tashkent
The significance of 2024 International Discussion on Creative Economy lies not only in its motivation, focus, and collaborators, but also in its goal to develop a set of policy guidance and recommendations to be brought to the 4th WCCE that will take place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on October 2-4, 2024. For this purpose, participants of the international seminar were asked to fill out a set of surveys that, together with the discussion’s result, would serve as the basis for writing the aforementioned recommendations.
“Through open discourse, we will delve into strategies for overcoming the challenges presented by the global pandemic and emerging geopolitical conditions divisions. Most importantly, we will endeavor to collectively architect a more inclusive creative landscape, one that aligns perfectly with the theme of the upcoming WCCE 2024: ‘Inclusively Creative: A Shifted Reality’,” said Sandiaga Uno, Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy in his virtual opening remark as he was in Geneva at the time of the seminar.
Part diplomatic symposium, part art and culture hub, part entrepreneurial exhibition, WCCE 2024 is expecting a total of 2,000 participants consisting of creatives, entrepreneurs, policymakers, artists and innovators from more than 80 countries. Sharing the similar position with Indonesia as a country with a rich cultural heritage and big young demographic, Uzbekistan would also be focusing on providing more opportunities especially for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises or MSMEs and informal workers.
“Hosting the 4th WCCE in Tashkent highlights Uzbekistan’s visionary approach to developing an integrated creative economy that expands our position as a global hub. Our mission is to inspire and drive meaningful change that benefits communities and economies everywhere,” said Gayane Umerova, Chairperson of the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF), the leading force behind WCCE 2024.
Writer: K. Langit Rinesti
