Launching of the Creative Economy Initiative: the Road to New Opportunities for Development

28 May 2015, Geneva, Switzerland - UNITAR presented the “Launching of the Creative Economy Initiative” for delegates from Permanent Missions and members of international organizations at the Palais des Nations. The objective was to introduce a capacity development initiative, which aims at enhancing knowledge and building skills of policymakers, creative entrepreneurs and professionals as a way to build socio-economic value to all countries with rich cultures and creative talent.

Fifteen members of Permanent Missions in Geneva were represented, including Permanent Representatives from Brazil and Uganda. Francesco Pisano, Director of the Research Department at UNITAR, opened the event by explaining that creative economy is one of the most dynamic areas of economic development, and an essential element when talking about a transition to a green economy, being a business that does not pollute nor use any natural resources.

The speakers included Edna dos Santos Duisenberg and Rene Kooyman, both Associated Fellows at UNITAR, and Arthur Steiner, Project Manager at the Dutch Humanistic Development Agency, HIVOS.

Edna dos S Launching of the Creative Economy Initiative: the Road to New Opportunities for Development antos Duisenberg highlighted the great potential of all countries in relation to the creative economy, explaining that the sector employs millions of people around the world, and also promotes cultural diversity, social cohesion and sustainability.

Rene Kooyman stressed the importance of creative economy in a country’s GDP by giving the EU’s example: in the last years, the European Union’s normal economy has grown 1%, and the creative economy, 3%.

Finally, Arthur Steiner gave several examples related to success stories of creative economy in the Middle East, mentioning Mideast Tunes, an app for music in the Arab world and Wasalny, a mobile traffic app in Cairo.

Launching of the Creative Economy Initiative: the Road to New Opportunities for Development At the end of the event, Sueli Giorgetta, Manager of the Knowledge Systems Innovation Section at UNITAR described the methodological approach used at UNITAR, which is composed of three main components: a blend of learning methods, quality assurance and certification.

Participants showed their curiosity in relation to the creative economy, expressing the wish for creative arts to be more valued in the scope of contributing to a country’s economic growth.

UNITAR is a project-based organization, supported by voluntary contributions from governments, intergovernmental organizations and other non-governmental sources such as foundations and the private sector. The Institute is seeking donors and strategic partners, within and outside the UN system, as well public and private entities, to implement this multi-agency initiative and assist countries to explore the potential of creative economy for socio-economic development.

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