Enhancing the Creative Economy:
Shaping an International Centre on Creative Industries (ICCI)
Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
18 – 20 April 2005
Background note
In a globalizing world, the interplay between the economy and culture is
increasingly being recognized as playing an important role in shaping and
enhancing the development prospects of poorer countries. At the same time, this
interplay is posing a number of new policy challenges, not the least that of
preserving and enhancing cultural diversity while, at the same time, making
cultural talent and ingenuity playing an active role in the development of these
countries. Creative industries are at the center of both the prospects and the
challenges, as they combine the forces of culture, international trade, intellectual
property rights, market competition and entrepreneurship.
The potential of creative industries as a tool of development and cultural
expression will not be realized fully if they are left to market forces alone. In
order for these industries to contribute to poverty reduction, economic growth and
cultural diversity, the market needs to be buttressed and complemented by a
proper institutional and policy environment at the national, regional and
international levels. In addition to mobilizing resources for investment and
financing, this task requires close and strategic coordination between different
stakeholders, ranging from creators, the private sector, the international
community and civil society.
Recognizing the potential of these industries and the need for policy space and
greater market transparency, the international community proposed at the
UNCTAD XI Conference held in Sao Paulo in June 2004, the creation of an
International Centre for Creative Industries (ICCI) with a view to assisting policy
makers and stakeholders from developing countries in formulating appropriate
policies to establish and strengthen their creative economies.
The Brazilian Government attaches particular importance to the creative
economy and its role in promoting development and will be hosting an
International Forum on "Shaping the International Centre for Creative Industries”,
which will be held in Salvador of Bahia, Brazil, from 18 to 20 April 2005. The
Forum is organized jointly with UNCTAD, which pioneered economic research on
the trade and development-related aspects of the creative economy. This
initiative has also received the support of other UN institutions such as UNDP,
UNESCO, ILO, WIPO and ITC. The aim of this gathering is to discuss the scope,
modalities of operation, financing, organizational structure and partnerships for
the establishment of the ICCI, which will be based in Brazil.
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As of today, no single international body deals with the particular challenges
facing the creative industries in the developing world. The ICCI will fill this gap
and act as a focal point in order to promote synergies and engage the various
stakeholders in a productive dialogue. The ICCI will thus serve as an
intermediary institution and as a specialized economic development centre for
national policy makers, artists, creators and creative businesses.
The
intermediation will be done through the creation of international public-private
partnerships and the provision of technical advisory services aimed at enhancing
the economic development potential of creative industries in developing
countries.
The ICCI is intended to be a flexible organization, open to all countries and
incorporating partners from international governmental and non-governmental
organizations as well as the private and non-profit sectors.
Meeting the global and local challenges faced by creative industries will require
support at all levels, from the local to the global. The ICCI initiative should thus
be supported by a series of different programmes, projects and concrete
initiatives, addressing the following issues and development challenges: How to
coordinate the various activities that make up the creative industries cluster in
order to maximize their impact in the developing world? How to best build
linkages and synergies among distinct institutional and economic structures
involved in this field?
In order to carry out its functions effectively, the proposed ICCI will need to be
endowed with the resources required to support its manifold goals. All interested
parties are therefore invited to join us at the Bahia Forum to explore funding
possibilities, and prepare the groundwork for the creation of the Centre, which will
provide support in policy formulation, advocacy and technical assistance.
February 2005
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