Strengthening the Creative Industries for Development in ... - unctad

8 2. PROJECT CONTEXT
contribution to GDP. With appropriate strategic policy support at both national and international levels
and strengthening of the capacities of creative industry practitioners and entrepreneurs, the creative
economy represents new opportunities for developing countries to create new products, open up access
to global markets and "leap-frog into new areas of wealth creation". 18
Creative industries have impressive growth and economic performance in many countries in
comparison to other more traditional sectors. The complex global value chain of creative industries
offers many opportunities for developing countries to link up with international production networks.
Special attention should be paid to ways of increasing the participation of developing countries in
international trade. Each country needs to choose its own "model" based on its realities and
specificities, because there is no "one size fits all" model of development for creative industries
suitable to all countries.
This project is building on ongoing work of the three implementing agencies. In the case of UNCTAD,
the project takes into account the progress made in the intergovernmental debate in the area of the
creative industries and the emerging creative economy. Particularly, in the context of mandates from
UNCTAD XI (2004) and UNCTAD XII (2008), UNCTAD has been playing a key role in sensitizing
governments to the potential of the creative economy to foster trade and development gains,
promoting policy initiatives and enhancing cooperation with countries, institutions and the
international community. UNESCO has been promoting the implementation of the Convention on the
Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions as well as its Global Alliance for
Cultural Diversity that creates synergies among public, private and not-for-profit sectors. The project
also links up with related work in the area of culture, promoting demand for cultural goods, sustaining
local initiatives and businesses, encouraging investments by the state or local structures and engaging
other partners from the culture sector, especially those involved in fostering publishing, recording and
live performance.
In most advanced countries, the creative industries have already become a strategic priority. For
example, some governments have carried out analysis and mapping exercises, and consciously defined
and planned national policies for each sector. Unfortunately, this is not happening in most developing
countries, where the lack of attention given to producers of cultural goods and services translates into
weak support in specific accompanying measures (legislation and regulation, institutional support,
access to credit and funding, etc.). In this environment, policy guidelines can assist in supporting the
creative industries to develop and flourish. Governments remain key partners and facilitators in the
design of the policy framework for this sector.
The economic importance of culture in the development of ACP countries was clearly stressed in the
Cotonou Agreement, in particular in Article 27 19 . The Agreement urges ACP governments to
undertake action aimed at promoting and implementing ACP cultural projects and programmes. It
highlights the importance of culture in terms of identity, cultural dialogue and cultural industries. The
Nadi Declaration of Heads of State of ACP countries (July 2002) underscored the contribution of
culture to the economic and democratic development of ACP countries. The First Conference of ACP
Ministers of Culture in Dakar, June 2003 clearly acknowledged the importance of cultural industries in
development processes in the Dakar Declaration on the Promotion of ACP Cultures and Cultural
Industries and its Plan of Action. The ACP Ministers of Culture recognized "the potential of
enterprises involved in culture and their contribution to sustainable economic development and the
fight against poverty". The Dakar Plan of Action identifies, among others, as objectives: the
development or the creation of several mechanisms to improve the ACP cultural institutions (capacitybuilding);
the development of human capital (artists, designers, managers, etc.), the development of
cultural products, businesses and industries, and, the development of ACP cultural markets for better
integration in global markets.
18
UNCTAD, "Creative industries and development"(Eleventh Session, Sao Paulo, 13-18 June, 2004).
TD(XI/BP/13 June 2004, p.7.
19
European Commission DG-Development - Cotonou Agreement.
http//europa.eu.int/comm./development/body/cotonou/agreement_en.html