Statistics on Cultural Industries - International Trade Centre

OUTPUT 2.3Input to the establishment of international standards and an international satellitesystem for data collection for the cultural industries sector.Result 3: Regional StandardsContribution to the international debate and agreement on international standards and practicesfor cultural industries statistics.6.2 Changed Situation and Downstream ImplementationThe implementation of the national data project components (A, B, C, and D) will have a catalyticrole in the building of networks of institutions, agencies and expertise that will function as agentsof change in Bhutan.The project outputs will contribute significantly to the development of an enabling environmentfor SME business development in the cultural industries sector, and to a wider awareness of theeconomic and social potential of this sector for the achievement of the national developmentgoals.The development of the necessary capacity to undertake sector analysis and related policydevelopment will allow Bhutan to strengthen the sector in its own country as part of a strategy forpoverty reduction and community vitalization. It will also allow Bhutan to take on the leadershipfor the area of cultural industries development it has committed itself to in the context of theParo Initiative (see Part Two, Chapter 1.3), thereby increasing the potential and importance of thissector for national development. Ultimately, the results of this capacity building at different levelsindicate a changed situation in which cultural industries development is generally recognizedand pursued as a strategy, not only for poverty reduction and community vitalization, but as aninalienable component of more sustainable development.The main characteristic of this changed situation is that cultural industries will have a bigger impactand role in the society, economy and trade as indicated in increased throughput/output data forthe sector. Increased focus and investment in the drivers of cultural industries sector developmentwill be a trend of this changed situation. The indicators for development in this direction will be:–––Increased attention and financial support for activities strengthening of cultural industriesas a strategy for poverty reduction and community vitalization; especially in terms of SMEdevelopment as evidenced in policy.Increased national “ownership” of activities in support of the strengthening of culturalindustries as a strategy for local economic development and poverty reduction.The availability of regionally-specific guidelines and tools for capacity building and policydevelopment pertaining to the cultural industries sector will focus attention on the designof common international standards for cultural industries statistics through “model” nationalreporting and the establishment of an international satellite account system for culturalindustries.The implementation of this project within the framework of the Jodhpur Initiatives will provideBhutan a unique opportunity to play a role in gaining a more complex understanding of theimpact and development potential of cultural industries and creativity, as well as in identifyingmore sustainable and relevant development models.85