Statistics on Cultural Industries - International Trade Centre

7. BeneficiariesThe provision of better information and transparency enables more relevant, efficient and costeffectiveresource management, thus empowering government efforts to achieve developmentgoals such as poverty reduction and the UN MDGs.The immediate target group of the cultural industries data project is the members of the NationalStatistical Bureau (NSB), who are both the subject and the object of capacity building. As theinstrumental agencies in this field NSB will be mobilized for orientation, training, management andimplementation, including systems diagnosis, feasibility studies, systems design, development,and management.Other stakeholders in the national cultural industries data project are policy makers and analysts,who are responsible for the analysis and formulation of national development plans and policyrecommendations with regard to strengthening cultural industries as a strategy for povertyreduction and local economic development in Bhutan (e.g. Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs(MoHCA) officials). This project will provide these officials with analytical tools and will improvetheir skills in analysis, projections and simulations for data pertaining to the cultural industriessector, especially as it relates to:––––the application of cluster development and support for SMEs;intellectual property protection;poverty reduction and community vitalization;enhanced competitiveness (regionally and internationally).<strong>Statistics</strong> on Cultural IndustriesFramework for the Elaboration of National Data Capacity Building ProjectsA wide range of stakeholders working in or around the creative/cultural sector, as well as publicmediators such as media journalists, or fund managers, etc. will benefit from the national culturalindustries data project. The improved information and services will enhance their professional workand participation. By the same token, all concerned with or responsible for planning, monitoring orassessing MDGs, Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs), and Education for All (EFA) programmeimplementation will benefit from data availability on the cultural industries sector. An importantbeneficiary group is cultural researchers (e.g. Centre for Bhutan Studies) who play a significantanalytical role between data collection and the formation of cultural policy strategies.The main beneficiaries, however, are the citizens of Bhutan as the availability of sub-nationalstatistics, indicators and, especially, analytical information and informed public discussion will:––mobilize members of the creative sector and encourage the development of privatesector economic initiatives (SME development) and increase job and income generationopportunities at the local level;increase transparency, governance, and democratic participation in the transition toknowledge-based economy.Both are factors that are essential for poverty reduction to occur as well as for the emergence ofeconomically viable and thriving local communities.86