Creative Economy: A Feasible Development Option

AcknowledgementsThe Creative Economy Report series is theresult of a partnership between UNCTADand the UNDP Special Unit for South-SouthCooperation. These policy-oriented reportsare the main output of the technicalcooperation project “Strengthening theCreative Economy for Development”, a jointendeavour coordinated by Edna dos Santos-Duisenberg, Chief, UNCTAD CreativeEconomy Programme, and FranciscoSimplicio, Chief, Division for KnowledgeManagement and Operations of the UNDPSpecial Unit for South-South Cooperation.The partnership expresses its sinceregratitude to Yiping Zhou, Director, UNDPSpecial Unit for South-South Cooperation,for his deep support to this initiative. Withouthis vision and commitment, this work wouldnot have materialized.The Creative Economy Reports present theUnited Nations system-wide perspective onthis innovative topic, as an example of multiagencycooperation working as “One UN”and with one voice. In preparing the 2010edition, UNCTAD built upon previous contributionsmade for the Creative Economy Report2008 by five relevant United Nations bodies:the United Nations Conference on Tradeand Development (UNCTAD), the UnitedNations Development Programme (UNDP)Special Unit for South-South Cooperation, theUnited Nations Educational Scientific andCultural Organization (UNESCO), the WorldIntellectual Property Organization (WIPO)and the International Trade Centre (ITC).The research and policy-orientedanalysis presented in the two issues of theCreative Economy Report were carried outunder the overall guidance of Edna dosSantos-Duisenberg, the main co-writer ofthese reports. The Creative Economy Report 2010was prepared by a small but extremely devotedteam of the UNCTAD Creative EconomyProgramme, composed of Sudip RanjanBasu, Cheng Shang Li (consultant), SharonKhan (consultant), Carolina Quintana andJulia Costa Souto (intern). Our special thanksgo to the Head of the Development Statisticsand Information Branch, Henri Laurencin,and his team, composed of David Cristallo,Yumiko Mochizuki, Sanja Blazevi, YoannChaine, Ildephose Mbabazizimana and SoniaBlachier. Comments were received from MinaMashayekhi and Victor Ognivtsev, colleagueswithin the UNCTAD Division onInternational Trade. Our gratitude to Prof.Andrew C. Pratt for his academic reflections.In addition to facilitating the policydebate, the committed team of the UNDPSpecial Unit for South-South Cooperationhelped to make this publication possible. Aspart of the team of the UNDP Special Unitfor South-South Cooperation, text was editedby Christopher Reardon, with assistance byElizabeth Smith, and Jennifer Bergamini wasresponsible for the design and layout of thepublication. Administrative and secretarialsupport was provided by Clisse MedeirosRamos Perret at UNCTAD, LourdesHermosura-Chang at the UNDP SpecialUnit for South-South Cooperation, withadditional support for communicationsprovided by Michelle Siqueira.The partnership extends its appreciationto colleagues at the collaborating organizationswho provided updated inputs for theAcknowledgementsCREATIVE ECONOMY REPORT 2010xvii