Global Leaders Shape the Future of Creative Industries at the IV World Conference on Creative Economy
Over 14,640 senior officials, business leaders, creative entrepreneurs, and students from 73 countries attended the 4th World Conference on Creative Economy (WCCE) in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from 2-4 October, to accelerate alignment on the future of creative industries. As the first time the conference was held in Central Asia, the unprecedented levels of participation demonstrate the importance of the creative economy on the world stage and the region’s leadership in fostering its growth.
Uzbekistan’s Art and Culture Development Foundation Chairperson, Gayane Umerova, expressed pride at the first World Conference on Creative Economy in Central Asia, stating the new law will stimulate entrepreneurship and promote Uzbek artistry.
Over the three-day conference, 130 speakers from Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums, to Aaron Rasmussen, co-founder of MasterClass, and Francesca Amfitheatrof, artistic director of LVMH Watches & Jewellery took the stage to discuss current trends shaping creative fields and the impact of emerging technology and AI on creative sectors. Panels, keynotes, and workshops covered six parallel tracks, including intellectual property in the age of AI, the rise of innovative and smart cities, future workforce dynamics, and the evolution of creative lifestyle, among others.
The conference promoted unprecedented cross-border and sector collaboration in creative industries. The Friends of Creative Economy Forum, a legacy session inaugurated under Indonesia’s leadership, advanced the global conversation on mainstreaming the creative economy. The concept offers a new framework for economies to boost coordinated investment in knowledge-based industries and promote the international trade of digital assets and services. Experts repetitively emphasized the potential of creative sectors to address issues of sustainable development, job creation, and poverty alleviation.
In her opening address, Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General of UN Trade and Development, stated,” In our most recent survey, we found that the creative economy can account for up to seven to twelve percent of GDP of the workforce in countries where data is available.”
HE Sandiaga S. Uno, Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, emphasizes inclusive creativity, promoting equal opportunities for all individuals and fostering economic and cultural development.
The World Intellectual Property Organization’s Deputy Director General insisted that intellectual property serves as a tool for translating creative expressions into economic goods and services.
Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani emphasizes the importance of collective work in the creative economy in addressing challenges like poverty, inequality, youth unemployment, private sector growth, and climate change.