Creative Economy Report 2008: The challenge of assessing the creative economy towards informed policy-making

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Switzerland, April 2008

The Creative Economy Report 2008:  The challenge of assessing the creative economy towards informed policy-making  is the first comprehensive study to present the United Nations perspective on this emerging topic.

This policy-oriented analysis is intended to facilitate a better understanding of the key issues underlying the emerging creative economy at national and international levels.

It brings together contributions from five United Nations organizations, namely UNCTAD, UNDP UNESCO, WIPO and the International Trade Centre (ITC), in a joint endeavour to enhance policy coherence and international action in this area.

The development dimension is the guiding principle of this Report which aims to assist developing countries to harness their creative economies and to maximize trade and development gains by recognizing the creative economy as a feasible development option for linking economic, technological, social and cultural development objectives of our contemporary society.

It does this by:

• Discussing concepts, methodologies and the structure of the creative economy
• Sharing evidence-based analysis confirming that the creative industries constitute a new dynamic sector in international trade
• Suggesting directions for policy strategies

The 350-pages Report recognizes that creativity and human talent are fast becoming powerful engines for economic growth and development, and calls for the adoption of effective cross-cutting mechanisms and concerted inter-ministerial policy action.

Developing countries around the world can find ways to optimize the potential of the creative economy for generating economic growth, job creation and export earnings while at the same time promoting social inclusion, cultural diversity and human development.

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