The Ministry of Culture has launched a specialized training program to update the data model for the statistical framework of the creative economy, in partnership with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Center, with the active participation of the Ministry of Economy, Tourism, and statistical centers at the state level. This initiative is part of the UAE's efforts to enhance its statistical capabilities for tracking data in the culture, arts, and creative industries sectors, based on the unified global methodology used by WIPO in several countries worldwide. According to the Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Mubarak Al-Nahayi, this program marks a pivotal step in the UAE's journey to develop an advanced statistical and knowledge base for the creative economy, reinforcing the transition to an innovation-driven and cultural production-based economy. This international collaboration provides an opportunity to build a comprehensive national data system that will serve as a reliable reference for shaping future policies and initiatives, and it will enhance the country's ability to assess the impact of investments in culture and the arts and define clear growth trajectories for the coming years. He added that the partnership with WIPO and the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Center, along with collaboration with federal and local entities, reflects a unified vision aimed at positioning the UAE as a global leader in developing cultural statistical models. We are committed to providing tools and standards that empower decision-makers to formulate precise policies and strengthen the nation's presence as a primary driver of the creative economy regionally and internationally. Dimitar Ganchev, Acting Program Manager for the Creative Economy Data Model at WIPO, stated: "We are delighted to collaborate with the government of the UAE on implementing the data model for the creative economy—the first of its kind in the Middle East. This project will provide a comprehensive overview of the development of the creative industries support ecosystem and will enable access to precise analytical data that contributes to crafting effective policies and fostering the growth of the creative industries, thereby reinforcing their role in economic growth." The training program is led by WIPO experts as part of a comprehensive plan aimed at advancing methodologies for data collection and analysis and developing national indicators for culture, the arts, and the creative economy. The updated statistical model will generate more accurate and comprehensive data, enabling the monitoring of the sector's national performance, measuring its contribution to supporting economic growth, enhancing cultural sustainability, and boosting the country's global competitiveness. This is all within the framework of the National Strategy for Cultural and Creative Industries, launched in 2021, which aims to advance the cultural and creative industries sector, expand its size and potential to become one of the top 10 economic sectors in the country, and increase its contribution to the GDP to 5% by 2031.
