Semarang, Indonesia – At the First Meeting of the ASEAN Senior Economic Officials held  on 16-17 January 2023 in Semarang, Indonesia, the Philippines proposed for the creation of an ASEAN Creative Economy Working Group (ACEWG) which aims to provide a platform for ASEAN Member States to collaborate  and exchange best practices towards a more robust regional approach for the growing creative economy sector.

DTI-Competitiveness and Innovation Group (DTI-CIG) Undersecretary, Dr. Rafaelita M. Aldaba, presented the prospects of the ACEWG in facilitating, among others, an integrated framework for ASEAN Member States to formulate policies and guidelines to boost the development of creative industries and revitalize the creative sectors.

“Creativity is the way of the future. As digital technologies, culture, and the creative economy converge, ASEAN needs to strengthen collaboration, align its policies and regulations to address constraints, close financing gaps, and manage the unequal levels of digital readiness. All these are necessary to promote the growth and development of the creative economy including culture-based creative industries heightening our ASEAN identity and rich history, culture, and heritage and embrace new technologies that are now shaping how content is produced and consumed,” said DTI-CIG Usec. Aldaba.

By creating a working group on the growth and development of the creative economy, ASEAN Member States would have a dedicated venue for discussing issues, cultivating exchanges of information, and crafting solutions and other support mechanisms that could be implemented at the country and regional levels.