Presentation of “Creative Azerbaijan” portal and ministerial panel on “Creative industries: new opportunities for sustainable development and employment” organized

On December 9, the Baku Congress Center hosted a presentation of the Creative Azerbaijan portal (www.creative.az) and a ministerial panel discussion on "Creative Industries: New Opportunities for Sustainable Development and Employment."

Opening the event, Minister of Culture Abulfas Garayev spoke about the successful reforms carried out in our country in recent years in all areas. The Minister thanked his colleagues and representatives of creative organizations for participating in such an important presentation.

The Minister noted that the concept of creative industry has gained widespread popularity in the world over the past 10 years. This field of industry creates conditions for people to make valuable contributions to the development of society: “Azerbaijan, of course, can not stand out the trends of this area. Taking into account the development of the non-oil sector in our country and the need to accelerate reforms, as well as the important role of creative industries in the national economy in the context of the creative economy and the opening of promising opportunities, various projects are being implemented with the support of President Ilham Aliyev and First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva for the purpose of developing those industries and increasing socio-economic impact of creative industries and creativity processes. Behind this process are the creative potential of the people, the people's love for the motherland and the unity of the people and the state. All these factors already prove the need for the formation and improvement of the creative industry in Azerbaijan.”

It was noted that at present, the creative industry in Azerbaijan is not yet fully accepted by society as a unified management and supply: “It is important to bring new thinking and impetus to this area. This is one of the main goals of today's event. 2021 has been recognized by the United Nations as the "Year of Creative Industries for Sustainable Development". At the same time, this year Baku has been included in the UNESCO "Network of Creative Cities". We must all work together for this, come up with more progressive ideas. Government agencies, industry and citizens must take an active part in this work. I think that today's meeting is the first step in fulfillment of this great task. The Ministry of Culture has recently held a meeting with representatives of the Secretariat of First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva, and discussions have been held. I think that systematic work in the creative industry is starting today.”

Abulfas Garayev stressed that the event would present a portal on the creative industry, an exchange of views be held on intellectual property, and then follow with a panel discussion. The Minister wished success to the event.

Then a video presentation on the creative industry was presented. Vasif Eyvazzadeh, Deputy Chief of Administration of the Ministry of Culture - Head of the International Cooperation and Innovative Development Department, made a speech on "Creative Industries: Global Trends and Local Opportunities". It was noted that the history and culture of the Azerbaijani people are being promoted worldwide successfully. As a result of a well-thought-out systemic policy, three historical monuments of Azerbaijan have been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Thirteen examples of our intangible cultural heritage are included in various UNESCO lists. The announcement of Baku and Sheki as creative cities is similar achievements.

The head of the department said that the Baku Process initiative on intercultural dialogue, launched by President Ilham Aliyev in 2008, was declared by the UN as the most important global platform in the world. Baku Process is not only a dialogue between cultures and religions, but also a global platform for development and exchange of experiences in the world. Today we will touch on many parameters of the creative industry. It is known that the world is currently competing for intelligence. This century is considered to be the fourth industrial revolution. One of the most important elements of this revolution is that people's attitudes towards each other, or rather their attitude to work, have completely changed. In this context, creativity has emerged as the most important ability as an important element of this revolution. ”

Vasif Eyvazzadeh then presented figures on the growth dynamics of the creative industry worldwide. The creative industry, which accounts for 7.3 percent of the world's GDP, accounts for 6.1 percent of GDP and is worth $ 4.3 trillion. $ 2.5 trillion of that comprises revenues.

Giving information about the "Creative Azerbaijan" portal, Ramil Abbekirov, head of the International Projects and Innovations Sector of the Ministry of Culture, said that the portal was created by the Ministry of Culture to actively promote and raise awareness of sectoral development processes. The portal has been developed for two years and the experience of 15 countries has been studied. The portal provides various types of news, events, profile information of companies operating in this field, etc. The nuances that will support the networking of creative industry participants were also considered.

It was noted that the purpose of creating the portal is also to promote Azerbaijani creative products under the brand "Creative Azerbaijan". The head of the sector gave detailed information about the sections of the portal, and stressed the portal covers each area, various networks of the creative industry, and direct relations with private and public institutions.

Chairman of the Board of the Intellectual Property Agency, Kamran Imanov stressed that Azerbaijan has passed a new stage of reforms initiated by the country's leadership and aimed at optimizing all opportunities for development, covering all spheres of public life. He noted that Azerbaijan, which is in the vanguard of reformist countries, was included in the list of 20 reformist countries in the Doing Business 2020 report. The chairman spoke about the role of intellectual property, the difference between creative industry and intellectual property, the management of these areas.

Noting that the philosophical category of the creative industry does not have a clear understanding, Kamran Imanov gave information about the categories of legal aspects of the meaning of copyright as a result of creative work.

The presentation was followed by a panel session on "Creative Industries: New Opportunities for Sustainable Development and Employment". Opinions on the development of creative industry in Azerbaijan were voiced at the session. Minister of Education Jeyhun Bayramov noted that higher and vocational education institutions should be more active in the creative industry.

Minister of Labor and Social Protection Sahil Babayev spoke about the wide range of opportunities in this field in Azerbaijan, and expressed readiness to support the development of the creative industry: “We will support the protection of the rights of people engaged in the creative industry. The creative industry also has great potential for people with disabilities.

Sahil Babayev welcomed the establishment of a theater troupe of people with disabilities and praised the initiative to develop the creative industry.

Deputy Minister of Economy Sevinj Hasanova stressed the importance of the transition to a new model in the creative industry and the improvement of the economy in this area.

First Deputy Chairman of the State Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture Anar Guliyev shared his views on the status of creative cities in world practice. He informed about the work carried out in Azerbaijan in this field, the proposals of the Ministry of Culture to the committee and the work to be done in this area.

First Deputy Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies Ali Abdullayev spoke about the development of the creative industry would not be possible without modern technological innovations and spoke of the projects implemented by the ministry in this area.

Summer Xia, head of the British Council Azerbaijan, stressed the aim of his organization was to create international understanding through art. That is why the creative industry is a key area of ​​activity for the British Council: “Our mission is to find new ways to come together and understand each other through art.

The panel session continued with answering questions from participants.

Source: mct.gov.az

Follow us on social networks:
Facebook: facebook.com/creative.az
Instagram: instagram.com/kreativaze/