This report aims to capture the scale of the global disruption caused by the pandemic of COVID-19. It examines the economic impact and consequences of the pandemic on the cultural and creative industries, and explores digital innovations that have emerged in response to this unprecedented crisis.

Cultural and creative sectors (CCS) have been hit hard by the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study analyses the so far effects of the crisis on the CCS, as well as the policy responses that are formulated to support the sectors. Based on the analysis, policy recommendations are formulated to further improve the resilience of the CCS in Europe in the medium and longer term. 

This ‘Culture and the UN Sustainable Development Goals: Challenges and Opportunities’ report results from brainstorming sessions organised as a Voices of Culture Structured Dialogue.  The Structured Dialogue framework enables communication between the European Commission and the cultural sector. Its main objective is to provide a channel for the voice of the cultural sector to be heard by EU policymakers, a voice represented by a group of expert practitioners in Europe selected through an open call. These dialogues are also intended to strengthen the advocacy capacity of the cultural sector in policy debates on culture at a European level, whilst encouraging the sector and the Commission to work in as collaborative a way as possible. It is important to stress at the very outset, that the use of ‘culture’ throughout this report is intended to be inclusive, its use embracing, at the very least, the arts, participation, creative and heritage sectors.

Cultural and creative sectors are a significant source of jobs and income, and also generate important spillovers to the wider economy. However, the absence of internationally comparable statistics that reveal their full economic and social impacts also means that the sectors remain largely undervalued in the policy debate. As governments across the G20 reconsider growth models in the wake of COVID-19, cultural and creative sectors can be a driver in a resilient recovery. There is an opportunity for culture to play an even greater role in driving economic, social and indeed environmental outcomes. For this potential to be realised, efforts are needed not only to ensure the sector survives the COVID-19 crisis but also that these opportunities are exploited and the longer-term challenges facing the sector are addressed, from high rates of precarious employment to the structural fragility of many businesses in the sector

The overall economic impact, social role and status of cultural professionals involved in the film industries of the Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) remain relatively understudied. However, the film industry is recognized as one of the oldest and most developed cultural and creative industries of the region since the mid 20th century. In this context, this publication assesses the film industries of Central Asia and concerned legislation. It provides recommendations for its future development, international cooperation prospects and ways to improve the status of local culture professionals and creative entrepreneurs working in the cinema sector. It also considers funding mechanisms of cinema industries.

This survey was answered by 600 museums from 48 countries between 30 October and 29 November 2020, the majority coming from Europe. It follows NEMO’s initial survey, report and recommendations about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on museums from May 2020 during the first lockdown and sought to investigate the different themes that emerged in the first survey and which have been discussed in the museum community. The themes are: 1. Consequences of income (and other) losses; 2. The increased importance of digital museum offers; 3. Adapted operations and preparedness during and for crises. This report seeks to inform the community and stakeholders where the sector stands, and looks specifically at those issues, in order to develop arguments to keep museums open during the pandemic, to support them financially so that they may continue their operation and allow pace to adjust and invest in their digital offers. The findings of the survey are translated into recommendations that NEMO addresses to stakeholders at all levels. 

Despite recent progress in promoting gender equality in the cultural and creative industries, as well as the renewed attention generated by the both the pandemic and the #MeToo movement, much work remains if we are to achieve gender equality in this sector. Impediments to gender equality in the cultural and creative sectors are numerous, and include unequal access to decent employment, fair remuneration, and leadership positions, as well as barriers to seniority. Opportunities for women to participate fully in the cultural sectors and benefit from the creative economy, notably in the digital environment, require increased support. Gender equality is fundamental to ensuring a genuine diversity of cultural content and equal opportunities in artistic work and cultural employment. It is high time that the culture sector grasps the extent of these inequalities and the structural issues that remain to be addressed. Culture and creativity are unfortunately not immune to gender inequality. This report comes at an opportune moment, as we celebrate the International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development. For a truly inclusive and prosperous creative economy to take shape, we must step up our efforts to promote gender equality in this sector. The UNESCO 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions and the 1980 Recommendation concerning the Status of the Artist both call for such a commitment and can serve as inspiration for States to embark on this path. 

The cultural sector has been severely and persistently affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with museums particularly hard hit: the 2020 UNESCO report estimated that nearly 90%, or an estimated 85,000 institutions, had been closed for varying lengths of time. The role of museums in society is essential, as they are responsible not only for preserving heritage for future generations but also as central actors for promoting lifelong learning and equal access to culture and the dissemination of values on which humanity is based. In this particularly difficult context, UNESCO has launched a 2021 study to reassess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on museum attendance, budgets and activities in order to analyze the threats to the sector and its evolution in the next few years.  

The European Grouping of Societies of Authors and Composers (GESAC) commissioned EY teams to produce a report on the state of the cultural and creative industries (CCIs) in Europe. What was their economic situation before the COVID-19 crisis? What impact has the crisis had on activity and employment? And what are the main priorities for the sector to protect itself from the most serious consequences, to recover growth and enhance its value in the European economy? This study follows a report of the same type, entitled Creating Growth, published in December 2014.

This report focuses on the needs of civil society, the main challenges facing the cultural sectors in the region such as artistic freedom, dialogue with governments, gender equality, cultural policies and the treatment of culture in trade agreements. Due to the vastness of the Asia-Pacific region and the time allotted for the study, not all countries and regions in AsiaPacific are represented in this report. While some challenges and needs may be recurrent in a majority of countries, most are specific to local contexts and particular histories. It is therefore important to keep in mind that the findings of this research cannot be applied to the whole region and that further cooperation will be needed to reach out to civil society organisations that have not been included in this project. Finally, the dynamic and often fragile nature of the cultural sectors requires continuous dialogue with local civil society organisations, as new challenges constantly arise. In this respect, the long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic cannot yet be known, especially considering that in most Asia-Pacific countries the fight against the Coronavirus is still ongoing.

The production and distribution of film and audiovisual works is one of the most dynamic growth sectors in the world. Thanks to digital technologies, production has been growing rapidly in Africa in recent years. The case of "Nollywood", with about 2,500 films made each year, is emblematic in this respect. It has enabled the emergence of a local industry of production and distribution with its own economic model. Yet across most of the continent, the economic potential of the film and audiovisual sectors remains largely untapped. It is estimated that these sectors account for US$5 billion in revenues in Africa and employ 5 million people.For the first time, a complete mapping of the film and audiovisual industry in 54 States of the African continent is available, including quantitative and qualitative data and an analysis of their strengths and weaknesses at the continental and regional levels.The report proposes strategic recommendations for the development of the film and audiovisual sectors in Africa and invites policymakers, professional organizations, firms, filmmakers and artists to implement them in a concerted manner.

The creative sector is an important source of growth in the global economy, and digital creative trade has increased sharply in recent years and particularly in the context of COVID-19. Digital content is replacing physical goods in the sector, for example, in music, books and gaming. Digital aggregators like Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Spotify, TikTok and YouTube have fuelled rapid growth and diversified earnings towards streaming, ad-supported income and data monetization. Copyright revenues are also rising, and the share of digital collections is the fastest growth segment. Participation in the sector by developing countries appears to be increasing, although data availability is poor. To reap the potential benefits of the digital creative economy, developing countries should support a shift from the typical low value-added, stand-alone practitioner industry model to a strategic collaborative approach that facilitates higher levels of creative and digital entrepreneurship. This will require a stronger legal and institutional framework to improve leverage and monetize copyright, financial support for the commercialization of creative activities, government involvement in business support services (e.g. training, incubators, innovation labs, market incubators, cluster development and market development programmes), the creation of enabling institutions to represent the interests of creative workers and firms, and the harmonization of government  policies towards the sector. 

Over the longer term, the creative economy is likely to be a key driver of economic growth as governments around the world look to rebuild their economies in the wake of the downturn associated with Covid-19. It is reasonable to expect that the sector will return to its long-term trend of growing faster than the wider economy as, for example, advertising is likely to recover strongly with the wider economy and other sources of income have been more resilient. The fundamental driver of creative economy growth remains that when consumers have more to spend, and have increasingly sated their demand for other goods and services, they are more likely to spend that additional income on outputs of the creative economy. The importance of the creative economy for overall economic performance is therefore likely to grow. This means its importance for policymaking is also likely to continue to grow, with countries more or less well-positioned to take advantage of that underlying growth in global demand. While this study focuses on developed economies, middle-income countries are likely to show even stronger growth to the extent their overall national income grows faster.

This booklet contains the collected recommendations of the OMC expert group report ‘Towards Gender Equality in the Cultural and Creative Sectors’ (2021). All recommendations are based on practical experience and good practise case studies. They highlight the importance of political commitment to improving gender equality in the cultural and creative sectors (CCS). It should also be stressed that gender equality strategies without targets or gender equality targets without monitoring are less effective and artistic quality and artistic freedom remain the primary selection criteria for any of the proposed measures. The following recommendations correspond to all the recommendations of the OMC report and include general recommendations addressing all policy makers and persons in positions of power, as well as the cultural and creative sectors, the media, and the education sector. The key challenges in this area are gender stereotypes, sexual harassment, access to the labour market and the gender pay gap, access to resources, access to leadership positions, and female entrepreneurship.

The report contains six in-depth country profiles, where specific data and strategic analyses help present the voiced concerns and hopes of stakeholders on the ground. The country profiles are followed by extensive recommendations for Covid-19 response actions organized around the themes of Space, Community, Training and Funding. Both chapters give attention to non-Western expertise on the cultural and creative industries’ needs as well as their stakeholders’ aspirations for development and, thus, broaden the perspectives for more effective and holistic problem solving. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has underlined the importance of the media and culture sector in uplifting people during difficult times. As hundreds of millions of people were confined to their homes during the pandemic, many turned to music, films, television and other art forms for entertainment, education and cultural enrichment, leading to a surge in streaming and online services. Yet, at the same time, it was extremely difficult to continue cultural production, from live performance to recorded media, under lockdown and confinement measures, with the sector hit hard by unemployment and closed productions. 

The cultural and creative industries (CCIs) are one of the fastest growing sectors globally. Many local governments across the world have also recognised how the CCIs can directly and indirectly contribute to place-based revitalisation efforts, helping to regenerate declining and depressed urban infrastructure, working with – rather than against – the grain of existing local heritage. However, the role of the CCIs and heritage in creating dynamic places, driving local economic development and innovation, and improving social cohesion remains under appreciated in many Latin American cities to-date. Based on a set of in-depth international case studies, expert interviews, and a broad literature review of empirical evidence from projects around the word, this Handbook analyses what makes for success in CCI-led urban revitalisation. It details how CCI-led revitalisation projects can address specific socio-economic needs related to declining historic city centre areas and analyses how projects have achieved their success (as well as outlining what continuing challenges they face). The Handbook distils the lessons from this extensive body of practice and policy development, to provide guiding principles and advice for policymakers interested in how to integrate cultural and creative development within wider urban sustainability efforts.

This report outlines trends in the world trade of creative goods and, for the first time, services by country for the period 2005 to 2014, and provides an outlook on the global creative economy for the period 2002 to 2015.

Through this guide, UNESCO provides practical guidance to policymakers as they fight for the inclusion of the cultural and creative industries in social and economic recovery plans. In order to comply with health and safety measures, and to adapt to new business models, both financial and technical support has been and will continue to be necessary. However, it is important to recognize the support mobilized thus far has been multifaceted. This guide is an attempt to provide a comprehensive overview of the range of emergency measures adopted by States in support of cultural workers, institutions and industries and a tool for strengthening the resilience of the sector.