The Ministry of Culture has launched a specialised training programme aimed to update the data model of the Statistical Framework for Creative Economy project. The initiative is being implemented in collaboration with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre, with active participation from the Ministry of Economy and Tourism, and statistical centres across the country.
The programme forms part of the UAE’s ongoing efforts to enhance national statistical capabilities in monitoring data across culture, arts and the creative industries, based on a unified global methodology adopted by WIPO in countries worldwide.
H.E. Mubarak Al Nakhi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture, said: “The programme represents a major milestone in advancing our long-term national vision to develop an integrated knowledge and statistical infrastructure that supports the creative economy. It accelerates our transition towards an innovation-driven economy powered by strong cultural production. Through this international partnership, we are building a high-quality national data ecosystem that will inform future policies and initiatives and strengthen our ability to measure the impact of investments in culture and the arts—ultimately enabling clear growth trajectories in the years ahead.”
“By partnering with WIPO and the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre, and through the support of federal and local entities, we aim to reinforce the UAE’s leadership in the development of cultural statistics models. We remain committed to providing tools and standards that empower decision-makers to formulate effective, evidence-based policies, strengthening the nation’s role as a regional and global driver of the creative economy,” His Excellency added.
“WIPO is very pleased to work with the Government of the UAE in implementing the Creative Economy Data Model. This is the first project of this type in the Middle East. It will provide a comprehensive overview of the quality of the ecosystem, supporting creative industries and will identify analytical data for policy making, highlighting the importance of intellectual property and culture for the creative industries,” said Dimiter Gantchev, Acting Director, CEDM Program at WIPO.
The training programme brings together leading WIPO experts to enhance national methodologies for data collection and analysis, as well as to support the development of indicators that that measure performance across culture, arts and the creative economy.
The updated statistical model will enable more accurate and comprehensive data collection, creating a solid foundation for consistent monitoring of the sector’s national performance. This includes assessing its contribution to economic growth, strengthening cultural sustainability and advancing the country’s global competitiveness. This initiative is aligned with the National Strategy for the Cultural and Creative Industries, launched in 2021, which aims to expand the sector’s scale and elevate it into the UAE’s top ten economic sectors, increasing its contribution to 5% of GDP by 2031.
The UAE is the first Arab country in the region to adopt WIPO’s updated statistical model, reaffirming its leadership in applying best practices that foster creativity and innovation, and further enhancing its position as a leading cultural and creative hub regionally and globally.