Government Presents First Study of Creative and Cultural Industries in Panama

Panama, September 15, 2020 -The National Government, through the Ministry of Culture (MiCultura), presents the results of the first National Study of Creative and Cultural Industries (ICC), a cultural management tool that generates necessary information and data that serves as a basis for the construction of public policies throughout the country.

In this respect, Carlos Aguilar Navarro, Minister of Culture, explained that the study reveals a valuable background information that indicates the impact of Creative and Cultural Industries on the economic and social development of the country.

The diagnosis presents figures, statistics and a situational analysis of creative, cultural and cultural tourism actors and companies that have been voluntarily registered at national level in the SOMATE YA database, launched by the Ministry of Culture, with more than 12,500 registers to date.

The Programme of Support for the Conservation and Management of the Cultural and Natural Heritage of Panama of the Inter-American Development Bank (BID), which includes the production of an action plan for Creative and Cultural Industries, has been a valuable ally in implementing the activities submitted by MiCultura.

The National Study of Creative and Cultural Industries projects important inputs for the Strategic Plan for a Sustainable Creative Economy, CREA in Panama 2030, currently being prepared with the support of UNESCO and the European Union with the Coordination Group of Creative Economics with representation from state institutions and with two of the national government's priority actions for the development and creation of entrepreneurs from Creative and Cultural Industries.

"Creative and Cultural Industries as well as Cultural Tourism promote social cohesion at local level and sustainable development and contribute to improvements in income opportunities, employment and quality of life for Panama's inhabitants, especially youth and other vulnerable peoples," said Minister Aguilar Navarro.

For his part, Maru Gálvez, Director of Creative Economics at MiCultura emphasized the importance of information revealed in his study "that aims to identify those factors that have an impact on the development and success of the enterprises of Panama's creative and cultural industries and their impact on local sustainable development."

The data that are established at a core line of Creative and Cultural Industries at national level help to investigate in depth the activities of cultural, creative and cultural tourism entrepreneurship that contribute to local and sustainable economic development from the generation of production processes based on the symbolic value of the goods, services, contents and experiences that are offered.

The incumbent of culture stated that "cultural policies of the 21st century should stimulate and support creative industries that have been supported by their sustainability and decent work, accompanied by cultural tourism linked with local cultures, protection of cultural heritage accessible to citizenship, adaptation to climate change and the promotion of health from a dialogue between academic and ancestral knowledge"

The aim of this research was to relieve background information that could highlight the impact of these sectors on the economic, social and cultural development of the country.

The analysis of information from that database will also allow the National Government and the Ministry of Culture to make strategic decisions with respect to policies for development and strengthening of the sector related to the training, encouragement and insertion of Creative and Cultural Industries as important actors in the economic and social processes of the country. A general and cross-sectional characterization of people and enterprises are performed in different forms and operational structures in the sector at national level.

For inquiries, the study is available at the website of the Ministry of Culture www.MiCultura.gob.pa, within the microsite "Crea En Panama."