2021 MEMBERS' EXHIBITION
The ASTT in partnership with UNESCO presents: "International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development" As so clearly stated on the UNESCO web page “Today, more and more people are turning their ideas and imaginations into livelihoods. The creative economy is one of the world’s most rapidly growing sectors, contributing 3% of the global GDP. Creativity is also a renewable, sustainable, limitless resource that we can find anywhere around the world. As we face climate crisis and the pandemic, its potential to drive a human-centric, inclusive development has never been more relevant. Creativity is the industry of tomorrow. The year 2021 was declared(link is external) the International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development at the 74th United Nations General Assembly. The implementation of the Year is led by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development UNCTAD, in consultation with UNESCO and other relevant UN entities. International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development could not have come at a more relevant time. The COVID-19 pandemic has paralyzed the creative economy. From creation, production, distribution to access, no actor within the creative value chain has been spared its impact. The health crisis also revealed and worsened the pre-existing vulnerabilities within the culture sector. Many artists and cultural professionals have been ineligible for social and economic assistances that saved workers in other sectors. While we consumed cultural content online more than ever before, artists and creators rarely received fair remuneration for our clicks and views. But the health crisis also showed us how essential creativity is to our well-being – to our survival. In 2020, people found solace and resilience in films, series, music and dance. This heightened appreciation for the arts makes 2021 the opportune time in history to celebrate and invest in the creative economy”