Jakarta (ANTARA) \u2013 Indonesia has initiated efforts to strengthen the\ncreative economy\u2019s place on the international development agenda through\nthe World Conference on Creative Economy (WCCE) 2026, themed \u201cInclusive\nCreative: Collective Continuity\u201d, in Jakarta from 21 to 23 October 2026.\nThe conference was officially opened by National Development Planning\nMinister and Bappenas head Rachmat Pambudy, representing President\nPrabowo Subianto. WCCE 2026 serves as a global platform bringing\ntogether governments, creative industry players, academics,\ninternational organisations, communities and other stakeholders. It aims\nto strengthen the creative economy as a new engine of growth that is\nmore inclusive, sustainable and oriented towards global\ncollaboration.<\/p>\n
Creative Economy Minister and head of the Creative Economy Agency\nTeuku Riefky Harsya, as the event\u2019s host, said WCCE 2026 brings together\nthe global creative economy ecosystem to strengthen collaboration and\njoint action. This year\u2019s conference focuses on four main issues:\ntechnology, artificial intelligence and digital transformation;\nsustainability, circularity and regenerative design; intellectual\nproperty and the rights of creative professionals; and inclusion and the\nstrengthening of creative ecosystems.<\/p>\n
Rachmat emphasised that the creative economy is not a standalone\nsector, but an integral part of the national development strategy\ntowards Golden Indonesia 2045. \u201cThe world needs a new engine, one that\nis more developed and more inclusive. The creative economy has the\nopportunity to become that engine. Behind the economic figures are\nmillions of people turning imagination into economic opportunities.\nCreativity alone is not enough. We must connect talent with education,\ntechnology, financing, protection and markets. Stories, design, films,\ngames and other creative works must not only be created, but also become\neconomic assets that generate sustainable value and deliver clear and\nfair benefits to their creators,\u201d Rachmat said at the official opening\nof WCCE 2026 on Thursday (22 October).<\/p>\n
A report by the Ministry of Creative Economy and the Creative Economy\nAgency found that the creative economy contributed more than Rp1,700\ntrillion, or around 7 per cent, to national gross domestic product (GDP)\nin 2025. The sector employed 27.40 million people that year, while its\nGDP grew by 6.86 per cent. This contribution underscores the importance\nof intellectual property\u2014including copyright, trademarks, patents,\nindustrial designs, trade secrets and other forms of intellectual\nproperty\u2014not only as a means of legal protection but also as economic\ninfrastructure. Such infrastructure connects creativity and innovation\nwith financing, licensing, distribution and markets.<\/p>\n
The conference programme continued with a parallel event organised by\nthe Ministry of National Development Planning\/Bappenas in collaboration\nwith the President\u2019s Special Staff for the Creative Economy and the\nCentre for Music Ecosystem Studies, titled \u201cBeyond IP: New Engine of\nGrowth\u201d. The discussion covered the need to register and protect\nintellectual property in the music subsector, the commercialisation of\npatents and other forms of intellectual property, and best practices in\ndeveloping and using digital infrastructure to store\nintellectual-property assets. The discussions are expected to build a\nshared understanding of priority issues and needs in developing national\ndigital intellectual-property infrastructure.<\/p>\n
Deputy National Development Planning Minister and deputy head of\nBappenas Febrian Alphyanto Ruddyard stressed in his opening remarks the\nimportance of strengthening this infrastructure so creativity can\ngenerate tangible, sustainable economic value for creators. This\nrequires an intellectual-property ecosystem with standardised and\nintegrated data, supported by a shared architecture and interoperability\nbetween systems, covering registration, licensing, use of works, royalty\nmanagement and payments.<\/p>\n
Febrian proposed developing a \u201cdigital passport\u201d for creative works\nthat could record the creator\u2019s identity, rights ownership, the\ndistribution of economic benefits and the commercial use of the\nwork.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith a system like this, a musician would not only know that their\nsong is popular, but also the economic value it generates and the\nbenefits they receive. When ownership is clear and income histories can\nbe verified, intellectual property can increasingly be valued as an\neconomic asset. In time, predictable royalty income could even provide a\nbasis for financing creators without requiring them to relinquish all\nrights to their work,\u201d Febrian said.<\/p>\n
He added that technology, including blockchain and artificial\nintelligence, should be used to strengthen transparency and trust,\nrather than adopted simply to keep up with technological developments.\n\u201cSuccess should not be measured by how many certificates are issued or\napplications built, but by how many creators earn better incomes, how\nmany innovations reach the market and how many new economic\nopportunities are created. We must move from protecting creativity to\nempowering creators, and from merely registering intellectual property\nto creating economic value,\u201d Febrian said.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of National Development Planning\/Bappenas continues to\npromote a more integrated, transparent and inclusive creative economy\necosystem by strengthening digital intellectual-property infrastructure.\nThis is expected to increase the economic value of creative works, widen\nthe benefits for creators and support the transformation of the national\neconomy.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/government-targets-creative-economy-as-a-national-development-strategy-1792724001", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }