Indonesia stresses strengthening creative workers' skills at UNESCO forum

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia’s Deputy Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, Ambassador Satrya Wibawa, emphasised the importance of strengthening skills, social protection, and fairer access to opportunities for creative workers. According to a UNESCO press release in Jakarta on Thursday (11/6), the statement was made by Satrya at the launch of the global report ‘Skills and Employment in the Culture and Creative Industries: Strategic Frameworks and Promising Initiatives’ in Paris, France, on Tuesday. ‘For Indonesia, this discussion is very relevant and timely. The creative economy has become an important pillar of national development,’ said Satrya. ‘However, economic figures must always be read alongside the need to strengthen skills, qualifications, social protection, and access to fairer opportunities for creative actors,’ he added. Satrya said Indonesia has developed various policy instruments to support creative economy development, including through the Law on the Advancement of Culture, the Cultural Advancement Master Plan 2025–2045, and the establishment of the Ministry of Creative Economy. According to him, the national vocational education system has also covered various fields of arts and creative industries, ranging from traditional arts to animation, film, and visual communication design. In the forum, Indonesia stressed four priorities that are in line with UNESCO’s recommendations. First, public investment in culture must be viewed as a long-term state commitment. In 2025, the Indonesiana Fund disbursed Rp465 billion to more than 2,800 beneficiaries, including artists, communities, and cultural institutions. Second, cultural workers and artists need to be supported to engage in global cultural exchanges while also gaining recognition, welfare, and decent working conditions. Third, the creative economy needs to become an important part of the digital transition and the development of artificial intelligence (AI). Fourth, skills development must be rooted in local contexts while remaining globally relevant by recognising local knowledge, traditional practices, and community creativity as sources of innovation. Satrya asserted that the future of the creative economy cannot be measured solely by export value, contribution to gross domestic product (GDP), or workforce numbers. According to him, behind these figures are artists, artisans, designers, musicians, film workers, entrepreneurs, and storytellers who sustain the cultural life of society. ‘They need to be recognised not only as part of economic data, but as key development actors who require relevant skills, access to financing, social protection, and space to innovate,’ said Satrya.