Hanoi (VNA) – The second preparatory meetingtowards the World Conference on Creative Economy 2018 is underway in Bali,Indonesia, on May 3 - 4, discussing various issues for the conference inNovember this year.

The meeting, held by the Indonesian Ministry of ForeignAffairs, gathered representatives from foreign countries, internationalorganisations, the private sector, think-tanks and scientists, and economists.

Delegates to the meeting discussed the creative economyas a driver for inclusive and equal opportunities for all and a bridge forcommunications and understanding among nations and cultures. The meeting alsolaunched initiatives to boost the creative economy and integrate this newconcept into multilateral diplomacy.

Speaking at the event, Secretary General of theIndonesian Foreign Affairs Mayerfas said the creative economy has becomeincreasingly important to many countries and significantly contributed to theGross Domestic Product (GDP) and job creation. For many nations, the creativeeconomy is a growth engine that relies heavily on human talents, he noted.

This economy will create incentives for creativity,promote open opportunities and have impacts on many other aspects of thesociety, he added.

In Indonesia, the creative economy accounts for about 7.3percent of the country’s GDP and the government always gives priority to thissector, Mayerfas told Vietnam News Agency.

Particularly, Indonesian President Joko Widodo considers ita key sector with focus on the development of start-ups and informationtechnology. Indonesia expects the creative economy will contribute to about 20percent of GDP in the next few years, he added.

During the two-day meeting, the delegates will alsodiscuss issues, such as legal frameworks to create an enabling environment forcreative economy; protection and promotion of intellectual property andsupporting financing system; the financial relationship between creative economyand enterprises; and the role of small and medium-size enterprises.-VNA