World Creativity and Innovation Day

The World Creativity and Innovation Day is celebrated annually on 21 April in order to raise awareness on the role of creativity and innovation in all aspects of human development. Even though there may be no universal understanding of creativity, the concept is open to interpretation from artistic expression to problem solving in the context of economic, social, and sustainable development. Nowadays, creativity and innovation have become the true wealth of every nation.

After the challenging times that we all been through, there could not be a better time to appreciate the creative economy, which includes designs, new media, performing arts, publishing and visual arts, is a highly transformative sector of the world economy in terms of income generation, job creation, and export earnings. According to the Report “Reshaping policies for creativity: addressing culture as a global public good”, the crisis generated by the pandemic led the Gross Value Added in the cultural and leisure sectors to decrease by US$ 750 billion, and 10 million jobs were lost in 2020. This day is well positioned to encourage creative multidisciplinary thinking to help us achieve the sustainable future we want.

Therefore, the World Creativity and Innovation Day encourages everyone to imagine a different world with different solutions and provides us an excuse to try to solve old problems in new ways with the potential of finding better and more effective ways to accomplish our goals. Innovation, creativity, and mass entrepreneurship can provide new momentum for economic growth and job creation. It can expand opportunities for everyone, including women and youth.

We at World Assembly of Youth (WAY) appreciate the significance of this day and urge young people to instil creativity and innovation in their daily lives. Today, the creative industries are among the most dynamic sectors in the world economy providing new opportunities for developing countries to leapfrog into emerging high-growth areas of the world economy. Therefore, young people should embrace the idea that innovation is essential for harnessing the economic potential of our nations. It can provide solutions to some of the most pressing problems such as: peace, health, poverty, and hunger.

We all should advocate for creativity and innovation to be placed at the heart of development plans at the local and international level. As creativity and innovation are beneficial for everyone, youth included, in every walk of life, and every career.