World Creativity and Innovation Day 2021: World Creativity and Innovation Day is a global UN day celebrated on April 21 to raise awareness around the importance of creativity and innovation in problem-solving with respect to advancing the United Nations sustainable development goals, also known as the “global goals”.
In 2017, the 21st of April was officially recognized by the UN as being the World Creativity and Innovation Day.
World Creativity and Innovation Day: History
World Creativity and Innovation Day (WCID) was founded on 25 May 2001 in Toronto, Canada. The founder of the day was the Canadian Marci Segal, who was studying creativity in 1977 at the International Center for Studies in Creativity. When the headline ‘Canada in Creativity Crisis’ appeared in the National Post, she decided to generate a World Creativity and Innovation Day. Because according to her at the time of crisis if people use their natural ability to generate new ideas, make new decisions, take new actions, and achieve new outcomes, to make a better place in the world to live.
UNCTAD, alongside UNESCO, WIPO, UNIDO, the WTO will drive the annual celebrations and observations of the year.
UNCTAD Acting Secretary-General Isabelle Durant said the resolution was timely. “The creative industries are critical to the sustainable development agenda. They stimulate innovation and diversification, are an important factor in the burgeoning services sector, support entrepreneurship, and contribute to cultural diversity,” she said.
What is creativity?
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. Therefore, the United Nations designated 21 April as World Creativity and Innovation Day to raise the awareness of the role of creativity and innovation in all aspects of human development.
Creativity and Culture
The creative economy –which includes audiovisual products, design, 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. Culture is an essential component of sustainable development and represents a source of identity, innovation and creativity for the individual and community. At the same time, creativity and culture have a significant non-monetary value that contributes to inclusive social development, to dialogue and understanding between peoples.
