The event organised by the ASEF, the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA) and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism attracted experts and representatives from central ministries, international organisations in Hanoi and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Karsten Warnecke, ASEF Deputy Executive Director, said culture is increasingly recognized as an impetus for economic growth. Opportunities for high growth of cultural and creative industries will contribute to dealing with major challenges in the development process throughout Asia and Europe.

The meeting gave participants an excellent opportunity to promote and share experiences of creative approach, and improve and strengthen future cooperation and communication in the creative economy of the two continents.

Creative and cultural industries are now widely acknowledged as dynamic sectors of the global economy, offering high growth opportunities.

Based on the premise that culture can be an effective driver of economic growth, Asian and European governments, in consultation with the arts sector and international institutions are directing large amounts of investment towards these industries and developing tailor-made local and national policies.

The agenda for discussion included policies and strategies on the creative economy, a deeper analysis of existing policies shaping the creative economy and their potential for innovatively addressing hurdles in development.

Experts also announced cultural policies of India and the Republic of Korea (RoK) and proposed policies for submission to the sixth ASEM Culture Ministers’ Meeting in 2014.

Vietnamese cultural policy will be made public on December 5.