How can countries better capture the contribution of culture to employment, international trade and sustainable development? This question was at the heart of the first meeting of the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) Cultural and Creative Industries Advisory Group, held from 15 to 17 July 2026 at the UIS office in Montreal.
The meeting brought together experts from national institutions, international organizations, academia, cultural policy, the cultural sectors and statistical practice. Their shared objective was to help transform the newly released 2025 UNESCO Framework for Cultural Statistics into a practical Cultural and Creative Industry Indicators Framework.
Opening the meeting, the UIS Director a.i emphasized the growing urgency of making culture more visible in national and international data systems.
Without strong statistics, culture risks remaining underrepresented in policy debates, budget decisions, development planning and international monitoring frameworks.
The cultural and creative ecosystem is changing rapidly. Artificial intelligence, digital platforms, new forms of production and distribution, hybrid cultural practices and evolving patterns of participation are transforming how culture is created, accessed and valued. Statistical systems must evolve accordingly.
The 2025 UNESCO Framework for Cultural Statistics provides the foundation for this work. Updating the previous 2009 Framework, it introduces the Cultural and Creative Ecosystem as the universe for statistical measurement and recognizes cultural practices as a key unit of analysis. It also applies to a value-generation model that captures the multiple ways culture creates social, economic and symbolic value.
Importantly, the Framework establishes a common statistical language across diverse fields, including tangible and intangible heritage, performing arts, visual arts and crafts, books and press, audiovisual activities, music, design and creative services, festivals and interactive media. By connecting these areas to international classifications, it enables countries to respect the diversity of cultural expression while improving the comparability of their data.
Over three days, Advisory Group members examined the proposed scope, structure, conceptual model and indicators for the new Indicators framework. Discussions focused on whether the proposed indicators are conceptually sound, methodologically feasible and capable of responding to policy needs at national, regional and global levels.
Feedback from the meeting will directly inform a revised version of the Indicators Framework, which will serve as the basis for a global consultation later in 2026. UIS aims to complete the first phase of the framework by November 2026, followed by a broader methodological and conceptual document by the end of the second quarter of 2027.
This initiative turns data into action, paving the way for fairer recognition of cultural work, stronger and more resilient creative ecosystems, and a deeper understanding of culture’s contribution to sustainable development. By combining statistical expertise with cultural knowledge, the UIS Cultural and Creative Industries Advisory Group is helping ensure that culture is not only recognized, but also measured, understood and supported.
READ MORE: https://www.uis.unesco.org/en/news/making-culture-count-uis-had-first-meeting-advisory-group-cultural-and-creative-industries
