The United Kingdom’s Mission to ASEAN and the British Council have officially launched the ASEAN-UK Advancing Creative Economy (ACE) program, an initiative aimed at strengthening the creative economies across the region.
The program is designed to foster collaboration with the United Kingdom (UK) and focuses on key areas such as professional development, knowledge exchange, and networking among policymakers and creative practitioners.
The ACE program will be structured around three main strands. The first comprises a series of Professional Development Courses, which will target creative economy policy development and festival management. These tailored courses are designed to support the growth of policymakers, festival producers, and creative professionals by equipping them with the skills and knowledge needed to develop and manage creative economies and cultural events more effectively.
The second strand of the program emphasizes knowledge exchange between the UK and ASEAN. This will be facilitated through delegations to the UK for ASEAN festival managers and policy development roundtables. These exchanges will provide an opportunity for participants to collaborate, share best practices, and learn from the UK’s vast experience in fostering a successful creative economy. The goal is to establish strong, lasting partnerships between the two regions.
The third strand focuses on Research into the ASEAN Arts Sector. This includes initiatives such as conducting a regional perception poll and mapping the arts and creative technology landscape across ASEAN. Additionally, the program will map ASEAN festivals to gain valuable insights that will inform future collaborations and strategic decisions in the creative sector.
This new initiative aligns with ASEAN’s broader Connectivity agenda, specifically under the ASEAN Master Plan on Connectivity, which prioritizes people-to-people connections. By promoting engagement and cooperation between ASEAN and the UK, the ACE program aims to enhance the creative sector’s growth and integration within the global economy.
