Green Paper on National Policy for Culture, Entertainment and Creative Economy Tabled in House

The Green Paper on the National Policy for Culture, Entertainment and the Creative Economy was tabled in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (October 7).

The policy, which was tabled by Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, will be the subject of discussion and consultation.

“This Green Paper’s forward-looking approach places a premium on a just and cohesive society, equity and inclusivity, empowered communities, preservation of our rich heritage, respect for cultural diversity and cultural expressions,” Ms. Grange said.

“The instrument embraces and promotes innovation, as well as the leveraging of frontier technologies that power our creative economy within an ethical framework, and likewise focuses on sustainability and resilience for culture, entertainment and the creative economy,” she added.

Ms. Grange said the Green Paper reflects a bold and visionary design, shaped by ongoing consultative processes with cultural experts and Entertainment, Culture and Creative Industry (ECCI) practitioners.

The Minister noted that ECCI practitioners are positioned at the heart of Jamaica’s human and economic development, recognising their power as engines of human and socio-economic development and transformation.

“It encapsulates a number of benefits and protections, which will enshrine safeguards around the Jamaica Entertainers and Creatives Insurance Plan, which provides both health and life insurance for our entertainers, creatives, cultural practitioners and our cultural communities,” Ms. Grange said.

“It undergirds incentives around tools of trade, facilitates preferential and free movement of entertainers, creatives and cultural practitioners and strengthens the sector through the recognition, integration and sustainability of Associations within the sector,” she added.

Jamaica’s creative economy is already a significant contributor to national development, generating more than five per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) and supporting nearly three per cent of employment.

The Minister noted that this performance places Entertainment, Culture and the Creative Industries alongside tourism, construction, and agriculture as vital pillars of the economy.

Ms. Grange said that the impetus of this policy design is to accelerate sustainable socio-economic development and growth, through the provision of an enabling environment for the ECCIs, with a strategic plan to address capacity-building, investment needs, and infrastructure requirements.

The policy will also provide for effective governance frameworks; strengthen regimes for data collection and intellectual property rights protection, as well as increased public access to them; target the elimination of barriers to trade; and increase support to the sector in favour of safeguarding the status and mobility of the artiste and anchoring sustained, vibrant, and thriving industries.

“We are confident that this policy construct, complementary legislative action and diligent implementation will be a critical success factor in transforming people’s lives, communities, society and economy. This represents a key part of the Government’s overall strategy for achieving Jamaica’s Vision 2030 and global Sustainable Development Goals,” the Minister said.