Forging partnerships: Tiffin (third from left) with Khairul Firdaus (fourth from right) at the opening of the Asean-UK symposium in Kuala Lumpur. — ONG SOON HIN/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: Over 100 regional policymakers, members of academia and practitioners are working to leverage the diverse creative industries of the United Kingdom to boost economic growth in Asean at a major gathering.
The two-day Asean-UK Symposium on the Development of Asean Creative Economy Sustainability Framework, which started yesterday, is aimed at helping to foster sustainable development within the Asean Creative Economy (ACE).
The event is a collaboration of the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry (Motac) with the Asean Secretariat, United Kingdom Mission to Asean, British Council and Cultural Associates of Oxford.
The effort highlights the importance of the creative and culture as vital drivers of economic growth, social cohesion and environmental sustainability while positioning the ACE as a global leader in cultural exchange and innovation.
Deputy Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan, who opened the symposium, said it serves as a platform for knowledge and best practices between the UK and Asean by strengthening partnerships.
“There are a lot of great things that we can learn about the creative economy, which is quite mature in the UK.
“What the UK is doing is helping us by providing more information, more insights, more knowledge that are beneficial at all fronts,” he said, adding that the symposium is the first of its kind locally.
“Our role at Motac is to help facilitate things by making sure everything is in place, so that the industry can grow better,” he told the media yesterday.
Khairul Firdaus noted that Malaysia’s strength lies in its diversified creative industries, which have been identified in the ecosystem, and how they can be merged with the knowledge shared by its UK counterpart.
Ambassador of the United Kingdom Mission to Asean Sarah Tiffin said the creative economy is a thriving sector in the UK, especially with most people being aware of British music, films as well as the digital gaming industry.
As such, she said, they are delighted to be partnering with Asean and, in particular, Malaysia during the nation’s 2025 chairmanship of the regional bloc.
“My government is investing heavily in the creative economy and has highlighted it as one of the eight top sectors with maximum potential for growth over the next few years in our new industrial strategy.
“So, we wanted to take that excitement and share what we’ve learned with Asean because we know it is working collectively already over several years to harness the power of its own creative economies.
“This is an area where we can learn from what Asean is doing, but also share what we’ve been learning. We don’t see this as a one-off but more of a long-term partnership, which we hope will be beneficial to both Asean and the UK,” said Tiffin.
Also present at yesterday’s opening were Motac secretary-general Datuk Wira Roslan Abdul Rahman, Motac deputy secretary-general (culture) Datuk Mohd Yusri Mohd Yusoff, representatives from the Asean Secretariat as well as ambassadors and embassy representatives.
The event featured panel discussions between the Asean and UK experts as well as workshop sessions.
