UNESCO Conference on Strengthening Data for Cultural and Creative Industries Policy - BNU Events

The conference brought together a distinguished gathering of academics, scholars, civil society representatives, and officials from multilateral organizations including UNESCO and UNDP. Researchers from various educational institutions across Lahore also participated, making the event a vibrant platform for dialogue on the economic significance of Pakistan’s cultural and creative sectors. The day's sessions opened with two thematic panels — The Economics of Culture and The Impact of Culture — featuring presentations from national scholars on topics ranging from the role of traditional crafts and the film industry to the potential of Pakistan's tourism and secondhand retail sectors. Mr. Zaeem Yaqoob Khan, Project Lead of the UNESCO IFCD Project and Executive Director at BNU, shared an in-depth progress report on the definition and instrument development exercises undertaken by the project team. He also outlined the learnings from the pilot study and the ongoing field rollout activities planned to validate new tools for data collection. Senior Expert and Project Co-Lead, Dr. Izza Aftab, presented preliminary findings from the provinces of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Gilgit-Baltistan. She highlighted the emerging economic contributions of various CCI sectors, including music, festivals, food, gaming, textiles, and artisanal crafts, as captured through newly validated instruments. The conference concluded with an engaging panel conversation featuring celebrated figures in the arts and academia — Professor Salima Hashmi, Dr. Tamkenat Mansoor, photographer and cultural practitioner Khaula Jamil, and creative strategist Yaser Awan — who shared insights on amplifying Pakistan’s cultural sector and building sustainable creative economies. This conference marks a significant milestone in the broader effort to generate evidence-based policymaking for the cultural and creative industries in Pakistan and affirms BNU’s leadership role in cultural policy research and advocacy.