Latifa bint Mohammed launches the “Creative Sector Immunity Portfolio” to support creative people and enhance the sector’s growth and sustainability

In line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, and Chairman of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Dubai, to provide facilities to the economic sector to enhance the capabilities of flexibility, readiness and rapid response to changes with a value of one billion dirhams, covering various economic sectors and supporting capabilities, Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairwoman of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, launched the “Creative Sector Immunity Portfolio”, aimed at To develop the creative system in Dubai and raise its readiness and ability to face challenges and adapt to changes, in a way that supports talented people and people with competencies in various creative fields, and ensures the sustainability of the sector’s growth as one of the tributaries of Dubai’s creative economy.

Her Highness stressed that the launch of the “Creative Sector Immunity Portfolio” embodies Dubai’s thought and reflects its unique approach in dealing with various variables efficiently, and highlights its ability to build a vital system that makes creativity a sustainable economic engine. It also translates its belief in the importance of investing in people, which is the basis for creating the future.

Her Highness said: “Dubai continues to play its role in empowering the cultural sector and advancing its cultural and creative industries, by adopting innovative solutions that enhance the strength of the sector and consolidate its readiness to anticipate and adapt to challenges, open up to markets, support the integration of strategic partnerships that embody the spirit of shared responsibility between government agencies, the private sector and society, and open new paths for business growth in various creative fields.”

Her Highness, Chairwoman of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, expressed her confidence in the portfolio’s ability to give more impetus to the cultural movement taking place in Dubai, through the package of facilities it provides to support cultural and creative institutions and centers, small and medium enterprises, and talented people, and to enable the sector to deal efficiently with various variables and overcome them with strength and high confidence, and raise its readiness to keep pace with future transformations.

The portfolio is one of the most prominent outcomes of the “Creative Sector Resilience” workshop organized by Dubai Culture in cooperation with the Dubai Future Foundation, with the participation of an elite group of leaders of cultural, heritage, artistic and creative institutions and centers in the emirate, with the aim of enhancing the flexibility and readiness of the cultural system, preserving the vitality of Dubai’s creative economy, and consolidating the emirate’s position as a global center for culture, an incubator for creativity, and a forum for talent.

The portfolio represents an innovative strategic framework based on five main axes: cultural infrastructure, creative production, participation and audience, talent development, and cultural impact, which contributes to the development of cultural and creative industries. The portfolio will be implemented in several stages, each of which includes a package of initiatives aimed at supporting creators and artistic and cultural institutions, and providing the facilities they need, financing and professional development programs, and qualitative opportunities that enable them to continue their production and develop their creative projects, and ensure their access to the public and local and international markets.

In this context, an agreement was reached with a number of partners from government and private entities to coordinate efforts and expand the horizons of joint cooperation to enhance the sector’s flexibility and ensure its sustainability, as part of Dubai Culture’s efforts aimed at laying the foundations for a more flexible creative system capable of anticipating challenges.

The “Cultural Infrastructure” axis, which aims to support the continuity of creative production, includes providing free, diverse and multi-use spaces for members of the creative community, in cooperation with Dubai Municipality, Dubai CommerCity, the Art House in Expo City Dubai, Dubai Holding Asset Management, the Dubai International Financial Center, and Dubai South. In addition, providing dedicated spaces within Dubai Culture assets, and others at an affordable cost in cooperation with Let’s Work, to enable talents to showcase their products and build a strong communication network and professional relationships that enhance their presence and support their success.

As for the “Creative Production” axis, it includes a group of programmes, the most prominent of which are the “Dubai Cultural Grant”, “Small Grants” in cooperation with “Art Jameel”, and “Mini Creative Commissions” in cooperation with “Luxury Design”, which was founded by the Emirati entrepreneur Saeed Saif Al Ketbi, in addition to the “Art Exhibition Grant” in cooperation with “Art Dubai”.

The “Talent Development” axis includes the continuation of the e-learning initiative in partnership with LinkedIn, the largest professional network in the world, in addition to organizing a series of cultural activation programs, holding workshops, advanced training courses, and community initiatives.

The “Participation and Audience” axis includes providing promotional and media support to creators through digital platforms with the aim of highlighting them and promoting their creativity, in addition to providing sales outlets and exhibitions in vital locations in cooperation with the “Majid Al Futtaim” group, which gives creators the opportunity to benefit from the “Together Program” to obtain free spaces within its assets, which contributes to the spread of creative production, expanding the reach of the public and developing commercial opportunities. As for the “Cultural Impact” axis, it aims to contribute to transforming Dubai into an open art gallery, by employing external billboards in various parts of the emirate to display creative works, in cooperation with the “PHI” advertising and advertising company, which enhances the presence of art in public space.