UNESCO has released the latest edition of its flagship report, Re|Shaping Policies for Creativity, which analyzes the evolving global cultural landscape shaped by digital transformation, artificial intelligence, and shifting trade dynamics. Drawing on data from over 120 countries, the report warns that creators face projected revenue losses of up to 24% by 2028 due to the growing impact of generative AI, highlighting the urgent need for stronger policies to support artists and cultural professionals.
The report emphasizes that while cultural and creative industries are increasingly recognized for driving economic growth, social cohesion, and sustainable development, existing systems remain fragile and uneven. Although the majority of countries include cultural industries in national development plans, only a limited number establish concrete cultural objectives. Global trade in cultural goods has grown rapidly, yet developing countries remain underrepresented in cultural services markets. Public funding for culture remains critically low, and artistic mobility is constrained by visa restrictions that disproportionately affect creators from developing nations.
Digital technologies have expanded access to creative tools and audiences but have also intensified economic precarity and inequality. Creators now earn a larger share of income from digital sources, but income instability and intellectual property vulnerabilities have increased. Essential digital skills are concentrated in developed countries, and market dominance by a few streaming platforms limits opportunities for lesser-known creators. Monitoring of digital cultural consumption remains inadequate, hindering effective policy responses.
The report also highlights growing threats to artistic freedom and the safety of creators, particularly in regions affected by political instability and conflict. Support mechanisms remain fragmented and under-resourced, while digital surveillance and algorithmic bias pose additional risks. Gender and inclusion gaps persist, with women more likely to hold leadership positions in developed countries than in developing ones, and policy frameworks often continue to treat women primarily as cultural consumers rather than as creators or sector leaders.
UNESCO has spent over two decades promoting culture and creative industries as central to global policy, development planning, and crisis response. The 2026 Re|Shaping Policies for Creativity report, supported by the Government of Sweden, monitors the implementation of the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. UNESCO has helped more than 100 countries design or reform cultural policies, strengthened socio-economic protections for artists, supported digital transitions, and empowered communities to create and share cultural expressions. Through its International Fund for Cultural Diversity, UNESCO has supported 164 projects in creative fields across 76 countries in the Global South, illustrating the critical role of culture in sustainable development and inclusive growth.
