Tehran Among Final Two Candidates to Host World Creative Economy Conference (WCCE 2028)

On the eve of the 5th World Creative Economy Conference (WCCE 2026) in Jakarta, the Islamic Republic of Iran has officially been placed on the shortlist of two final candidates to host the sixth edition of this global event in Tehran in 2028, after the main competition. The World Creative Economy Conference (WCCE) is one of the most important platforms […]

On the eve of the 5th World Conference on Creative Economy (WCCE 2026) in Jakarta, the Islamic Republic of Iran has officially entered the list of two final candidates to host the sixth edition of this global event in 2028 in Tehran, after the main competition.

According to ICT News, the World Conference on the Creative Economy (WCCE) has become one of the most important global platforms for dialogue, cooperation and exchange of experience among policymakers, industry activists, academics and other stakeholders of the creative economy.

The previous four editions of this event have brought important achievements; Including the formulation of the "Bali Agenda for the Creative Economy" in 2018, which became the basis for the approval of the United Nations General Assembly resolution and naming 2021 as the "International Year of the Creative Economy for Sustainable Development". Subsequent courses were held in Dubai (2021), Bali (2022) and Tashkent (2023) and each one focused on strengthening international cooperation, developing operational roadmaps and amending national creative economy laws.

The fifth edition of this conference is scheduled to be held from 21 to 23 October 2026 (29 Mehr to 1 Aban 1405) at the Jakarta International Exhibition, Indonesia, and it is expected that more than 80 countries and international organizations will attend it.

The most important expected output of this period is the approval of the "Jakarta Vision on Creative Economy"; A document that is supposed to outline the path of global cooperation in the field of creative economy. It is also expected that this summit will pave the way for the adoption of a new United Nations resolution in 2026 with the aim of strengthening the position of the creative economy in the global development agenda. Also, a delegation from Iran is going to participate in the fifth session of this conference in Jakarta. This three-day event will host prominent national and international figures.

In this regard, the Vice President of Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy of the Presidency has submitted a proposal to host the 6th World Conference on Creative Economy (WCCE 2028) centered on Tehran and the theme of "Inclusive Creativity: Linking Cultures, Technology and Markets". This hosting aims to create sustainable international cooperation, business and innovation platform, and strengthen university-industry cooperation in areas such as digital content, game, animation and programmed design, and it is supported by a consortium of national institutions, Tehran Municipality, universities and the private sector. According to the announcement of the conference secretariat, Iran is on the list of final candidates for hosting in 2028 and the review committee is in the process of final evaluation.

Simultaneously with this international event, the first national event of Iran's creative industries "Manvin" is being held from October 21 to 23 at Isfahan International Exhibition. This event is held with the presence of 396 creative and knowledge-based companies from all over 31 provinces of the country with the aim of transforming creative ideas into salable products and strengthening the creative economy, which shows the growing capacities of the creative economy in the country.