KINGSTON, Jamaica —A Green Paper on the National Policy for Culture, Entertainment and the Creative Economy was tabled in the House of Representatives on Tuesday by the Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange.

“This Green Paper’s is forward-looking approach, places a premium on a just and cohesive society, equity and inclusivity, empowered communities, preservation of our rich heritage, respect for cultural diversity and cultural expressions.

“The instrument embraces and promotes innovation, as well as the leveraging of frontier technologies that power our creative economy within an ethical framework, and likewise focuses on sustainability and resilience for culture, entertainment and the creative economy,” said Grange.

She told the House that the Green Paper will be the subject of discussion and consultation, “as we work together to secure for Jamaica, a transformative framework which both preserves and promotes our rich culture and heritage as a priority and unlocks the full potential of Jamaica’s vibrant creative sectors driving Jamaica’s cultural and creative sectors into a new era of accelerated human and economic development”.

Grange noted that Jamaica’s creative economy is already a significant contributor to national development, generating over five per cent of gross domestic product and supporting nearly three per cent of employment.

“This performance places entertainment, culture and the creative industries (ECCIs) alongside tourism, construction, and agriculture as vital pillars of our economy,” she said.

The minister added that, “The impetus of this policy design is to accelerate sustainable socioeconomic development and growth, through the provision of an enabling environment for the ECCIs, with a strategic plan to address capacity building, investment needs, and infrastructure requirements; provide for effective governance frameworks; strengthen regimes for data collection and intellectual property rights protection, as well as increased public access to them; target the elimination of barriers to trade; and to increase support to the Sector in favour of safeguarding the status and mobility of the artist and anchoring sustained, vibrant, and thriving industries”.