Iván Duque affirmed that the orange economy would be the transforming engine of Latin America

Latin America has “a transformative engine” in the orange industry, an activity that is related to creative production such as culture, entrepreneurship, intellectual property and heritage, former Colombian president Iván Duque stated this Tuesday, when speaking in Santo Sunday in the fourth edition of the Caribbean Orange Forum.

In Colombia, for example, the orange economy “It is larger than mining, the coffee economy and livestock, and it is a sector that generates jobs, attracts investment and organically links different sectors.“added Duque, considered one of the main promoters and promoters of the development of this type of economy.

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In the United States, the orange economy represents between 6% and 7% of the gross domestic product (GDP), as in the United Kingdom, while in the Dominican Republic, which Duque defined as “an expanding cultural power,” that contribution is 2%, far above sectors such as tobacco, which contributes 1.2%, he said.

For this reason, the orange economy “we have to assume from the State as something strategic,” said Duque during his speech at the Caribbean Orange Forum, held under the motto ‘Export of creativity made in the Dominican Republic’ and whose main objective is to make visible and place on the public agenda the issues that address the orange economy and the creative industries in the Caribbean.

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However, the former ruler noted that “lThe big bet of the orange economy also has to be on the individual” and “that implies also changing the chip of the educational systems” in the midst of the transformations imposed by artificial intelligence.

“The countries that manage to convert talent, creativity and knowledge into the main source of expansion of human capital will be the countries that will gain a place in history“he said.

Before assuming the Presidency of Colombia In 2018, Duque worked at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), where he served as head of the Culture, Creativity and Solidarity Division.

In 2013, together with Felipe Buitrago, he published the book ‘The Orange Economy: An Infinite Opportunity’, considered “an essential reference to understand the potential of creative and cultural industries as pillars of economic development,” highlighted the organizers of the event.

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Furthermore, during his administration (2018-2022), Duque promulgated the Orange Economy Law in Colombia, which established a regulatory and incentive framework that sought to promote the development of creative and cultural industries in that country.

Ivan Duque

EFE

The Dominican Minister of Culture, Milagros Germán, also participated in the forum, who stressed that “The opportunities that the creative economy offers us to promote our development are countless.“.

“We cannot forget that culture and creativity are fundamental elements of our identity“Germán stressed, while the Dominican Minister of Industry and Commerce, Víctor Bisonó, pointed out that The orange economy has proven to be one of the most resilient sectors, even in times of adversity such as the pandemic.

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The exports of The creative industries added 1,806 million dollars to the Dominican Republic in 2023, an increase of 125% compared to 2019“reflecting the strength and capacity of our talents,” he stated.

EFE