Seven ministries are involved in the creation of the National Creative Economy Policy, which aims to definitively insert the sector into the national development agenda. When participating in a seminar on the topic in Rio de Janeiro, this Wednesday (17), the Secretary of Creative Economy of the Ministry of Culture (MinC), Cláudia Leitão, explained the transversal nature of the proposal. "It will be an interministerial decree. The creative economy is not just in Culture. It is also in New Industry Brazil, Tourism, Science and Technology, Work, Micro and Small Businesses and Regional Integration and Development", he said, in an interview with Agência Brasil. Related news: MinC seeks BRICS support for cultural infrastructure. Vision about the creative economy is maturing, says founder of Rio2C. São Paulo will allocate R$90 million to audiovisual and creative economy. Cláudia Leitão and the Minister of Culture, Margareth Menezes, participated in the International Seminar Paths to Promotion and Financing in the Creative Economy, held at Palácio Gustavo Capanema, in the center of Rio de Janeiro. At the opening of the seminar, on Tuesday (16), the minister defined that “what we are doing here is to collectively build a framework for the future of the Brazilian creative economy”. Margareth Menezes reinforced the need to expand the participation of the private sector and financial institutions in strengthening the segment: "The government alone won't do it. We also need to activate the vote of confidence from companies and financial institutions. Investing in culture is powerful, gives quick results, generates sociability and moves several other sectors of the economy", he declared. >> Follow the Agência Brasil channel on WhatsApp International Seminar Paths to Promotion and Financing in Creative Economy, at the Palácio Gustavo Capanema Building, city center. Photo: Tânia Rêgo/Agência Brasil Regional listening The Secretary of Creative Economy explained that the seminar ends a listening process carried out in the five regions of the country, through the Forum Brasil Criativo: "We have been traveling around Brazil since last year, with the Forum Brasil Criativo. We passed through the North, Northeast, South and Central-West and, now, we end this journey in the Southeast. In each region, we carried out interviews and produced letters with contributions from the creative field", he said. The activities continue until Thursday (18), when the Southeast Charter will be drawn up. The document will add to the contributions collected in other regions and will serve as a basis for the construction of the Plano Brasil Criativo and the decree of the National Creative Economy Policy. “This is a strategy to consolidate the creative economy as a State policy, articulating culture, economic development, innovation, sustainability and social inclusion”, stated Cláudia Leitão. The secretary argued that Brazil has as much capacity as South Korea to produce culture, influence and development through the creative economy. "The Koreans made a strategic choice about 20 years ago and transformed the creative industry into one of the main drivers of their economy. Brazil has similar potential, supported by its cultural and territorial diversity." Exchange of experiences Throughout Tuesday, participants attended panels on financing, innovation and development of the creative economy. The seminar also opened up space for cultural workers and leaders from different regions of the country to listen. Representatives of initiatives such as The Human Project (SE), Ponto de Cultura Alimentar Iacitatá (PA), Museu do Hip Hop (RS), Comunidade Balatiponé-Umutina (MT) and Feira Preta (SP) participated in the program, sharing experiences on cultural entrepreneurship, territorial development and the challenges of ensuring financial sustainability for projects. The program also presented the experiences of creative entrepreneurs supported by financing and development lines and reinforced the need to combine public investment, credit, guarantees, international cooperation, data, sustainability and business models rooted in the territories. In the closing speech of the first day of the seminar, the Minister of Culture highlighted the need to expand the understanding of the creative economy as a strategic vector for the country's development: "We are seeking to awaken in Brazilian society and companies this still little explored dimension of cultural industries and the creative economy. We know the strength of culture in social transformation, diversity and representation, but we also need to consolidate its economic dimension", he stated. The minister also highlighted that millions of Brazilians work directly or indirectly with culture, but still face difficulties in accessing financing and structured development policies. Financing One of the main themes of the seminar is the creation of financial instruments adapted to the characteristics of the sector. For the advisor of the Institutional Relations, Marketing and Culture Area at BNDES, Luciane Gorgulho, the creative economy still faces challenges because a large part of its assets are intangible. "The creative economy is transversal and is present in different sectors. Often, its importance is not seen in terms of creation, intellectual property and economic contribution", he observed.   Luciane Gorgulho, economist at BNDES, speaks during the International Seminar Paths to Promotion and Financing in the Creative Economy Photo: Tânia Rêgo/Agência Brasil According to her, the construction of specific financing mechanisms is essential to expand the investment capacity of entrepreneurs:  "The importance of instruments such as a possible National Creative Economy Fund would be precisely to offer sources of resources suited to the business needs of the sector. As it is a segment based on intangible assets, traditional lines of credit do not always meet its demands", he stated. The International Seminar Paths to Promotion and Financing in the Creative Economy was organized by the Ministry of Culture (MinC) and the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (Sebrae), bringing together representatives of public authorities, financial institutions, international organizations, entrepreneurs and cultural agents to discuss strategies for strengthening the creative economy in Brazil.