The UAE and Canada have signed a joint statement for greater cooperation in the field of cultural and creative sector to enrich the creative economy ecosystem in the two countries. The announcement came at the end of a bilateral meeting held on February 8, 2022, at Ministry of Culture and Youth Abu Dhabi, between His Excellency Mubarak Al Nakhi, Undersecretary of the UAE Ministry of Culture and Youth and Her Excellency Marcy Grossman, Ambassador of Canada to United Arab Emirates, on behalf of H.E. Joelle Montminy, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Cultural Affairs of Canadian Heritage. The joint statement was signed in the presence of her Excellency Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, UAE Minister of Culture and Youth and Canadian Consul General in Dubai and the Northern Emirates H.E. Jean-Phillippe Linteau.

According to the statement, the UAE and Canada will strengthen collaboration and seek greater exchange of information on regulatory frameworks, policies and best practices in the fields of culture and creativity and build on trade opportunities by fostering partnerships and entrepreneurship opportunities. It also welcomed the outcomes of the World Conference on Creative Economy (WCCE) 2021 hosted in the UAE and its 21 action points towards the development of the global creative economy.

Commenting on the bilateral meeting, His Excellency Mubarak Al Nakhi said: It was a pleasure to meet with Her Excellency Marcy Grossman, Ambassador of Canada to the United Arab Emirates. We discussed ways of cooperation to build a robust and sustainable creative economy ecosystem. Theres a lot of scope for learning and exchange of ideas between the two countries in the creative domain, and we will continue to explore further opportunities. The UAEs CCI sector would like to work closely with Heritage Canada to learn from best practices and policies that Canada has worked on especially in the fields of gaming, immersive technology, film and animation.