UNESCO Commits to Cooperation with the Year of Creativity in Brazil

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São Paulo, October 2026 — The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), through its Office in Brazil, has officially committed to technical cooperation with the World Creativity Organization (WCO) for the Year of Creativity in Brazil 2026, an international initiative that recognizes creativity as a strategic resource for human, economic, cultural and social development.

UNESCO acknowledged the initiative's convergence with the organization's mandate in the field of Culture and with international commitments to sustainable development. The declaration is an important institutional milestone for the first edition of the Year of Creativity, broadening its connection with the international agenda for education, culture and sustainable development.

Creativity as a strategy for sustainable development

The recognition reinforces one of the World Creativity Organization's core premises: creativity is not limited to artistic and cultural expression; it is also an essential human capacity for building solutions to contemporary challenges, especially the sustainable development of communities and nations.

UNESCO highlighted the initiative's alignment with three Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations:

• SDG 4 — Quality Education: promoting educational opportunities and the development of creative skills.
• SDG 8 — Decent Work and Economic Growth: valuing the creative economy as a tool for generating opportunities and economic development.
• SDG 11 — Sustainable Cities and Communities: strengthening creative territories and local development initiatives.

By connecting education, culture, the creative economy and territorial development, the Year of Creativity in Brazil seeks to broaden the recognition of creativity as a cross-cutting competence for sustainable development.

The cooperation is technical in nature, involves no transfer of financial resources between the organizations, and complies with UNESCO's institutional procedures.

Brazil launches an international initiative

The Year of Creativity in Brazil was established by a resolution of the World Creativity Organization and publicly announced on 4 December 2025, during Unlock CCXP in São Paulo.

On that occasion, representatives of education, culture, advertising, innovation and creative economy institutions took part in the launch of the first edition of the Year of Creativity, an initiative designed to recognize and mobilize the creative potential of different countries.

Organizations present at the announcement included ABRAGAMES, ABEDESIGN, ABAP, ESPM, Instituto Ayrton Senna, Rede Brasileira de Aprendizagem Criativa and Omelete Company.

Brazil was chosen as the first host country at a time of international recognition for Brazilian creativity, marked by its Creative Country of the Year distinction at Cannes Lions 2025 and the growing global reach of the country's cultural production.

The initiative was designed to connect cities, educational institutions, companies, social organizations and communities in a shared agenda that values creativity, education, innovation and social impact.

Since its launch, the Year of Creativity in Brazil has brought together actions of institutional recognition, mobilization and collaboration across different sectors of society.

Recognition from the Minister of Culture

The technical cooperation declared by UNESCO adds to another important institutional recognition the initiative received in 2026.

In April, Brazil's Minister of Culture, Margareth Menezes, publicly acknowledged the World Creativity Organization's declaration of the Year of Creativity in Brazil in an article she wrote, titled Brasil Criativo: a nova indústria da nossa gente (Creative Brazil: the new industry of our people), published on the Federal Government website and reproduced by leading news sites in the country.

In the article, the minister links the appreciation of Brazilian creativity to the strengthening of the creative economy, the creation of opportunities, territorial development and the design of public policies able to recognize the country's cultural and productive potential.

The minister's statement and UNESCO's technical cooperation are distinct and complementary milestones in the initiative's journey: public recognition by an authority of the Brazilian government, and confirmation of technical support by a specialized agency of the United Nations system.

Both reinforce the importance of expanding dialogue among public institutions, international bodies, the productive sector and civil society around creativity as a tool for development.

A Brazilian legacy for the world

Brazil is the first country to host the Year of Creativity, a WCO international initiative designed to recognize, each year, the creative leadership of a different nation.

From 2027, a new host country is expected to carry the program forward, expanding the exchange of experiences, initiatives and good practices among creative territories and ecosystems around the world.

For December 2026, the World Creativity Organization is preparing the closing ceremony of the first edition, which will bring together institutional representatives, cultural leaders, honored organizations and members of the creative ecosystem to celebrate the results of Brazil's mobilization and announce the next host country.

The cooperation declared by UNESCO's Office in Brazil is a significant milestone in this journey, recognizing the initiative's convergence with international commitments to education, culture, economic development and sustainability.

More than a celebration, the Year of Creativity in Brazil seeks to consolidate an agenda that recognizes and values the creative capacity of people, organizations and communities.

By launching this international initiative, Brazil helps affirm a vision of the future in which creativity is no longer only an expression of cultural identity, but takes a strategic place on human and sustainable development agendas.

About the World Creativity Organization

The World Creativity Organization (WCO) is an international organization dedicated to promoting creativity as a strategic resource for human, economic, cultural and social development.

Born from the World Creativity Day movement, created in 2014, the organization brings together leaders, educational institutions, companies, governments and communities that recognize creativity as an essential competence for facing contemporary challenges.

Its initiatives include World Creativity Day, the Brazil Creative Awards (Prêmio Brasil Criativo), the World Creativity Academy and the Year of Creativity, an international program that had Brazil as its first host country in 2026.

Learn more: yearofcreativity.org/2026