The observance of World Creativity and Innovation Day aims at promoting creativity and innovation in regards to solving the United Nations (UN) sustainable developmental goals.
Even today, although, arts and other such creative spaces strive to gain the limelight as most regard them as mere 'passionate activities' or tag them as hobbies. But there remains a huge arena for art and artistic works.
The key purpose of the day is to remind and encourage people to use their creativity to make the world a better place.
History of the day
World Creativity and Innovation Day (WCID) was founded on 25 May, 2001 in Toronto, Canada.
But it took long 17 years for the United Nations General Assembly to adopt the resolution for the day thus celebrating the first observance of this global event in 2018. Since then, the day has been celebrated annually on April 21.
Its founder Marci Segal, a Canadian, was studying creativity in 1977 at the International Center for Studies in Creativity when the headline 'Canada in Creativity Crisis' in the National Post, stipulated in her the need of a World Creativity and Innovation Day.
Creative and innovative ideas always have the power to awaken the world amid any crisis. This was the intention Segal too had in her mind. The observance of a day for the creative minds can help people use their natural ability to generate new ideas, decisions that can give productive outcomes turning the world a better place to live in.
Significance of the day
What is the significance of creativity in the day to day life? Quite a quirky question with answers ranging wide across all sectors.
It was in 2006 that the WCID become a weeklong celebration, starting with the birthday of Leonardo da Vinci on April 15, who demonstrated creativity as both arts and sciences.
The UN resolution to celebrate the day on April 21 was to raise importance among people about the use of their creativity in problem-solving to achieving the 2015 Sustainable Development Goals.
This year, as the whole world fights against the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN looks ahead to the power and support from people to curb the virus spread in no time.
A recent UN report underlines the need to promote culture and creativity-driven industries as it generates $2.25 billion in revenue every year, and provides nearly 30 million jobs globally.
According to the findings of the special edition of the Creative Economy Report "Widening local development pathways", co-published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) through the UN Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) in the 21st century, creativity and innovations have become the true wealth of nations, both at individual and group levels.
