Jakarta, October 1, 2026 – The Ministry of Creative Economy/Creative Economy Agency (Ekraf) encourages the renewal of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on creative economy cooperation with Thailand through the World Conference on Creative Economy (WCCE) forum in Jakarta on October 21—23, 2026.
Minister of Creative Economy/Head of the Creative Economy Agency (Ekraf), Teuku Riefky Harsya (left), talks with Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the Kingdom of Thailand and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Indonesia to UNESCAP, Hari Prabowo (right), during an audience at the Ministry of Creative Economy office, Jakarta, Thursday (1/10/2026).
This was stated by Minister of Creative Economy, Teuku Riefky Harsya, during a meeting with the Indonesian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand, who also serves as the Ambassador to UNESCAP, Hari Prabowo, at the Ministry of Creative Economy’s office in Jakarta on Thursday, October 1.
“We are pushing for the accelerated renewal of the creative economy MoU with Thailand by leveraging the momentum of WCCE 2026. We hope this forum can serve as a strategic step to strengthen cooperation while opening up broader opportunities for collaboration among creative economy stakeholders in both countries,” the Minister of Creative Economy stated.
Previous cooperation between Indonesia and Thailand was formalized in an MoU set to expire in 2025. The renewal process is being coordinated with the Indonesian Embassy in Bangkok and focuses on several priority areas, including broadcast content, film and animation, design, and music. Discussions also covered the possibility of strengthening institutional ties with Thailand’s Creative Economy Agency (CEA).
Photo: Bureau for Communication, Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency.
Opportunities for cooperation between the two countries are expanding as Indonesia’s creative economy scope has been broadened from 17 to 21 subsectors. During the meeting, both parties discussed various potential collaborations, starting from the exchange of film production talent, animation development, and fashion design to automotive customization.
To broaden the access of Indonesian creative economy practitioners to global markets, the Ministry of Creative Economy is also planning to participate in various international industry events through the “Created by Indonesia” program. This program is intended to increase opportunities for the commercialization of Indonesian works and products in target markets.
“Through the flagship ‘Created by Indonesia’ program, we are encouraging Indonesian creative economy practitioners to expand their access to international markets, including by taking advantage of various creative economy events in Thailand. Creative economy practitioners from various subsectors will be curated according to the demands of target markets so that business matching can open up concrete opportunities for collaboration and business partnerships,” the Minister of Creative Economy explained.
Photo: Bureau for Communication, Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency.
Meanwhile, WCCE 2026 will bring together stakeholders through ministerial-level meetings, plenary sessions, thematic discussions, and the facilitation of meetings between governments and business actors. This forum is also aimed at producing the Jakarta Vision on the Creative Economy as Indonesia’s contribution to discussions on the global creative economy development agenda.
The Indonesian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand, who also serves as Indonesia’s representative to UNESCAP, Hari Prabowo, welcomed the plan. According to him, retail chains such as the Central Department Store could serve as a gateway for Indonesian creative economy products into the Thai market.
“From our point of view, the priority is clearly to open up the Thai market to Indonesian creative economy products. Furthermore, it’s also about strengthening the capacity of Indonesia’s human resources through Thai expertise. In terms of market potential, modest fashion holds significant promise, but beyond that, there’s also traditional Indonesian fashion with a contemporary twist that is very well-received there,” Hari Prabowo expressed.
Photo: Bureau for Communication, Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency.
Discussions also included the potential for knowledge exchange in the field of fashion design, including the involvement of senior designers and students from both countries. One opportunity being explored is the development of joint initiatives that combine wastra Nusantara (traditional Indonesian textiles) with a contemporary design approach.
As a follow-up, the Ministry of Creative Economy, together with the Indonesian Embassy in Bangkok, will identify creative economy initiatives in Thailand from late 2026 through 2027 that can be leveraged to connect Indonesian businesses with potential partners, including through international exhibitions and business forums.
Kiagoos Irvan Faisal
Head of Bureau for Communications
Ministry of Creative Economy/Creative Economy Agency
