Since the last submission of the report by the Republic of Azerbaijan in 2018, the sector of cultural and creative industries has been marked by multiple achievements, ranging from policy developments in this area new forms of partnerships with civil society and business entities, as well as new mechanisms of involvement of young people. These achievements have led to one of the major important measures implemented in this field the creation, in November 2021, of the Azerbaijan Federation of Creative Industries to coordinate the development of creative industries, manage international and local projects, and coordinate government agencies and business partnerships with individuals, companies and public organizations. The country has managed to effectively promote mobility of artists, flow of cultural goods and services nationally and internationally, promoted policy development in specific areas such as theatre and cinematography, while raising public awareness, promoting gender equality and strengthening the promotion of cultural expressions in digital environment. The designation of Sheki, Baku and Lankaran as UNESCO Creative Cities in the field of creativity has greatly contributed to raising awareness about the importance of CCIs for sustainable development.

Despite these achievements, the sector of cultural and creatives industries in Azerbaijan, just like in other countries, has been also impacted by the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in particular during the years 2020 and 2021, when restrictions on movements prevented audiences from experiencing art and creativity in multiples settings. This situation, however, have boosted the use of digital technologies, platforms by creators in Azerbaijan (especially young people), for production, demonstration and dissemination of cultural goods and services.

The past four years have been marked by development of partnerships in multiple areas of creative industries. Government stakeholders and civil society organizations continue to invest in diversification of cultural offer and services and build on the results achieved to continue integrating cultural and creative industries in sustainable development frameworks, develop sector-specific approaches initiatives, youth involvement and awareness-raising. Priorities have been set for the next four years to include the development of partnerships with business actors, capacity building, including in the field of cultural statistics, entrepreneurship, marketing and business development. New mechanisms of involving youth will be further employed and enhanced to ensure sustainability of the outcomes achieved.