Amid COVID-19 pandemic, UN observes World Creativity and Innovation Day: History, significance
The world on Tuesday marked the third Creativity and Innovation Day to raise awareness of the role of creativity and innovation in all aspects of human development. This was the third World Creativity and Innovation Day after the United Nations adopted April 21 to mark the day for creativity and innovation in problem-solving.
According to the United Nations, on WCID, the world is invited to embrace the idea that innovation is essential for harnessing the economic potential of nations.
“Innovation, creativity and mass entrepreneurship can provide new momentum for economic growth and job creation. It can expand opportunities for everyone, including women and youth. It can provide solutions to some of the most pressing problems such as poverty eradication and the elimination of hunger,” according to the UN page on observance.
Observing the WCID on Tuesday amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN tweeted, “From #COVID19 to the #GlobalGoals & #ClimateAction, creativity & innovation are needed to tackle the world’s biggest challenges. See how the UN is harnessing solutions for the #coronavirus response & more on Tuesday’s World Creativity & Innovation Day.”
The World Creativity and Innovation Day was founded on May 25, 2001 by Canadian resident Marci Segal in Toronto. The first celebrations on April 21, 2002 occurred in the Netherlands, Bangkok, Rio de Janeiro and Chicago.
In 2017, the World Creativity and Innovation Day, April 21 became a United Nations International Day of Observance after the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on April 27 that year. The resolution was taken to encourage people to use creativity in problem-solving for all issues related to achieving the 2015 Sustainable Development Goals. 2018 was the first year the UN observed WCID.
In 2006, the celebration of World Creativity and Innovation Day began on April 15, the birthday of Leonardo da Vinci, making it World Creativity and Innovation Week (WCIW) since then.
According to WCIW website, the purpose for World Creativity and Innovation Day is to remind and encourage people to use their creativity to make the world a better place and to make their place in the world better too.
April 21, the day before Earth Day, April 22, was chosen as World Creativity and Innovation Day to emphasize the importance of using new thinking to create a decent life for all on a sustainable planet, the WCIW website says.
It is a placeholder in time to give people a reason and opportunity to use imagination productively, to release new thinking, and to celebrate that, it says.