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The OIC Cultural Festival – Baku Creative Week 2025 has brought together thousands of participants from across the globe for cultural exchange and innovation, Azernews reports.

Over several days, the festival showcased cinema, theater, fashion, design, music, gaming, and digital startups, creating a dynamic platform for dialogue and collaboration among artists, policymakers, and industry leaders.

Against this backdrop, the Baku Communiqué on Creative Industries was adopted, highlighting the festival's role in shaping international cooperation in the cultural and creative sectors.

The document was presented by Tarig Ali Bakheet, OIC Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian, Cultural and Social Affairs and Special Envoy of the OIC Secretary General on Afghanistan

It emphasizes that the festival, held in Baku has made a significant contribution to promoting intercultural dialogue, tolerance, peace, and respect for cultural diversity. The communiqué also highlights Azerbaijan's growing role in advancing creative industries and strengthening cultural cooperation.

The communiqué notes that the festival brought together more than 300 international guests from over 40 countries. In total, more than 5,000 participants attended events involving representatives of government agencies, international organizations, and academic and cultural institutions. The program featured numerous sessions dedicated to cinema, theater, fashion, design, music, the gaming industry, and digital startups.

Key events of the festival included the MYFORUM Cultural and Creative Industries Forum, the MYEXPO – Creative Village exhibition, the Baku Cinema Breeze 2025 international film program, the Eastern Fashion Show, and the G HUB International Game Technologies Summit. These platforms were praised for creating valuable opportunities for knowledge exchange, building partnerships, and expanding creative collaboration among countries.

Participants assessed creative industries as an important tool for economic diversification and sustainable development. In this context, the communiqué calls for stronger cooperation among OIC member states in areas such as digital innovation, entrepreneurship, cultural heritage protection, and the responsible use of new technologies. It also stresses the importance of expanding innovative financing mechanisms, including joint programs, institutional partnerships, and public-private cooperation.

The document expresses deep gratitude to the Government of Azerbaijan for organizing the festival and pays special tribute to President Ilham Aliyev's leadership in advancing cooperation with the OIC, strengthening Islamic solidarity, and promoting intercultural dialogue.

Finally, the communiqué conveys confidence that the OIC Cultural Festival – Baku Creative Week 2025 has opened a new chapter in creative industries cooperation among OIC member states.

For the first time, Azerbaijan is hosting the OIC Cultural Festival: Baku Creative Week – 2025. The large-scale event is being organized by the Azerbaijan Culture Ministry and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in partnership with the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.

This prestigious event has welcomed more than 300 participants from nearly 50 countries, including government officials, scholars, cultural figures, and creative industry experts.

The festival is dedicated to fostering intercultural dialogue and promoting Islamic values such as tolerance, peace, and respect for diversity. Among its key objectives are the advancement of joint initiatives in the fields of economy, education, science, and tourism, the creation of sustainable partnerships among member states, and the deeper integration of creative industries into the global economy.

The program of Baku Creative Week – 2025 includes high-level meetings of OIC ministers of culture, the Cultural and Creative Industries Forum (MYFORUM), the Creative Village Exhibition (MYEXPO), the Baku Cinema Breeze – 2025 international film showcase, the Eastern Fashion Show featuring emerging and established designers from OIC countries, and the G-HUB International Summit on Gaming Technologies. In addition, a wide range of cultural projects in theater, music, dance, and animation are being presented.