On October 29-30, 2009 more than 70 representatives from 30 countries convened in New Orleans, Louisiana for the third World Cultural Economic Forum. WCEF was created by Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu to build cultural economic development opportunities through the convening of cultural ambassadors and leaders from around the world.

During WCEF, Lt. Governor Landrieu met personally with 15 heads of delegation. In bilateral discussions with ambassadors and national-level ministers, the Lt. Governor set the groundwork for future cultural and economic partnerships between Louisiana and the participating nations.

A main focus of WCEF 2009 was to provide the setting for international delegates and Louisiana leaders to begin results-oriented conversations. To this end, more than 100 one-on-one meetings were arranged between international delegates and Louisiana stakeholders creating opportunities for the development of such cultural, educational, governmental and commercial partnerships below:

• Lt. Governor Landrieu and the United Nations Development Programme Special Unit for South-South Cooperation (UNDP SU-SSC) signed a memorandum of understanding, announcing a partnership between the UN and Louisiana. The Special Unit for South-South Cooperation has chosen Louisiana as the creative economy gateway to the Americas. As a creative economy gateway, Louisiana and New Orleans in particular will be showcased as a global center for job creation, entrepreneurship and economic development opportunities in the creative economy.  As part of the collaboration, UNDP SU-SSC has selected New Orleans to be showcased at the Shanghai Expo in 2010 during the Global Creative Economy Week in October 2010 in the United Nations Pavilion.


• A Memorandum of Understanding was also signed between UNO and the CARICOM countries: Barbados, Grenada, Haiti, St. Vincent and The Grenadines and Trinidad & Tobago.  The MOU committed UNO to export their early childhood education model to the Caribbean. CARICOM countries have initiated cultural exchange programs between K-12 schools in Louisiana and schools in the Caribbean.

The World Cultural Economic Forum and the Louisiana Cultural Economy Summit opened with a panel discussion designed to explore the ways in which an economy fueled by culture can have a broader and deeper impact on the recovery during this recession. The discussion centered on how culture might be used to find higher common ground and how leaders might be influenced to embrace the economic and social role of culture, especially during the global recession.

At the conclusion of the event, the WCEF program featured roundtable discussions focusing on four key themes: the creative economy, the business of carnival and festivals around the world, the role of culture and society and the exploration of alternative sources of energy.