Paris, 11 December 2015 – UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova, has announced the designation of 47 cities from 33 countries as new members of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. The results of this year’s Call bears witness to the Network’s enhanced diversity and geographical representation with 22 cities from countries not previously represented.

The UNESCO Creative Cities Network is pleased to welcome the following cities within its seven creative fields (Crafts and Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts and Music): 

Adelaide (Australia) – Music

Al-Ahsa (Saudi Arabia) – Crafts and Folk Art

Austin (United States of America) – Media Arts

Baghdad (Iraq) – Literature

Bamiyan (Afghanistan) – Crafts and Folk Art

Bandung (Indonesia) – Design

Barcelona (Spain) – Literature

Belém (Brazil) – Gastronomy

Bergen (Norway) – Gastronomy

Bitola (The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) – Film

Budapest (Hungary) – Design

Burgos (Spain) – Gastronomy

Dénia (Spain) – Gastronomy

Detroit (United States of America) – Design

Durán (Ecuador) – Crafts and Folk Art

Ensenada (Mexico) – Gastronomy

Gaziantep (Turkey) – Gastronomy

Idanha-a-Nova (Portugal) – Music

Isfahan (Iran [Islamic Republic of]) – Crafts and Folk Art

Jaipur (India) – Crafts and Folk Art

Katowice (Poland) – Music

Kaunas (Lithuania) – Design

Kingston (Jamaica) – Music

Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo) – Music

Liverpool (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) – Music

Ljubljana (Slovenia) – Literature

Lubumbashi (Democratic Republic of the Congo) – Crafts and Folk Art

Lviv (Ukraine) – Literature

Medellín (Colombia) – Music

Montevideo (Uruguay) – Literature

Nottingham (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) – Literature

Óbidos (Portugal) – Literature

Parma (Italy) – Gastronomy

Phuket (Thailand) – Gastronomy

Puebla (Mexico) – Design

Rasht (Iran [Islamic Republic of]) – Gastronomy

Rome (Italy) – Film

Salvador (Brazil) – Music

San Cristóbal de las Casas (Mexico) – Crafts and Folk Art

Santos (Brazil) – Film

Sasayama (Japan) – Crafts and Folk Art

Singapore (Singapore) – Design

Tartu (Estonia) – Literature

Tongyeong (Republic of Korea) – Music

Tucson (United States of America) – Gastronomy

Ulyanovsk (Russian Federation) – Literature

Varanasi (India) – Music  

Launched in 2004, the Network now comprises 116 cities worldwide. It aims to foster international cooperation with and between cities committed to investing in creativity as a driver for sustainable urban development, social inclusion and cultural vibrancy.

“The UNESCO Creative Cities Network represents an immense potential to assert the role of culture as enabler of sustainable development. I would like to recognize the many new cities and their countries that are enriching the Network with their diversity” declared the Director-General, as UNESCO celebrates in 2015 the 10th anniversary of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the international community in September 2015 highlights culture and creativity as key levers for sustainable urban development. The Network serves as an essential platform to contribute to the implementation and achievement of this international agenda.

By joining the Network, cities commit to collaborate and develop partnerships with a view to promoting creativity and cultural industries, to share best practices, to strengthen participation in cultural life, and to integrate culture in economic and social development strategies and plans.

The next meeting of the Creative Cities Network is scheduled for September 2016 in Östersund (Sweden).