UNESCO creative cities network (UCCN)

• IAS NEXT, Lucknow
• 10, Nov 2021

Reference News:

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has picked Srinagar among 49 cities as part of the creative city network under the Crafts and Folk Arts category.

• The inclusion of Srinagar in the creative city network for the arts and crafts has paved a way for the city to represent its handicrafts on the global stage through UNESCO.

About Creative Cities Network:

• The UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) was created in 2004 to promote cooperation with and among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development.
• Objective: placing creativity and cultural industries at the heart of their development plans at the local level and cooperating actively at the international level.
• The Network covers seven creative fields: Crafts and Folk Arts, Media Arts, Film, Design, Gastronomy, Literature and Music.
• Joining the Network, cities commit to sharing their best practices and developing partnerships involving the public and private sectors as well as civil society in order to:
• Strengthen the creation, production, distribution and dissemination of cultural activities, goods and services;
• Develop hubs of creativity and innovation and broaden opportunities for creators and professionals in the cultural sector;
• Improve access to and participation in cultural life, in particular for marginalized or vulnerable groups and individuals;
• Fully integrate culture and creativity into sustainable development plans.

As of November, 2019, there are five Indian cities in UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) as follows:

1. Jaipur-Crafts and Folk Arts(2015).
2. Varanasi-Creative city of Music (2015).
3. Chennai-Creative city of Music(2017).
4. Mumbai – Film (2019).
5. Hyderabad – Gastronomy (2019).