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News & events > New UNESCO Creative Cities announced

posted on

12 Jan 2016

New UNESCO Creative Cities announced

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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 and now comprising 116 Member Cities, the UNESCO Creative Cities Network 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.