UNESCO Creative Cities Network

Table of Contents

UNESCO Creative Cities Network: Relevance

GS 2: Important International institutions, agencies and fora – their structure, mandate.

Recently, UNESCO has designated 49 cities, including Srinagar, under UNESCO’s network of creative cities in recognition of their commitment to placing culture and creativity at the heart of their development and to sharing knowledge and good practices.

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.
The 246 cities which currently make up this network work together towards a common objective of placing creativity and cultural industries at the heart of their development plans at the local level and cooperating actively at the international level.
By 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.