Gwalior and Kozhikode from India are among the 55 new cities which have joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.
Key Points
- On World Cities Day, 55 cities joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN), following their designation by UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay
- These new cities were acknowledged for “their strong commitment to harnessing culture and creativity as part of their development strategies, and displaying innovative practices in human-centred urban planning”, the world body said in a statement.
- UNESCO has shared the full list of the new 55 cities which include Bukhara – Crafts and Folk Art, Casablanca – Media Arts, Chongqing – Design, Kathmandu – Film, Rio de Janeiro – Literature, and Ulaanbaatar – Crafts and Folk Art.
- With the latest additions, the UCCN now counts 350 cities in more than a hundred countries
Gwalior and Kozhikode’s Prestigious Recognition
- Gwalior, located in Madhya Pradesh, earned its spot in the ‘Music’ category, showcasing its rich musical heritage.
- Gwalior, home to the Gwalior Gharana and synonymous with musicians like Baiju Bawra and Tansen was acknowledged for being a popular destination for learning Indian classical music from musicians in the Guru-Shishya Parampara.
- Gwalior is the second city in India to be designated as the ‘City of Music’ by UNESCO, after Varanasi in 2015.
- Kozhikode, situated in Kerala, made its mark in the ‘Literature’ category, highlighting its literary achievements.
- Kozhikode is the first city in India to receive the prestigious title of ‘City of Literature’ by UNESCO.
- Kozhikode carried the distinction of being home to over 500 libraries.
The UNESCO 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.
- 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.
- The Creative Cities Network is a privileged partner of UNESCO for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Creative Fields Recognized by UCCN
UCCN covers seven creative fields:
- Crafts and Folk Arts,
- Media Arts,
- Film,
- Design,
- Gastronomy,
- Literature, and
- Music
Other Notable Indian Cities in the UCCN
- Srinagar- Crafts and Folk Arts (2022)
- Jaipur- Crafts and Folk Arts (2015)
- Varanasi- Creative city of Music (2015)
- Chennai- Creative city of Music (2017)
- Mumbai- Film (2019)
- Hyderabad- Gastronomy/Food (2019)
World Cities Day
- World Cities Day was observed on 31 October.
- World Cities Day was established in 2013 by the United Nations General Assembly in its resolution A/RES/68/239.
- The first World Cities Day was held in October 2014.
- World Cities Day aims to promote the international community’s interest in global urbanization, push forward cooperation among countries in meeting opportunities and addressing challenges of urbanization, and contributing to sustainable urban development around the world.
- The general theme of World Cities Day is Better City, Better Life, while each year a different sub-theme and a location for its global observance is selected.
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