Paris, October 31 (Prensa Latina) As part of World Cities Day, UNESCO today announced the addition of 55 cities to its Network of Creative Cities, a movement founded in 2004 to promote cooperation based on sustainable urban development.
“The cities in our Creative Cities Network are leaders in improving access to culture and strengthening the power of creativity for resilience and urban development,” said UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay on his appointment.
With the new additions, the network includes 350 locations in more than a hundred countries, representing seven creative areas: crafts and popular art, design, cinema, gastronomy, literature, digital art and music.
New additions include several Latin American and Caribbean cities, Venezuela’s Caracas (music), Chile’s Concepción (music), Nicaragua’s Granada (design), Mexicali (music), Ecuador’s Montecristi (crafts and folk art), and Brazil’s Penedo ( cinema) and Rio de Janeiro (literature).
According to the multilateral body, the award is in response to the recognition of a firm commitment to the use of culture and creativity as an integral part of its development strategies.
These cities also stood out for demonstrating innovative practices in people-centered urban planning, he added.
UNESCO clarified that, following its amendment, the French city of Lyon was granted status in literature since it joined the network in the field of digital arts in 2008.
Likewise, the organization announced that it will publish a document entitled “The added value of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network at local, national and international levels”, which will highlight the leadership role of cities in achieving the 2030 Agenda.
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