8-Nov-2021: PM expresses happiness over Srinagar joins UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN)
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has expressed happiness over Srinagar joining the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) with a special mention for its craft and folk art.
In a tweet, the Prime Minister said;
"Delighted that beautiful Srinagar joins the @UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) with a special mention for its craft and folk art. It is a fitting recognition for the vibrant cultural ethos of Srinagar. Congratulations to the people of Jammu and Kashmir."
14-Dec-2019: Hanoi joins UNESCO Creative Cities Network
The government of Hanoi held a ceremony on December 13 to formally announce that the Vietnamese capital city is joining the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN).
As the capital city of Vietnam, home to 7.9 million people, Hanoi has a multi-layered culture with creativity at its heart. The city is embracing a new economic and urban development model driven by creative design, which honors both its youthful population, its craft heritage and the growth of technology. Every year, Hanoi sees some 5,000 new graduates within design and technology fields - with an increasing number of initiatives fostering youth talent. In 2018, Hanoi’s creative industries contributed around $US 1.49 billion to its Gross Regional Domestic Product, accounting for 3.7 per cent.
Hanoi hosts the Annual Conference on Investment & Development Cooperation; VietBuild Hanoi invites creative designers from 18 countries to exhibit examples of smart tech, architecture and infrastructure, whilst the international art exhibition ‘Hanoi March Connecting’ puts the spotlight on creative practice, and, in particular, Hanoi’s schools of art and design. The Hanoi Festival of Creative Design, an annual event, encompasses a series of activities for industry professionals and the public, highlighting the innovations in creative design from within Hanoi and across the globe.
The city is investing $US 1.2 billion in socio-cultural development, with numerous projects supporting design events including the Vietnam Festival of Media and Design presented by RMIT in collaboration with UNESCO and VICAS; and film events like Hanoi International Film Festival; as well as creative design events from museums, galleries and cultural spaces. An equally important priority is using design to promote and protect Hanoi’s cultural heritage. This will be achieved by creating collaborations between contemporary designers and artisans to develop products for new markets, enhancing branding, and developing a contemporary approach to display and curation.
As a Creative City of Design, Hanoi envisages:
- embracing sustainable development informed by empathic design and innovation in order to benefit society;
- supporting a network of creative spaces that foster future creative talent in the fields of design and technology;
- creating an ambitious programme of creative events that will advance and protect Hanoi’s cultural heritage;
- participating in projects and strategies within the UCCN, to promote creative design thinking and sustainable urban development;
- exchanging knowledge with Creative Cities of Design and promoting design and innovation across Southeast Asia; and
- developing a creative educational framework to develop graduates with skills for the new economy.
9-Nov-2017: Chennai included in UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network for Contribution in Music.
Chennai has been included in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network for its rich musical tradition. Including Chennai, a total of 64 cities from 44 countries have joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. Jaipur and Varanasi are the other Indian cities that feature on the list.
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 180 cities which currently make up this network work together towards a common 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.