Deadline: 15 July 2015
Is your city interested in joining the UNESCO’s growing Network? Find out below what it takes and what it means to become a UNESCO Creative City!
The UNESCO is currently inviting applications from cities interested in joining the UNESCO’s Global Network. By joining the Network, cities acknowledge their commitment to sharing best practices, developing partnerships that promote creativity and the cultural industries, strengthening participation in cultural life and integrating culture in urban development plans.
Launched in 2004, the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) aims to strengthen cooperation with and among cities that have recognized creativity as a strategic factor of sustainable development as regards economic, social, cultural and environmental aspects. Uptill now, the Network brings together 69 cities from 32 countries that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development.
UNESCO Creative Cities Core Fields
The UNESCO Creative Cities Network covers seven creative fields:
- Crafts and Folk Arts
- Design
- Film
- Gastronomy
- Literature
- Media Arts
- Music
Programme Objectives
The UNESCO Creative Cities Network aims to:
- strengthen international cooperation between cities that have recognized creativity as a strategic factor of their sustainable development;
- stimulate and enhance initiatives led by member cities to make creativity an essential component of urban development, notably through partnerships involving the public and private sectors and civil society;
- 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 as well as the enjoyment of cultural goods and services, notably for marginalized or vulnerable groups and individuals;
- fully integrate culture and creativity into local development strategies and plans.
Eligibility Criteria
- Cities or regions with at least 100,000 inhabitants joining the Network are eligible to apply for the programme.
- Applicants need to specify a creative field in the application mentioned above.
How to apply?
Applications should be submitted by email using the official Application with the “subject”: Application [name of the candidate city]. Email should include the following attachments:
- The official 2015 Application Form available on the UCCN’s website completed;
- A formal letter from the Applicant City’s Mayor presenting the candidature;
- A formal letter of endorsement of the candidature from the National Commission for UNESCO of the country in which the city is located;
- Two formal letters of support from active national professional association(s) in the creative field concerned;
- Three photos of your city related to the creative field concerned s (JPEG, max. 3MB);
- The “Cession of rights and register of photos” form.
For more information, please visit UNESCO.
