Iasi joins UNESCO Creative Cities Network

55 new cities join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network on World Cities Day

On World Cities Day, 55 cities join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN), following their designation by UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay. 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. With the latest additions, the Network now counts 350 cities in more than one hundred countries, representing seven creative fields: Crafts and Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts and Music.

According to representatives of the Iasi City Hall, this UNESCO initiative aims to strengthen partnerships among member cities of the network, which currently includes 350 cities from over 100 countries. The creative fields covered by the network are Crafts and Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts, and Music.

The city of Iasi has been included in the Literature category, following an application submitted in June of this year by the Iasi City Hall.

“Iasi’s entry into this exclusive club of creative cities under UNESCO’s patronage is not a coincidence,” said the Mayor of Iasi, Mihai Chirica. “The Moldavian capital hosts an impressive array of concerts, literature festivals, film festivals, fashion events, visual arts exhibitions, and architecture exhibitions, alongside scientific conferences in various fields.”

The application submitted by the Iasi City Hall highlights the city’s contributions to the field of literature and references various significant events held in Iasi, such as the International Festival of Literature and Translation (FILIT), the International Poetry Festival, the International Theatre Festival for Young Audiences, Romanian Creative Week, CLASSIX International Festival, and Romanian Film Evenings.

“As a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, Iasi has the opportunity to establish partnerships and exchange experiences with other cities in the network. It can also access national, European, or international funding for various cultural projects,” according to a statement from the Iasi City Hall. As a “City of Creators,” Iasi will further develop its cultural strategy based on this creative city status, which involves continuous support and intensive promotion of all cultural events in the city.

Iasi is the second city in Romania to become a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, following Cluj-Napoca (2021 – Film).

What is the 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. The 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.

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