Jakarta, IO – Depok and Surakarta were chosen by the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry (Kemenparekraf) as members of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) 2023, reported Detik, Tuesday (6/6).
Previously, there were six regencies and cities that were also nominated in three categories to represent Indonesia. The cities of Surakarta, Ponorogo and Bantul were in the category of creative craft and folk art. Bitung and Salatiga in gastronomy and Depok in creative media arts.
On the same occasion, Indonesian National Commission for UNESCO (KNIU) executive chair Itje Chodidjah said cities that are included in UCCN have the opportunity to access a wider network of likeminded cities from various parts of the world. They can also learn from their counterparts efforts made by those cities to improve the welfare of their citizens through creative economy.
“Being a creative city of the world is not merely for show, but rather the welfare of the residents and to ensure that sustainable development goals can be realized in those cities,” said Itje.
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UCCN is a platform to promote creativity as a key driver in the social and economic development of cities. The aim is to present the city’s cultural assets on a global stage and strengthen international cooperation between cities in the world.
Currently, UNESCO has established more than 295 cities from 90 countries in the world encompassing seven areas of creativity — crafts and folk art, design, film, gastronomy, literature, media arts and music. (bp)