Kuching shines at XVI UNESCO Creative Cities Conference in Portugal

Wee (left) and Karen (second left) during the XVI UNESCO Creative Cities Conference in Braga, Portugal.

By DayakDaily Team

KUCHING, July 16: Kuching, celebrated for its rich cultural tapestry and creativity, has marked a significant presence at the XVI UNESCO Creative Cities Conference in Braga, Portugal.

According to a press release, the event, held from July 1 to 5, saw the attendance of 600 representatives from 250 international cities, all committed to leveraging culture and creativity for building resilient and inclusive urban environments.

With the theme ‘20 Years of UCCN: Bringing Youth to the Table for the Next Decade’, the conference featured knowledge sharing, networking, and a high-level Mayor’s Forum.

Kuching South City Council (MBKS) mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng, who led the Kuching delegation, emphasised the importance of the UNESCO Conference.

“This is the second UNESCO Conference that Kuching has attended since its designation.

“It is the most important event in the UNESCO calendar which brings together cities from all the various creative clusters: literature, music, craft and folk art, media arts. It also includes representatives from UNESCO to share on the broader themes of the network.

“The Mayor’s forum brought together mayors from every part of the globe to sign the Braga Manifesto, our commitment to promoting culture at local government level,” he was quoted as saying.

Wee further expressed optimism about the future, noting the strong connections established with regional and international cities.

“These are the relationships that we will be relying on during our own proposed Creative Cities Forum to be held in Kuching during September this year.

“This aims to bring in 15 Creative Cities from around ASEAN in a similar event at a regional level for the benefit of Kuching’s domestic stakeholders,” he added.

Meanwhile, Karen Shepherd, Strategic Director and UNESCO Focal Point, underscored the significance of the conference’s milestone.

“This year was the 20th anniversary of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. The conference presented the publication of a major piece of research on the network’s impact.

“Beyond that, various cities shared their approach to the future of culture, from youth engagement to the application of AI,” she said.

Karen continued: “The next UNESCO Conference will be held in Queretaro City of Design in Mexico. In preparation for that, the host city has matched us all with a partner at random.

“Kuching has been tasked to prepare a project over the next year with Idanha-a-Nova, a creative city of music in Portugal.

“This will promote cross-cluster collaboration among creative cities. If anyone is interested in shaping this project, please get in touch.”

Kuching, designated a UNESCO Creative City in 2021, continues to advance its creative industries through international engagements and domestic initiatives.

These include the construction of a gastronomy centre, the curation of gastronomic tours, and various events that promote the city’s unique culinary heritage. — DayakDaily