UNESCO announced on Monday the integration of 49 cities, including eastern Santiago de Cuba, into the Creative Cities Network, an initiative that recognizes a commitment to placing culture at the center of development.
In a statement, the United Nations specializing in education, science and culture issues specified that its Director-General, Audrey Azoulay, also named cities to share knowledge and good practices.
Santiago de Cuba entered the list of 295 cities in 90 countries for its musical contribution, one of the categories recognized, along with craft, design, cinema, gastronomy, literature and digital arts, among others.
Before that, two Cuban towns were integrated into the network, the capital, Havana (music) and the central province of Sancti Spiritos (crafts and folklore).
“We have to develop a new urban model in every city, with its architects, planners, landscape design and citizens,” said Azoulay, who urged strengthening cooperation with cities promoted by the multilateral entity.
UNESCO has insisted on the importance of promoting innovative urban policies and solutions that put people and sustainability at the center of the development process.
Besides Santiago de Cuba, Latin American cities such as Recife and Campina Grande in Brazil, Pasto and Ibague in Colombia, Huancayo in Peru, and Xalapa in Mexico have joined the Creative Cities Network.
They also received the rating, among others, Abu Dhabi, Belfast, Bursa, Cannes, Doha, Gothenburg, Jakarta, Kermanshah, Kuching, Manises, Modena, Nakuru, Namur, Perth, Port Louis, Saint Petersburg, Srinagar, Tallinn, Tbilisi Weifang, Thessaloniki.
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