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Srinagar joins UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN).

Details

• The 49 cities were added to the network of 246 cities following their designation by UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, in recognition of 'their commitment to placing culture and creativity at the heart of their development and to sharing knowledge and good practices
• Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, is among the 49 cities selected worldwide to
  join the UNESCO creative cities network (UCCN)
• UNESCO designates the creative cities in seven fields -Craft, Folk Art, Media Arts, Film Design, Gastronomy, Literature and Music.
• The Srinagar city has been designated the creative city in the field of Crafts and Folk Arts -the only second city in India in this category after Jaipur.

Other Indian cities that are in the network are

• Chennai and Varanasi – UNESCO cities of music
• Jaipur – UNESCO city of crafts and folk arts
• Mumbai – UNESCO city of film
• Hyderabad – UNESCO city of gastronomy

The UNESCO Creative Cities Network

• It is a project launched by UNESCO in 2004 to “promote cooperation among cities which recognized creativity as a strategic factor in their urban development”.
• According to UNESCO, the cities designated as creative cities work together towards a common objective of “placing creativity and cultural industries at the heart of their development plans at the local level and cooperating actively at the international level”.

Importance of the tag

UCCN tag would not only give global recognition to the Srinagar city but also help it in international funding, tie-ups with craft universities and pitching craft as a product.