2015 UNESCO Creative City Conference 

Posted: Saturday Jun 20, 2015

Dunedin joined 68 other UNESCO Creative Cities in the UNESCO Craft and Art City of Kanazawa, Japan on 25 May. 

Dunedin put its best foot forward and was shining bright in UNESCO's 2015 Year of Light. In attendance were the other ten Cities of Literature; Edinburgh, Melbourne, Iowa, Dublin, Reykjavik, Krakow, Norwich, Heidelberg, Granada and Prague  to discuss collaboration and future endeavors. 

Mayor Dave Cull, Noel Waite and Liz Knowles attended the inaugural conference and Dunedin was welcomed officially to the UNESCO Creative City Network.  During the Mayor's roundtable, Dave discussed Dunedin's arts and culture strategy ‘Ara Toi Ōtepoti – Our Creative Future’, which sets the direction for investing in our creative life and highlighted the very good work to date on Dunedin's Warehouse Precinct revitalisation and urban development project. Dave says:

“Dunedin’s UNESCO Creative City of Literature status provides multiple opportunities for global collaboration and learning. It also provides an international platform for our city’s inclusive Ara Toi Arts and Culture Strategy, to share the many creative initiatives that are transforming our city, and to benefit from the experiences of like-minded creative cities.” 

The team showcased Dunedin's literary past, present and future with a publication of the bid document and pitched a global 'ideas' booklet to the ten other creative Cities of Literature, calling for potential partners in future international and local projects.

In 2014, UNESCO welcomed 28 new cities from 19 countries to its Network. The UCCN comprises 7 fields: Crafts and Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts, and Music. The UCCN aims to strengthen cooperation with, and among cities that have recognised creativity as a strategic factor in sustainable development.  

For more information on the conference, please visit www.creativekanazawa.jp.