On October 31, 2023, on World Cities Day, by decision of UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, the city of Ashgabat officially joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the “Design category”.
As is known, the appropriate activities in this direction began in 2021 and was carried out by Turkmenistan together with relevant structures, committees and international experts from UNESCO. Over the years Ashgabat has been rightfully recognized by the world community as a beautiful and technologically advanced city in the world. The above-mentioned legal status was assigned to our capital in connection with its development, in accordance with modern international urban trends.
This year, 55 new cities joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. New cities were acknowledged for their strong commitment to harnessing culture and creativity as part of their development strategies, and displaying innovative practices in human-centred urban planning. With the latest additions, the Network now counts 350 cities in more than one hundred countries, representing seven creative fields: Crafts and Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts and Music.
The Director-General of UNESCO, in the official press release of the Organization, noted that the cities included in this Creative Cities Network are leading the way when it comes to enhancing access to culture and galvanizing the power of creativity for urban resilience and development.
This information was published in the official press release on the UNESCO website.
