Context

• Recently, Srinagar joins UNESCO network of creative cities among 49 cities as part of the creative city network under the Crafts and Folk Arts category.

Srinagar joins UNESCO network of creative cities

• The process of nomination of Srinagar under the UNESCO ‘Creative City Network’ was undertaken and funded under the World Bank-funded Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project.
• With this, the capital city of Jammu and Kashmir has entered the club of 295 creative cities network across the world. After Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Varanasi and Jaipur, Srinagar is the sixth Indian city to achieve this distinction.

  

• Recognition of the historical crafts and arts of the city.
• The inclusion is likely to pave way for the city to represent its handicrafts on the global stage through UNESCO. 
• While Indian National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO (INCCU) had recommended Srinagar and Gwalior for inclusion in the coveted list, only Jammu and Kashmir’s summer capital made it.
• The Srinagar city has been designated the creative city in the field of Crafts and Folk Arts — only second city in India in this category after Jaipur. While Mumbai has been honoured in the film category, Chennai and Varanasi have been made part of UCCN for their music. Hyderabad is a UCCN city in the gastronomy category.
• UNESCO designated 49 cities as part of the creative cities network. With this, the total number of creative cities in the world has reached 295 across 90 countries.
• The applications in India are routed through the Ministry of Culture.
• The 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.

UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) in India

• Srinagar joins Chennai and Varanasi – UNESCO Cities of music,
• Jaipur – UNESCO City of crafts and folk arts;
• Mumbai – UNESCO city of film and
• Hyderabad – UNESCO City of gastronomy.

Back to basics

UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN)

• The UNESCO Creative Cities Network is a project launched by UNESCO in 2004 to “promote cooperation among cities which recognized creativity as a strategic factor in their urban development”.
• By joining the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN), cities commit to sharing their best practices and developing partnerships involving the public and private sectors as well as civil society in order to strengthen the creation, production, distribution and dissemination of cultural activities, goods and services.
• They also pledge to develop hubs of creativity and innovation and broaden opportunities for creators and professionals in the cultural sector.
• UNESCO designates the creative cities in seven fields — Craft, Folk Art, Media Arts, Film Design, Gastronomy, Literature and Music. 

Source: TH

Visit Abhiyan PEDIA for UPSC Revisions: Click Here

IAS Abhiyan is now on Telegram: Click Here to Join