Seattle is delighted to welcome ELEVEN cities to the UNESCO Cities of Literature network!

Angoulême (France), Beirut (Lebanon), Exeter (UK), Kuhmo (Finland), Lahore (Pakistan), Leeuwarden (Netherlands), Nanjing (China), Odessa (Ukraine), Slemani (Iraq), Wonju (Korea), Wrocław (Poland) have all been designated Cities of Literature!

It has been an honor to work within the network since our own designation in 2017, and we look forward to collaborating with these new cities to celebrate literature and foster sustainable and inclusive urban development around the world.

Read UNESCO’s full press release here:

This 30 October 2019, 66 cities have been designated as UNESCO Creative Cities by the Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay. As laboratories of ideas and innovative practices, the UNESCO Creative Cities bring a tangible contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through innovative thinking and action. Through their commitment, cities are championing sustainable development actions that directly benefit communities at urban level.

“All over the world, these cities, each in its way, make culture the pillar, not an accessory, of their strategy,” says UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay. “This favours political and social innovation and is particularly important for the young generations.”

The new 66 UNESCO Creative Cities are:

Afyonkarahisar (Turkey) – Gastronomy
Ambon (Indonesia) – Music
Angoulême (France) – Literature
Areguá (Paraguay) – Crafts and Folk Art
Arequipa (Peru) – Gastronomy
Asahikawa (Japan) – Design
Ayacucho (Peru) – Crafts and Folk Art
Baku (Azerbaijan) – Design
Ballarat (Australia) – Crafts and Folk Art
Bandar Abbas (Iran [Islamic Republic of]) – Crafts and Folk Art
Bangkok (Thailand) – Design
Beirut (Lebanon) – Literature
Belo Horizonte (Brazil) – Gastronomy
Bendigo (Australia) – Gastronomy
Bergamo (Italy) – Gastronomy
Biella (Italy) – Crafts and Folk Art
Caldas da Rainha (Portugal) – Crafts and Folk Art
Cebu City (Philippines) – Design
Essaouira (Morocco) – Music
Exeter (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) – Literature
Fortaleza (Brazil) – Design
Hanoi (Vietnam) – Design
Havana (Cuba) – Music
Hyderabad (India) – Gastronomy
Jinju (Republic of Korea) – Crafts and Folk Art
Kargopol (Russian Federation) – Crafts and Folk Art
Karlsruhe (Germany) – Media Arts
Kazan (Russian Federation) – Music
Kırşehir (Turkey) – Music
Kuhmo (Finland) – Literature
Lahore (Pakistan) – Literature
Leeuwarden (Netherlands) – Literature
Leiria (Portugal) – Music
Lliria (Spain) – Music
Mérida (Mexico) – Gastronomy
Metz (France) – Music
Muharraq (Bahrain) – Design
Mumbai (India) – Film
Nanjing (China) – Literature
Odessa (Ukraine) – Literature
Overstrand Hermanus (South Africa) – Gastronomy
Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago) – Music
Portoviejo (Ecuador) – Gastronomy
Potsdam (Germany) – Film
Querétaro (Mexico) – Design
Ramallah (Palestine) – Music
San José (Costa Rica) – Design
Sanandaj (Iran [Islamic Republic of]) – Music
Santiago de Cali (Colombia) – Media Arts
Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) – Music
Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) – Film
Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) – Crafts and Folk Art
Slemani (Iraq) – Literature
Sukhothai (Thailand) – Crafts and Folk Art
Trinidad (Cuba) – Crafts and Folk Art
Valladolid (Spain) – Film
Valledupar (Colombia) – Music
Valparaíso (Chile) – Music
Veszprém (Hungary) – Music
Viborg (Denmark) – Media Arts
Viljandi (Estonia) – Crafts and Folk Art
Vranje (Serbia) – Music
Wellington (New Zealand) – Film
Wonju (Republic of Korea) – Literature
Wrocław (Poland) – Literature
Yangzhou (China) – Gastronomy

The UNESCO Creative Cities Network now counts a total of 246 cities.

The member cities that form part of the Network come from all continents and regions with different income levels and populations. They work together towards a common mission: placing creativity and the creative economy at the core of their urban development plans to make cities safe, resilient, inclusive and sustainable, in line with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.