Cebu City hailed as new UNESCO 'creative city'

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 31)— Cebu City took the global spotlight once again as it was named as one of the new "creative cities" by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on Wednesday.

The vibrant Queen City of the South was hailed as a "creative city of design," joining 65 other cities as a new member of the global initiative that highlights creative and cultural development.

With the feat, Cebu City becomes the second city in the Philippines to be part of the international network after Baguio which earned the recognition in 2017.

READ: Baguio is Philippines' first UNESCO 'creative city

The Creative Cities network, now composed of 246 members, aims to feature cities that base their development strategies on creativity-- including music, arts and folk crafts, design, cinema, literature, digital arts, and gastronomy.

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

The Creative Cities Network was created in 2004 "to promote cooperation with and among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development," according to the UNESCO website.

It uses the framework of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which sets international priorities for economic, social and environmental development.

For the full list of new UNESCO creative cities, click here.