Da Lat - consult experts to run for the UNESCO Creative Cities Network

Da Lat - consult experts to run for the UNESCO Creative Cities Network

Vietnamese enterprises – To build a candidature profile for the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field of music, Da Lat City will hold a seminar to consult expert opinions and learn from the experiences of other cities that have successfully been a candidate in the elections.

The People's Committee of Da Lat City (Lam Dong) has submitted a proposal to coordinate with the National Institute of Culture and Arts of Vietnam, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism (VOLISA) of Lam Dong province, to organize a consultation seminar to build a profile to join UNESCO's Creative Cities Network (UCCN).

“Dialogue Performance in Music and Photography: Dysnomia” is jointly implemented by the French Institute in Vietnam and Pho Ben Doi Creative Studio, in response to the 2022 Da Lat Flower Festival.

It is expected that the seminar will be held in early June 2023, at Dalat Palace Hotel, with the participation of about 150 domestic and international delegates, in face-to-face and online formats.

The seminar will have 2 thematic sessions. The conference will have 2 thematic sessions. The first topic is called “UCCN – vision, principles and practical experience”. The representative of the Vietnam UNESCO Office introduced an overview of UCCN; The representative of the Department of International Cooperation shared about the results of the development of the project to develop the network of creative cities within the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the 2021-2022 period; The sharing of experiences of representatives of a creative city in the UK, of Hanoi, and the discussion session.

The second thematic session with the theme "Music and Connection - the route and initiative to join UCCN of Da Lat City". The drafting team will present the draft application for admission to UCCN of Da Lat; a discussion session; comments from a representative of a Korean city that has successfully run for election; comments of composer Quoc Trung; comments from artists, businesses, associations, state management agencies of Da Lat, youth and local people.

Through the seminars, the goals, meanings, roles, and principles of UCCN will be clarified, supported by international experience in building a profile to join UCCN, as well as feedback and comments from experts on the draft of Da Lat's application to join UCCN in the field of music.

UCCN is an initiative launched in 2004, with the goal of promoting cooperation between cities that make innovation a strategic element for sustainable urban development, focusing on 7 major fields, including handicrafts and folk arts, design, cinema, cuisine, literature, media arts, and music.

UCCN members are committed to contributing to the network's common vision through sharing experiences, developing partnerships, respecting diversity and ensuring the integration of literature and creativity into all aspects of social life.

With this principle and vision, UCCN has received a positive response from the international community. As of 2023, 301 cities have joined the network, of which 61 are registered with the music sector.

In Vietnam, the development of sustainable cities capable of joining the UCCN system is affirmed as one of the important tasks to actualize international commitments as well as the objectives set forth in important resolutions and strategies on cultural development at both national and local levels.

In this context, following the event that Hanoi was the first city of Vietnam to join UCCN in 2019, Da Lat and 8 other cities have participated in the project "Developing a network of creative cities within the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN)" implemented by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in the period 2021-2022.

Da Lat has a lot of potential and strengths to be a creative city in the field of music.

(Image by: Ngo Van Lai)

Within the framework of this project, the research process along with a thorough assessment of the potential strengths, and development status of Da Lat as well as the city's strategic goals in the coming time have helped confirm the feasibility of building Da Lat's application to join UCCN as a creative city in the field of music.

In the spirit of respecting the principles and core values of UCCN, activities associated with creative cities require active and proactive participation as well as the contributions of many participants, including managers, artists, cultural and creative practitioners, researchers, businesses, and the community, etc. The organization of the consultation seminar contributes to promoting the participation, sharing of information, and the process of contributing ideas of relevant departments in the process of developing and finalizing this important document.

Vien Huu