Earlier this month, the XVI UNESCO Creative Cities Network Annual Conference (1-5 July 2024) took place in Braga, UNESCO Creative City of Media Arts, in Portugal. Bristol was proudly represented at this important event by Natalie Moore, Bristol UNESCO City of Film Manager.
The conference offered a unique occasion to strengthen ties between over 350 Creative Cities across the globe, including the 26 members of the Cities of Film subnetwork: Asaba, Bitola, Bradford, Bristol, Busan, Cannes, Cluj-Napoca, Galway, Gdynia, Kathmandu, Łódź, Mumbai, Ouarzazate, Penedo, Potsdam, Qingdao, Rome, Santos, Sarajevo, Sofia, Sydney, Terrassa, Valladolid, Vincente Lopez, Wellington and Yamagata.
Bristol UNESCO City of Film Manager Natalie Moore (pictured front/centre) with fellow representatives from 18 of the world’s 26 Cities of Film, at the UNESCO Creative Cities Annual Conference in Braga, UNESCO Creative City of Media Arts
The week long event marked 20 years of the UCCN, during which time, organisers said, “it has fostered dialogue and collaboration among cities eager to leverage culture and creativity as a means of promoting sustainable city development.” It focused on the theme of “Bringing Youth to the Table For the Next Decade”, underscoring “the critical imperative to harness the power of creativity and culture in building resilient and inclusive cities around the world, stressing the importance of involving young minds in shaping this future.”
Topics of conversation range from a just transition to AI, youth engagement in policies for sustainable urban development, empowering tomorrow’s citizens through cultural and artistic education, and a standalone goal for Culture in the post-2030 global agenda. Natalie also attended meetings with the other UNESCO Cities of Film to discuss future collaboration and to endorse the Braga Manifesto: A Culture Goal for Sustainable Development.
Images courtesy of Natalie Moore
“Each city has its own distinct film history and heritage, and its own approach to harnessing their UNESCO status and embed the UN SDG’s into their city’s economic and cultural development,” says Natalie. “Which makes this annual meeting a valuable place to meet, share experiences about effective initiatives and develop ideas for future collaboration.
“Highlights for me included Bristol getting a mention as a special case study from the UNESCO Creative Cities’ recent evaluation report, and a clear, joined-up approach to the prioritisation of culture in global policy by the UCCN, the UN-Habitat (United Nations Human Settlements Programme), the World Cities Culture Forum, the World Economic Forum, and the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG). The conference also provided the ideal opportunity for us to share our brand new Bristol UNESCO City of Film showreel with the other Cities in the network.”
On behalf of Bristol UNESCO City of Film, Natalie also had the honour of presenting the closing session of the full UCCN conference on the final day, on behalf of all the Film Cities.