UCCN includes 350 cities in over 100 countries with the aim of enhancing cooperation among cities that have identified culture and creativity as strategic leverages for sustainable urban development. The 2024 annual conference will provide an opportunity for member cities to share experiences, generate new synergies within the network, and engage in exchanges with UNESCO, mayors, city decision-makers, and other relevant parties.
Under the theme "Youth Engagement in the Decade Ahead," the conference will gather Creative Cities to discuss how to amplify the voices of young people as a driver for dialogue and change, as well as how the transformative power of culture and creativity can be leveraged to foster meaningful intergenerational cooperation in addressing global challenges.
This year's conference also reflects the opportunities presented by the UNESCO World Conference on Culture Policies and Sustainable Development (MONDIACULT 2022) to support UNESCO's efforts towards fully recognizing culture as a global public good, particularly with the perspective of integrating culture as an independent goal into the post-2030 international development agenda.