Some 400 delegates to debate on Ideal City at UNESCO Creative Cities Conference

A cradle of papermaking in Europe since the second half of the 13th century and throughout the Renaissance, Fabriano joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) six years ago in the field of crafts and folk art.

The Italian city of Fabriano will host this year's UNESCO Creative Cities Conference from 10 to 15 June. A cradle of papermaking in Europe since the second half of the 13th century and throughout the Renaissance, Fabriano joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) six years ago in the field of crafts and folk art.

Sergio Mattarella, President of Italy, Gabriele Santarelli, Mayor of Fabriano, Ernesto Ottone R., Assistant Director-General for Culture of UNESCO, and Maria Francesca Merloni, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Creative Cities, will open the first plenary session of the meeting on 12 June (10.30 a.m., open to accredited journalists).

Some 400 delegates representing the 180 cities of UNESCO's Creative Cities Network will debate this year's theme, "The Ideal City," and exchange their diverse experiences and ideas for meeting the challenges of the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the city level.

A record 50 mayors will participate in the conference, which will bring together municipal decision-makers from Al-Ahsa (Saudi Arabia) to Buenos Aires (Argentina), from Dakar (Senegal) to Budapest (Hungary), and from Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) to Wuhan (China). They will examine ways to anchor culture in development frameworks and policies and promote sustainable urban regeneration, social cohesion, employment and entrepreneurship.

Flagship initiatives featured at this year's conference will include the Lend a Hand project targeting vulnerable communities in Nassau (Bahamas), a regeneration programme promoting green areas and walkability in Porto-Novo (Benin) and an innovative citizen-led project aimed at engaging youth in Geelong (Australia).

Launched in 2004, the UNESCO Creative Cities Network includes 180 cities from 72 countries focusing on seven fields of activity: crafts and folk art, media arts, design, film, gastronomy, literature and music.