Iaşi joins UNESCO creative cities network

Culture serves as an international passport for certain communities. Iaşi is one of the 55 new cities joining the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) following their designation by the organization's Director-General, Audrey Azoulay. According to UNESCO's official page, these new cities were recognized for their strong commitment to harnessing culture and creativity as part of their development strategies and for displaying innovative practices in human-centered urban planning. Iaşi was included in the Literature category, in recognition of the importance of the International Literature and Translation Festival (FILIT), a project that, for eleven editions, has brought together hundreds of professionals in the cultural field: writers, translators, publishers, festival organizers, literary critics, booksellers, book distributors, managers, and journalists. FILIT is a project of the Romanian Literature Museum in Iaşi, funded by the County Council, and organized under the patronage of the Representation of the European Commission. Shortly after UNESCO's announcement on its official page, Simona Mirela Miculescu, the Ambassador of the Permanent Delegation of Romania to UNESCO, wrote: "We enthusiastically welcome Iaşi's inclusion in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network! This UNESCO initiative aims to strengthen partnerships among member cities in the network, which currently numbers 350 cities from over 100 countries. The creative domains included are: crafts and folk arts, media arts, design, film, gastronomy, literature, and music. Inclusion in the list, in the field of literature, also comes as recognition of the importance of the International Literature and Translation Festival in Iaşi (FILIT), whose recent edition was, indeed, placed under the patronage of the National Commission of Romania for UNESCO and the Representation of the European Commission in Romania. Iaşi becomes the second city in Romania, following Cluj-Napoca (2021 - Film), to become a member of this prestigious network of creative cities. We extend warm congratulations to all those involved in presenting this candidacy and wish the people of Iaşi great success within the network.' With these latest additions, the network now comprises 350 cities in over a hundred countries, representing seven creative fields: Crafts and Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts, and Music."