Call for Proposals: UNESCO Creative Cities Network

The Network brings together cities from all continents and regions with different geodemographic, economic, social, cultural and environmental settings. They work together towards a common mission: placing culture and creativity at the core of their urban development plans to make cities safe, resilient, inclusive, sustainable and future-proof in line with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Eligibility Criteria

• The Call for Applications is open to all cities of UNESCO’s Member States and Associate Members.
• UNESCO reserves itself the right to restrict the Call for Applications, by taking into account specific geographical or thematic priorities, and may limit the maximum number of designations. For the 2025 Call, a maximum of two applications from a same country, and in two different creative fields, can be eligible for designation.
• Moreover, applications from under-represented regions within the Network, especially those from Africa and Arab States, are encouraged in order to enhance the Network’s geographic representation. The specific Cooperation Framework is available to cities from these twos regions in the current Call (please refer to the Annex for further details on the Cooperation Framework).
• Cities that have submitted two consecutive unsuccessful applications to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, shall respect a moratorium of 4 years before presenting a new application.

Selection Criteria

• A city may be designated based on its assets and added value in the fields of culture and creativity, but also on the content, impact and outreach of its proposed action plan. It shall demonstrate its potential contribution to the Network’s overall vision and objectives, as well as its commitment to UNESCO’s mandate and priorities, including the promotion of cooperation, solidarity and dialogue at all levels, and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Application Requirements

• All applications must be submitted exclusively through the dedicated online application platform.
• Drafting and submitting an application online can take longer than anticipated. Adequate time needs to be dedicated to the preparation phase, the constitution of a management team and the consultative group.
• The management team and the focal point should start by carefully reading the UCCN Mission Statement, the online Application Form and the present Application Guidelines.
• It is important to ensure an active participation of all the relevant local stakeholders and actors to reinforce engagement and ownership of the process, gather the necessary information on the cultural assets, experiences and expertise of the city, sketch out the main lines of the city’s vision, strategy and action plan.

For more information, visit UNESCO.