UNESCO Director-Normal Audrey Azoulay has designated 58 cities as new members of the United Nations Academic, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Artistic Cities Community, which now consists of 408 cities throughout greater than 100 nations.
Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, has been recognised within the class of “Gastronomy”.
“Proud Second for India. Lucknow's wealthy culinary heritage now recognised on the worldwide stage!” Everlasting Delegation of India to UNESCO stated in a social media submit on Friday.
“On World Cities Day 2025 (30 Oct), Lucknow has been designated a UNESCO Artistic Metropolis of Gastronomy, becoming a member of 58 new cities included within the UNESCO Artistic Cities Community (UCCN). The UCCN, which now has 408 cities throughout 100+ nations, promotes creativity and tradition as key drivers of sustainable city growth,” it stated.
Lucknow is famend for its wealthy and conventional gourmand meals, from the favored road meals ‘chaat' to Awadhi delicacies and delectable desserts. The popularity, introduced on World Cities Day, honours cities for his or her “dedication to championing creativity as a driver of sustainable city growth” as they create their confirmed experience in constructing resilient and vibrant communities. “UNESCO Artistic Cities show that tradition and artistic industries could be concrete drivers of growth. By welcoming 58 new cities, we're strengthening a Community the place creativity helps native initiatives, attracts funding and promotes social cohesion,” Azoulay stated.
Established in 2004, the UCCN goals to foster cooperation amongst cities that leverage tradition and creativity to advertise inclusive and sustainable development. It helps initiatives that generate employment, improve cultural vitality and strengthen social cohesion.
UCCN encourages cooperation between cities, the sharing of experiences and the pooling of options and permits members to encourage one another and strengthen the financial, social and environmental impression of their cultural insurance policies.
UNESCO stated the newly designated artistic cities — starting from Kisumu (Kenya) and New Orleans (US) for Music, to Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) for Design, Matosinhos (Portugal) and Cuenca (Ecuador) for Gastronomy, Giza (Egypt) for Movie, Rovaniemi (Finland) for Structure, Malang (Indonesia) for Media Arts, and Aberystwyth (UK) for Literature — exemplify how native creativity promotes a definite cultural experience, rooted in its territory and producing social cohesion and financial dynamism.
The Artistic Cities will collect for the Community's 2026 Annual Convention in Essaouira (Morocco), which was named a Artistic Metropolis for Music in 2019.
