PARIS: Lahore has been designated as a member of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) Creative Cities Network along with 65 other cities of the world.
Director-General Audrey Azoulay while announcing UNESCO’s decision in Paris said these cities were selected as member of UCCN in recognition of their efforts to place creativity and the creative economy at the core of their urban development plans to make cities safe, resilient, inclusive and sustainable and in line with the United Nations 2030 agenda for sustainable development, Radio Pakistan reported.
Pakistan’s Ambassador to France Moin ul Haque while welcoming UNESCO’s decision said Lahore’s designation as the City of Literature would boost the city’s cultural importance around the world besides improving Pakistan’s soft image and promoting tourism in the country.
Read More: Unesco lists Kalasha culture as Intangible Cultural Heritage
Last year in November, Pakistan’s first independent nomination, the ‘Suri Jagek’ tradition practised by the indigenous Kalasha people, had been approved by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) for inclusion in that year’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH).
The decision was taken at the 13th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Suri Jagek, literally translated as ‘observing the sun’, was the traditional Kalasha meteorological and astronomical knowledge system and practice – enacted predominantly in the Hindu Kush mountain range – based on the observation of the sun, moon, stars and shadows with respect to the local topography.
 Creative Cities Network along with 65 other cities of the world.){kind=link}