Gaziantep joins the Creative Cities Network in gastronomy

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared on Friday that the southeastern city of Gaziantep has been placed in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field of gastronomy.

Forty-seven cities in 33 countries were designated new members of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network this year.

As a new member of the Network, Gaziantep has become a pioneer city representing Turkey internationally in the field of gastronomy. The list of this year's selected cities includes 22 from countries not previously represented in the program.

Only eight cities worldwide have been placed in the Network in gastronomy; two cities in Spain, and one each in Brazil, Norway, Mexico, Thailand, Iran, Italy, and the United States.

UNESCO has placed the cities in the network within its seven creative fields including music, film, media arts, literature, gastronomy, design, crafts and folk art.

The UNESCO Creative Cities Network aims to foster cooperation among the member cities, committed to integrate culture in economic and social development plans. The program recognizes cities for which specific forms of creativity are essential to the social and cultural fabric, and promotes cooperation among them.

It was launched in line with a decision taken during the 170th gathering of UNESCO's Executives Board in 2014. It comprises 116 cities from different countries. The next meeting of the Creative Cities Network is scheduled to be held on September 2016 in Sweden.