MANILA, Philippines – Iloilo City bagged a spot on UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network, representing the field of gastronomy, UNESCO announced on Tuesday, October 31. It is the very first city in the Philippines to make it to the network’s gastronomy category.

Iloilo City had been vying for the title for two years prior. The city upped its efforts earlier this year by implementing several food-related initiatives, including publishing the Flavors of Iloilo cookbook.

Fifty-four new cities were also added to the network alongside Iloilo. Joining the Philippine city in the field of gastronomy are Cambodia’s Battambang, China’s Chaozhou, Switzerland’s Fribourg, South Korea’s Gangneung, Greece’s Herakleion, and Cameroon’s Nkongsamba.

Since its inception in 2004, UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network has rounded up cities from all over the world that view creativity as a key strategic factor for sustainable urban development.

The cities that make it to the list typically foster a strong commitment to promoting culture and creativity, which is then categorized into seven different fields: Crafts and Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts, and Music.

Upon their designation, these cities will be tasked to collaborate with Network members in “strengthening their resilience” against the threats of climate change, rising inequality, and rapid urbanization. This is given that 68% of the world’s population are expected to live in urban areas by 2050.

“The cities in our Creative Cities Network are leading the way when it comes to enhancing access to culture and galvanizing the power of creativity for urban resilience and development,” said UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay in a press release.

Iloilo City, along with the other newly designated cities, are invited to participate in the Creative Cities Network conference in Braga, Portugal, with the theme “Bringing youth to the table for the next decade.” – Rappler.com