Philippine partners with UK’s creative cities

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Creative Industries Development Council (PCIDC), led by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), has forged partnerships with three of Scotland’s United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) – designated creative cities as part of efforts to support Philippine cities’ aspiring for creative city designation.

In a statement yesterday, the DTI said partnerships were established with UNESCO-designated creative cities such as Dundee for design, Perth for crafts and folk arts and Glasgow for music.

Under the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act, the PCIDC, which is chaired by the DTI, is mandated to establish the Philippine Creative Cities Network to help accelerate efforts for cities’ UNESCO creative city accreditation.

During the PCIDC delegation’s visit to the United Kingdom last May 8 to 10, meetings were held to discuss how to leverage the cities’ strengths, creative talents and assets to drive economic growth, while enhancing cultural enrichment and promoting social cohesion.

To help Philippine cities become UNESCO-designated creative cities, Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual vowed to expand the opportunities for synergies between the Philippines and the UK’s creative cities.

“By taking inspiration from the best practices and innovative approaches of our British counterparts, we can adapt and tailor our strategies to address the unique challenges and opportunities present in our own creative cities,” he said.

There are currently three UNESCO-designated creative cities in the Philippines such as Baguio for crafts and folk arts (2017), Cebu for design (2019) and Iloilo for gastronomy (2023).

To enable other Philippine cities to become UNESCO-designated creative cities, the DTI is implementing the Lunsod Lunsad Program, which involves providing support and financial resources to cities that aim to position themselves as vibrant creative hubs.

To help cities harness the creative potential of their communities, the program provides capacity-building and facilitates access to funding.

Key officials of Abertay University in Dundee shared their strategies to promote industry-academe innovation partnerships for cultivating talent and driving growth in the game development and digital animation industries.