Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) included Bukhara in the Creative Cities Network (UCCN).

Bukhara’s candidacy was presented with the support of the Art and Culture Development Foundation of Uzbekistan.

The UNESCO Creative Cities Network was established in 2004 to promote international cooperation between cities willing to invest in creativity, which is considered the engine of sustainable urban development, social inclusion and the expansion of cultural influence on a global scale. Currently, the program includes about 300 cities from all over the world.

Bukhara became the first city in Central Asia to be included in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network Program in the direction of “Decorative, Applied and Folk Arts”. This recognition emphasizes the importance and uniqueness of the creative and cultural sphere of Bukhara and helps to promote its development and international recognition.

The first Biennale of Contemporary Design and Crafts will be held in Bukhara in 2025, said Assistant to the President of Uzbekistan Saida Mirziyoyeva. The event will be organized by the Art and Culture Development Foundation of Uzbekistan.

“I am confident that holding the Biennale in Bukhara will attract even greater attention from the international community and will contribute to further study of the city by both specialists and tourists,” she noted.