Lisbon will host the World Cultural Cities Forum in October 2019 and will also take on the co-chair of the Culture Committee of the Union of Cities and Local Governments, the City Council announced.
According to information transmitted by the municipality, the “meeting will take place between October 23 and 25 of next year” in Lisbon, the city chosen for its “strategic position as an open, central and cosmopolitan capital with an international vocation.”
The World Forum of Cities of Culture is an international network of 38 cities that “choose culture as the engine of urban promotion and citizenship, placing it at the centre of public policies and city planning,” said the note sent to journalists.
This year, the summit was held in the United States, in the city of San Francisco, where the announcement of next year’s host was made.
Last week, municipalities such as Paris, Moscow, New York, Rio de Janeiro or Tokyo debated “how urban centres can change their cultural identity, given the rapid technological evolution” and what “can be achieved when culture and technology allies, “said the statement from the Lisbon Chamber, pointing out that” political representatives and culture specialists from more than 30 cities were present. ”
“In Lisbon, the meeting will focus on the role of culture in the construction of open and tolerant cities and addressing environmental challenges, as well as strategies for attracting audiences,” it is pointed out.
Cited in the note of the City Council, the councillor of Culture, Catarina Vaz Pinto, stresses that “it is a great honour” to host “this fantastic event.”
“Lisbon has been a member of this forum for a short time and we are very pleased to be part of this group of cities. We are fully committed to working for this network and we have taken the decision to host this summit,” he added.
Already the president of the forum, and councillor of Culture and Creative Industries of London, Justine Simons, considers “great news the choice of Lisbon for the next annual summit, bringing together leaders from cities around the globe to share ideas about the growing role of culture in urban development “.
“Culture has the power to transform lives, making our cities more welcoming. Lisbon is an open and vibrant city, it will be a great host and will certainly help to inspire us even more,” he says.
Starting next year, the Portuguese capital will also take on the co-presidency of the Culture Committee of the Union of Cities and Local Governments, which is the only platform on a global scale that joins cities, networks and organizations to work together on cultural policies local and sustainable development “.
According to the municipality, the designation of Lisbon for this position was “days before, in Mexico”.
