Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) has concluded its participation in the 16th UNESCO Creative Cities Network Annual Conference. The event aims to enhance cooperation between cities that integrate creativity into their urban development strategies and practices, supporting cultural and creative industries and their role in sustainable development. This participation aligns with the Authority’s efforts to cement Dubai as a global centre for culture, an incubator for creativity, and a thriving hub for talent.

During the five-day conference hosted by the Portuguese city of Braga, Dr. Saeed Mubarak bin Kharbash, CEO of the Arts and Literature Sector at Dubai Culture, took part in a panel discussion addressing ways to empower future generations through culture and arts education. He highlighted the close relationship between culture and education and how creative cities contribute to enriching the knowledge of their residents and motivating them to develop diverse skills. He also introduced attendees to the Authority’s ‘School of Life’ project that began in 2022, aimed at building and developing life, cultural, and creative skills for the public, as well as transforming public libraries into inspirational creative spaces and continuous learning platforms. This reflects the Authority’s commitment to creating an innovative educational ecosystem capable of encouraging positive societal thinking.

Khulood Khoory, Director of the Projects and Events Department at Dubai Culture, focused on sharing best practices from Dubai at the Design Creative Cities sub-network meetings during her participation in the conference. In line with the conference theme ‘Bringing Youth to the Table,’ she introduced the ‘Youth Design Collective’ project by the Dubai Design Lab, directed toward empowering youth to shape the future by developing their capabilities and providing essential skills and tools to stimulate creative thinking and devise new solutions to potential challenges. Undertakings like this and wider discourse around it contribute to achieving Dubai’s vision and aspirations to be one of the world’s best cities.

In 2017 Dubai was designated as the first ‘Creative City of Design’ in the Middle East within the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, which was established in 2004 and includes 354 cities worldwide. Through its membership, the emirate works on policies to positively impact its reputation as a global creative city and confirm its contributions to sustainable development goals. Additionally, it highlights its initiatives and achievements in the field of design and creativity, reaffirming its position as an attractive destination for talent.