ASIATODAY.ID, PARIS – On the occasion of World Cities Day 2025, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay designated 58 new cities as members of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN). Two of these cities are from Indonesia: Ponorogo, recognized in the Crafts and Folk Art category, and Malang, recognized in the Media Arts category. With this designation, Indonesia now has seven UNESCO Creative Cities.
“The addition of Ponorogo and Malang demonstrates that Indonesia’s creative ecosystem is thriving not only in metropolitan areas but also in regions with strong cultural roots and dynamic digital innovation,” said Satrya Wibawa, Deputy Permanent Delegate of the Republic of Indonesia to UNESCO in Paris on October 31, 2025.
He expressed appreciation to local governments, creative stakeholders, and ministries and agencies that supported the cities’ applications since 2024.
He emphasized that this recognition “is not a ceremonial title, but an international cooperation mandate that must be immediately translated into programs, festivals, research, and creative networks.”
From Reog to the Digital Creative Economy
Ponorogo’s designation in Crafts and Folk Art highlights the city’s folk art strengths, particularly the Reog tradition, its supporting crafts, and the local cultural ecosystem, positioning it within a global network of cities promoting crafts and folk arts as drivers of sustainable development. This recognition also affirms Indonesia’s proposal, submitted to UNESCO in 2024, nominating Ponorogo and Malang.
Malang is recognized for its Media Arts capacity, including gaming, animation, digital storytelling, makerspace communities, and strong support from universities and the youth creative sector in East Java.
With this status, Malang can access best practices from other media arts cities such as Changsha and Gwangju, while also offering Southeast Asian collaborations based on local content.
Prior to 2025, Indonesia had five UNESCO Creative Cities: Pekalongan in Crafts and Folk Art (2014), Bandung in Design (2015), Ambon in Music (2019), Jakarta in Literature (2021), and Surakarta (Solo) in Crafts and Folk Art (2023). With Ponorogo and Malang joining, Indonesia now has seven Creative Cities, making it one of the Asian countries with the most diverse creative portfolio in the UCCN (crafts & folk arts, design, music, literature, and media arts).
This aligns with UNESCO’s goal of leveraging culture and creative industries to promote social resilience, investment, and community cohesion.
This year, UNESCO added 58 new cities, bringing the total UCCN membership to 408 cities across more than 100 countries. For the first time, a new category, Architecture, was introduced, highlighting the network’s ongoing development and relevance to contemporary urban development agendas.
The inclusion of Ponorogo and Malang among the 58 new Creative Cities is expected to be followed by strategic actions from the relevant stakeholders.
“City governments, in collaboration with ministries and relevant stakeholders, should immediately implement a four-year action plan for Ponorogo and Malang, in accordance with UCCN guidelines,” said Satrya.
He also encouraged both cities to coordinate and collaborate with other Indonesian Creative Cities to form an Indonesia Creative Cities Cluster within UNESCO. (AT Network)
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