2025 | Namur welcomes Ghent and Kortrijk for a meeting between UNESCO Creative Cities

On 11 June 2025, the City of Namur welcomed delegations from Ghent (UNESCO Creative City of Music) and Kortrijk (UNESCO Creative City of Design) as part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, of which Namur has been a member since 2021 in the field of media arts.

This meeting was part of an intercity exchange dynamic aimed at strengthening cooperation among Belgian creative cities around cultural, artistic, and territorial issues.

A day of exchanges and discoveries in Namur

The day began with a visit to the NID (Smart and Sustainable Namur), followed by an immersion in several emblematic places of the cultural and creative ecosystem of Namur, including the Pavillon, the TRAKK, and the Grand Manège – Namur Concert Hall.

The core of the meeting took the form of a round table, held at La Bourse, gathering representatives from Ghent and Kortrijk, as well as several institutions based in Namur, including the KIKK Festival, a central partner in the recognition of Namur as a UNESCO Creative City in the field of media arts, and the Royal Higher Institute of Musicology and Pedagody (IMEP). This illustrated the links between art education, creation, and international influence.

Strengthening cooperation within the UNESCO network

The meeting confirmed the shared commitment of Namur, Ghent, and Kortrijk to reinforce collaboration among UNESCO Creative Cities, by promoting dialogue, sharing best practices, and the emergence of shared projects.

It also highlights the commitment of Namur to make its status as a UNESCO Creative City in the field of media arts a lever for cooperation, international reach, and cultural innovation, in close collaboration with its institutional and creative partners.