KUCHING: Kuching City has been accepted as a member of the Unesco Creative Cities Network (UCCN) in the field of gastronomy.
“We are proud because Kuching is the first city in Malaysia which is admitted to the UCCN list.
“I wish to congratulate both Kuching South City Council (MBKS) and Kuching North City Commission for such a marvellous achievement,” said Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
He said this in a statement from the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MTAC), following a press conference which was held at Baitul Makmur II complex, on Thursday (Nov 18).
Abdul Karim also expressed sincere appreciation to MTAC Malaysia and its minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri for supporting Sarawak and facilitating the submission to Unesco.
“The application of Kuching City to Unesco was a team collaboration by MTAC and city councils that were backed by a number of Sarawak stakeholders.
“The application represents the synergy between public institutions at federal, state and local authority levels with the private sector and non-government organisations,” added Abdul Karim.
They include Culinary Heritage and Arts Society Sarawak, a board tasked with the promotion and preservation of the state’s gastronomic traditions, and Society Atelier Sarawak, which previously spearheaded a successful application to list Kuching as a World Craft City under the World Crafts Council.
“We should also thank our mother nature and all the different ethnic groups in Sarawak with their unique heritage menu and food preparation techniques, which helped us build a strong case to get into UCCN list,” added the minister.
Furthermore, he noted that, as UCCN members, Kuching City is an outstanding achievement and will have a positive impact on local socio-economic development.
Abdul Karim stressed that this will also increase the visibility and positive image of both Malaysia and Sarawak, especially on the international stage.
“Like all member cities, Kuching city is expected to place the 2030 Agenda at the heart of its future development strategies and plans to make cities inclusive, safe and resilient.
“Our appreciation goes to the team who has put in a lot of wisdom, efforts and energy in producing the nomination documentation. Your efforts have reaped a big reward with the official announcement,” Abdul Karim concluded.
