Kyiv has officially been granted UNESCO City of Music status and has joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. This recognition highlights the city’s musical heritage, contemporary potential, and creative energy. The idea to submit the application originated in 2023, initiated by the permanent commission of the Kyiv City Council on culture, tourism, and public communications. The project was supported by Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko. To prepare the application, the city formed a cross-sectoral team that included representatives from state and municipal institutions, the education sector, civil society, and the creative industries.
During the preparation, a thorough analysis of Kyiv’s cultural life was conducted, which confirmed that the musical sector is one of the city’s most powerful and representative areas. Kyiv hosts dozens of concert venues, music academies, and schools, as well as hundreds of events, festivals, competitions, and international arts initiatives.
Over the course of a year, the expert team carried out analytical work, developed a four-year strategy for the development of the city’s music sector, and prepared the application, including descriptions of local and international projects.
“Receiving UNESCO City of Music status is the result of deep collaboration between city specialists, the music community, and local authorities. For Kyiv, this marks a new stage of cultural development, opening opportunities for international cooperation, experience exchange, and investment in music infrastructure. We aim for the music of Kyiv to be heard around the world as the voice of a modern, free, and resilient Ukraine,” said Serhiy Anzhiyak, Director of the Kyiv City Department of Culture.
Initiatives linked to the UNESCO City of Music status are integrated into the Comprehensive City Program “Capital Culture: 2025–2027,” which supports the systematic development of Kyiv’s cultural ecosystem, creative industries, and international connections.
A coordination office is planned to be established at the R. M. Gliere Kyiv Municipal Academy of Music, which will oversee the implementation and reporting of the four-year strategic action plan within Kyiv’s participation in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.
The main goal of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, established in 2004, is to integrate art and creativity into the core of urban development plans at both local and international levels. Currently, the network unites 408 cities and covers eight creative fields: crafts and folk arts, media arts, film, design, gastronomy, literature, music, and, starting in 2025, architecture.
