Sukhothai Heritage, Creative Crafts, and Lifelong Learning Communities

The city of Sukhothai led by the acting Governor and Sukhothai Tourism and Sports hosted a 2-days international event (12-13 December 2024) to celebrate the city for achieving three UNESCO designations which are UNESCO World Heritage Site (1991), UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN 2019), UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC 2022).

The first day was international conference on “Heritage, Creative Crafts, and Lifelong Learning Communities” under the climate action themes by learning and sharing good practices from 16 overseas cities. There were 19 honorable delegates from 3 UNESCO Heritage Cities (Kyoto: Japan, Penang: Malaysia, and Cairo: Egypt); 4 UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (Hamburg: Germany/ Online, Shanghai: China, Okayama: Japan, and Eunpyeong: South Korea), 5 UNESCO Creative Cities Network (Jinju: South Korea, Hanoi: Vietnam, Weifang: China, Bandung: Indonesia, Ambon: Indonesia, and Iloilo: Philippines) and special guests from the Netherlands (Amsterdam and Rotterdam) who participated in the conference and workshop on 12 December. The second day was a cultural trip in Sukhothai Historic Park and around crafts village. These delegates also joined the workshop on traditional dance hosted by Sukhothai College of Dramatic Arts to experience in Loy Krathong Dance. Impacts of these international events have not only enhanced visibility of Sukhothai at global network; but these activities promote UNESCO Missions of Sukhothai for preserving its cultural heritage, creativity and lifelong learning in more resilient and sustainable development.