• MGTO Director Senna Fernandes shares her thoughts on the strategic blossoming of Macao as a Creative City of Gastronomy in a discussion session
  • Representatives of UNESCO Creative Cities of Gastronomy gather at the UNESCO World Forum on Food and Culture

Macao Flavour at UNESCO World Forum on Food and Culture in Parma

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Organised by UNESCO in collaboration with the Government of Italy, the first UNESCO World Forum on Food and Culture was held in Parma, Italy on 12th and 13th September. Macao - as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy - was one of the regions invited to showcase its expertise for a Forum panel. The event brought together government officials, international organisations, representatives and experts from around the world to discuss ‘Culture and Food: Innovative Strategies for Sustainable Development’.

Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Director, and Macao SAR focal point for the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, joined representatives from five other Creative Cities of Gastronomy - Östersund (Sweden), Florianopolis (Brazil), Panama City (Panama), Parma (Italy) and Tsuruoka (Japan) - on a panel themed ‘Example of UNESCO Creative Cities of Gastronomy’. Director Senna Fernandes engaged in discussion with fellow cities’ representatives, sharing Macao’s plans and experiences of its designation as a Creative City of Gastronomy in 2017.

To this end, she explained the several initiatives undertaken - namely, on the preservation of food culture heritage, fostering gastronomic creativity and sustainability, generating a positive impact upon the sustainable practices and branding of the city, and its contributions in advancing the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Other thematic panels of the two-day Forum zoomed in on key topics related to food culture and exploration of innovative pathways for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Among the several panels ‘Cultural Heritage and Food: the foundations of cultural identity’ discussed the challenges and opportunities of reinventing traditions whilst preserving local identity. In ‘Education and Sustainability: vocational training and new jobs’ guest speakers examined strategies for education’s role as an influencer of social transformation to more sustainable practices.