Macao･Creative City of Gastronomy work meeting gathers ahead of first monitoring report submission to UCCN

The Macao･Creative City of Gastronomy annual work meeting was convened online on 25 October, ahead of submitting a monitoring report in November.

At the meeting, Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) presented a draft of the first monitoring report on Macao as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, for 2017 to 2021.

Macao was designated a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in 2017 and the policy requires member-cities to submit monitoring reports every four years to the Secretariat of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN).

Macao must complete and submit its first monitoring report by the end of November. Since 8 January, MGTO has solicited from 18 public entities, academic institutions and other units, summaries of the progress of their work over the past four years, and suggestions for the next plan of action.

Monitoring report

Guidelines set by the UCCN Secretariat in April call for 2021 monitoring reports to cover the contributions of member-cities to the UCCN, how to actualise the major initiatives proposed when the city joined in 2017, how the initiatives contribute to implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, action plans for 2022 to 2025, and initiatives undertaken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the revitalisation of the industries concerned.

MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, who is the focal point in the Macao SAR for the UCCN, told October’s meeting that over the past four years, the Office and other relevant government entities, academic institutions and industry had made collaborative endeavours to advance the development of Macao as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy.

Those activities include arranging the International Gastronomy Forum, Macao, establishing the Macanese Cuisine Database, offering educational videos, workshops and seminars for industry employees, weaving gastronomic elements into events and activities, and engaging in events put on by the UCCN and its member-cities.

Dedicated efforts

Senna Fernandes pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on various industries in Macao. In response, the Macao SAR has taken effective measures to counter the pandemic, including measures governing the food industry and food safety, and taken an array of supportive measures to bolster the tourism and related industries.

Officials of various government entities and delegates sent by relevant industries reported at the meeting on the progress of their current work, and on their plans for the future. MGTO Director expressed her sincerest gratitude to all for their support.

Senna Fernandes said she hope that the trade will make more suggestions, and join hands in fostering the preservation of, innovation in and exchanges involving the gastronomic culture of Macao, and so advance sustainable development.