Srinagar: World Craft City

Srinagar: World Craft City

Context: Srinagar has become the fourth Indian city to be recognised as a ‘World Craft City’ by the World Craft Council (WCC). Jaipur, Mamallapuram and Mysore are the other World craft cities in India.

World Craft City

• It is an initiative launched in 2014 to recognise the pivotal role local authorities, craftspeople, and communities play in cultural, economic, and social development worldwide.

World Craft Cities in India

• Srinagar is a city with more than 4,000 years of written history and shawls, carpets, papier mache, etc.
• Kashmir’s handicraft sector is witnessing major economic gains, with exports in the last five years jumping from Rs. 1,000 to 2,000 crores.
• In 2021, Srinagar also earned the title of UNESCO Creative City under Crafts and Folk Art.

World Craft Council (WCC)

• The World Crafts Council (WCC-International) is an international non-profit organization, is dedicated to fostering the preservation, promotion, and advancement of global craftsmanship and traditional crafts.
• It was founded by Ms. Aileen Osborn Vanderbilt Webb, Ms. Margaret M. Patch, and Smt Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay at the 1st World Crafts Council General Assembly in New York on June 12, 1964.
• Since its inception, the World Crafts Council has been affiliated with UNESCO under Consultative Status for many years.