As the Mayor of the city of lbagué, 1 want to reiterate our interest in participating in the call for applications to be a member of UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network in the field of music. For the past months, we have worked tirelessly to put together the dossier that we are now presenting to this important network, with whom we share the objective of making creativity and cultural industries, the central stage of sustainable development.

This nomination process has been significantly relevant to maintain our pursuit to fulfill the goals of our Municipal Development Plan “lbagué Vibra 2020-2023” which aims at creating the opportunities that enable the development and exercise of the cultural rights of our citizens.

lt has been an honor to have the support of remarkable figures of the cultural field in Colombia, who have integrated our High-Level Advisory Committee. 1 want to take this opportunity to especially thank our illustrious lbagué citizen, Mrs. Juliana Márquez for being a supporter and an ambassador for this city project.

This bid is undoubtedly the best of occasions to put creativity and music in the core of an effort to bring the public, private, academic, and related sectors to work alongside each other towards the goals of the Municipal Plan of Music “lbagué Creativa 2021- 2025”. This plan includes integral musical strategies that seek an enhanced planning process in the sector, and that ensure that the city offers all necessary aids for the consolidation of the local music industry.

This process has also allowed us to work on new national and international alliances with cities from the network, with whom we have identified common points of interest that enable an effective cooperation that can be instrumental in the construction of creative and innovative strategies to invigorate the musical sector. lbagué is currently strengthening its musical education from very early ages, creating new scenarios for the musical practice like the cultural and artistic complex of lbagué’s panopticon, which will count with rehearsal rooms and spaces for the realization of festivals that grow stronger each year, and that make lbagué a musical epicenter.

Music is the core of the city’s life, and with the aim of creating an increased sense of belonging, as well as to create an intercultural dialogue, lbagué expects to be a part of UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network, in order to actively participate in it, creating new paths that enable the generation of opportunities for our youngsters and our artists, using music as a powerful tool of social transformation.