World Cities Culture Forum

The World Cities Culture Forum is a collaborative network of world cities that share a belief in the importance of culture for creating thriving cities.

World cities, because of their political and economic influence, play a crucial role in setting the global agenda around sustainable urban development. The World Cities Culture Forum is the only network in which the world’s leading cities can collectively set an actionable agenda for a sustainable urban future through culture.

The Forum was founded in 2012 by London, New York, Shanghai, Paris, Tokyo, Sydney, Johannesburg, and Istanbul, and now includes 27 members from leading cities around the world.

The Forum works by convening a global network of senior policymakers and people of influence, who can speak knowledgably about conditions in their own cities, exchange ideas with international colleagues and promote innovation at home. The Forum also conducts comparative research on member cities to build a strong evidence base about the wide-ranging ways in which culture impacts on a world city and its inhabitants.

Rio de Janeiro will be hosting the next World Cities Culture Summit, which will be held from 18-21 November 2015. City leaders, cultural experts and senior representatives from more than 30 cities around the world will work together to explore the vital role of culture in the prosperity of global cities. 

Sergio Sá Leitão, Secretary of Culture, Rio de Janeiro, said: 'We are proud to be hosting next year's World Cities Culture Summit. With Rio set to welcome the world for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, bringing together city leaders to discuss the importance or culture is good timing. Through the summit we want to highlight Rio's unique arts and culture, whilst working with other cities to exchange ideas and develop strategies aimed at supporting artists and cultural activity for the long term.'

The World Cities Culture Forum is an initiative of the Mayor of London, organised and coordinated by BOP Consulting with the support and collaboration of the following partners.