Shahmirzad on the Path to Becoming a Learning City: Iranian National Commission for UNESCO Offers Moral Support for the Fifth Shahmirzad Culture and Arts Festival

On 19 August 2025, municipal officials from Shahmirzad met with Dr. Hassan Fartousi, Secretary-General of the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO, at the Secretary-General’s Office to discuss ways to cooperate in organizing the Fifth Shahmirzad Culture and Arts Festival, with a view to setting the city on a path towards joining the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities or the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.

Dr. Hassan Fartousi, Secretary-General of the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO, commended Shahmirzad’s cultural and urban development initiatives and emphasized the city’s role in advancing education and culture. He also stated that, if he were in Iran at the time, he would attend the Culture and Arts Festival.

During the meeting, Fartousi put forward several proposals to enhance Shahmirzad’s cultural events, including participation in the Atlas of Languages of Iran program; linking regional music with the Shahmirzadi dialect; safeguarding the city’s traditional urban fabric and gardens; establishing a distinctive cultural element to strengthen the festival’s identity; promoting medicinal plant tourism; and designing learning-oriented events specifically for children and women who head households.

The Mayor and members of the Shahmirzad City Council introduced the city’s cultural, historical and climatic assets, including its Walnut Festival and Ethnic Music Festival. They called for continued moral support from the Commission and the Secretary-General’s participation in the upcoming festival. They also emphasized their interest in having local events included in UNESCO’s calendar, developing international tourism, and joining the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities and the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. A distinctive feature of the fifth edition of the festival will be the participation of handicrafts exhibitors from all 31 provinces of Iran.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the Shahmirzad delegation invited the Secretary-General of the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO to attend the opening and closing ceremonies of the Fifth Shahmirzad Culture and Arts Festival and visit the city.

The meeting was attended by Abutaleb Nejabat, Chair of the City Council; Yousef Rajabi, Chair of the Council’s Cultural Commission; Mehdi Kazemi, City Council member; Shoaib Rezaei, Mayor of Shahmirzad; Morteza Rajabpour, Deputy for International Affairs and Ceremonial Affairs of the festival; members of the festival secretariat; and several directors and experts from the Iranian National a for UNESCO.