Jakarta, May 7, 2026 – The Ministry of Creative Economy/Creative Economy Agency supports the vision of Padang City to become a national culinary hub. This initiative aligns with efforts to strengthen the creative economy, particularly in the culinary subsector.
Minister of Creative Economy, Teuku Riefky Harsya, received an audience with the Padang City Government at the Ministry of Creative Economy Office, Jakarta, Thursday (7/5/2026).
Minister of Creative Economy Teuku Riefky Harsya stated that the ambition to position Padang City as a national culinary hub further strengthens the region’s identity as an area rich in gastronomic diversity.
“Through this collaboration, we want to ensure that the richness of Minangkabau gastronomy becomes not only a source of local pride, but is also able to meet global standards and generate tangible economic impact for the community,” said the Minister of Creative Economy during an audience with the Padang City Government at the Ministry of Creative Economy Office, Jakarta, Thursday (7/5).
The Ministry of Creative Economy also welcomed Padang City’s readiness to represent Indonesia as a candidate for UNESCO’s City of Gastronomy in 2027. The central government is committed to assisting the region in optimizing its creative identity in order to strengthen the reputation of Indonesia’s creative economy on the global stage.
Documentation by Bureau for Communication of the Ministry of Creative Economy/Creative Economy Agency.
“This synergy reflects our shared commitment to supporting the nomination process for the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) 2027. We will assist the Padang City Government in ensuring that the technical preparations and documentation meet UNESCO’s international standards,” emphasized the Minister of Creative Economy.
On the occasion, Mayor of Padang Fadly Amran expressed appreciation for the Ministry of Creative Economy’s support in accompanying the UCCN 2027 nomination process. He also highlighted the strength of cultural heritage such as rendang, sate padang, gulai, and sambal lado, as well as the social tradition of makan bajamba and the cultural acculturation tradition of urang padang jalan barampek, as key assets in becoming a City of Gastronomy.
“The Ministry of Creative Economy’s support is highly crucial for us in improving the standards of a sustainable culinary ecosystem, considering Padang possesses a comprehensive culinary richness that has already gained global recognition,” he stated.
Documentation by Bureau for Communication of the Ministry of Creative Economy/Creative Economy Agency.
The audience between the Ministry of Creative Economy and the Padang City Government aimed to coordinate follow-up actions after the addendum to the Creative Regency/City Self-Assessment Verification Report (PMK3I) for Padang City, which has focused on the culinary subsector since February 2026.
The meeting also included a request for assistance in participating in the stages of the UCCN 2027 selection process, ranging from socialization and dossier preparation to administrative and substantive selection.
If successfully admitted into the UCCN network, Padang will join other Indonesian creative cities recognized by UNESCO, such as Pekalongan, Surakarta, and Ponorogo (crafts and folk art cities), Bandung (design city), Ambon (music city), Jakarta (literature city), and Malang (media arts city).
Documentation by Bureau for Communication of the Ministry of Creative Economy/Creative Economy Agency.
\Also accompanying the Minister of Creative Economy were Acting Deputy for Strategic Development of Creative Economy Dian Permanasari, Director of Infrastructure Facilitation Fahmy Akmal, and Expert Staff to the Minister for Regional Coordination Panji Purboyo.
Kiagoos Irvan Faisal
Head of Bureau for Communication
Ministry of Creative Economy/Creative Economy Agency
