Southeast Asian creative cities strengthen ties through renewed regional MOU in Kuala Lumpur

CREATIVE leaders from across Southeast Asia have renewed the Southeast Asian Creative Cities Network (SEACCN) Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), reinforcing a stronger, unified regional commitment to advance creativity-led urban development and boost Southeast Asia’s global competitiveness.

Hosted by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and Think City and officiated by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC), Datuk Shaharuddin Abu Sohot, the signing brought together four national level organisations that advocate and drive their cities’ creative economy agendas.

The signatories were Malaysia’s Think City (represented by Managing Director, Datuk Hamdan Abdul Majeed), Thailand’s Creative Economy Agency (Senior Specialist, Montinee Yongvikul), Indonesia Creative Cities Network (Executive Committee, Dwinita Larasati), and the Creative Economy Council of the Philippines (President & Founder, Paolo Mercado).

 The renewal comes at a time of rising momentum for the region, reflected in Kuala Lumpur’s recent designation as a Unexco Creative City of Design.

In his launching address, Shaharuddin described the renewed MoU as a meaningful step forward for South-East Asia’s creative ecosystem.

“In Malaysia, culture and creativity have long been central to our national identity. From the richness of our tradition to the vibrancy of our creative industry, these sectors have shaped how we see ourselves, how we express who we are and how we connect with the rest of the world,” he said.

Founded in 2014, SEACCN started off as a regional platform for cities in the region to collaborate at a time when the creative economy was not yet widely recognised as part of national development.

Over the past decade, cities in the network have shared best practices, co-hosted festivals and design weeks and introduced creative urbanism programmes that addressed local social, economic and environmental needs.

With more Southeast Asian governments embracing creativity as a driver of growth, the renewed MoU positions the region to move forward with stronger alignment, deeper cooperation and a unified voice on the global stage. – November 19, 2025