Second International Conference on Learning Cities: Towards Building Sustainable Learning Cities to take place in Mexico
Logo of the Conference
The 2nd International Conference on Learning Cities (ICLC), co-organized by UNESCO and the Government of Mexico City, will be held from 28 to 30 September 2015 in Mexico City, Mexico. The conference marks a milestone towards ‘Building Sustainable Learning Cities’ and makes a significant contribution to the achievement of UNESCO’s 2030 education agenda.
In 2013 more than 500 participants, including mayors, ministers and representatives of international organizations, NGOs and corporations gathered for the 1st ICLC in Beijing, China, to discuss ‘Lifelong Learning for All: Inclusion, Prosperity and Sustainability in Cities’.
On that occasion UNESCO’s Director-General, Irina Bokova, declared: ‘We need learning cities for a better future for all.’
The Beijing Conference culminated in the adoption of two guiding documents: the Beijing Declaration on Building Learning Cities and the Key Features of Learning Cities. Since the 1st ICLC, many cities have started to adopt the learning city approach putting into action the outcome documents. Over the same period, the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning has laid the groundwork for the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC).
The 2nd ICLC will take place in the historic centre of Mexico City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and will take stock of achievements so far and press for the expansion of services to construct sustainable learning cities worldwide with the aim of contributing to social cohesion and economic and environmental sustainability.
Mayors, city education executives and experts from international organizations, NGOs and corporations dedicated to the promotion of lifelong learning will meet to deepen their understanding of how to develop sustainable learning cities, share expertise, strengthen partnerships and networks, and implement the Key Features of Learning Cities.
The conference will also launch the publication ‘Unlocking the Potential of Urban Communities: Case Studies of Twelve Learning Cities’ and confer the UNESCO Learning City Award 2015 to the twelve cities featured in the book.
For further questions and information, please contact the Secretariat of the Conference at the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL), Feldbrunnenstr. 58, 20148 Hamburg, Germany; phone: +49 40 44 80 41 12; fax: +49 40 41 077 23; email: learningcities(at)unesco.org.
