On August 20-22, 2024, the II Latin American Forum of Learning Cities was held in Bogotá (the capital of Colombia). Mayors of Latin American municipalities, members of the Global Network of UNESCO Learning Cities, representatives of the ministries of education, social development, labor, health care, public organizations, universities, and private initiatives were invited to the event. Raúl Valdés Cotera, coordinator of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities, also visited the forum. Find the program of the event by the following link.
Among the other things, the forum was designed to create a space for finding common solutions to overcome the social and economic inequality that exists in the Latin American region through educational opportunities. Forum participants discussed how education can respond to today's challenges, contribute to the creation of safe and inspiring public spaces, which will be comfortable to implement educational practices. Issues of equal access to education, development of competences for the implementation of life projects and comprehensive development of the personality were also in focus of the plenary sessions of the event.
Mayor of Lviv Andriy Sadovyi took part in the forum with the support of DVV International Ukraine. Within one of the plenary sessions, he presented the activities of the city of Lviv in terms of its participation in the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities. In particular, he focused on the fact that the war created new challenges: the number of internally displaced persons increased, there was a need to reintegrate veterans into society and fight unemployment. Andriy Sadovy gave a number of examples of how the creation of educational opportunities contributed to the improvement of people's lives, especially those who suffered in one way or another as a result of the war. Hence, thanks to studying at various courses, people get a chance to master at new professions, acquire new hobbies, socialize, and get included into society.
Education that meets the challenges of a specific region must take into account the learning needs of the local citizens. To achieve this, learning content must be adapted to local realities and address issues such as poverty, inequality and social exclusion. Education should provide people with the tools to meet the challenges of the environment. It is also important that educational programs are innovative and promote the development of practical skills relevant to the local labor market. Thus, if adult education and lifelong learning are adapted to local needs, they can become a powerful tool for solving critical problems, as well as equipping people with the skills and knowledge needed to meet the current and future challenges of the world.