Incheon Yeonsu-gu Launches Bid to Host 'UNESCO Learning City International Conference'... Scheduled for October Next Year in Songdo

Over 5,000 Attendees Including Representatives from 174 Member Cities in 55 Countries
Securing the Agenda of K-Quarantine Global Citizenship Education on 'Global Health Education and Emergency Response'

Gonam-seok, head of Yeonsu District Office, is giving a keynote presentation at the "4th UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities Conference" held in Medellin, Colombia, last October.
[Photo by Yeonsu District, Incheon]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Yeonsu-gu, Incheon is striving to host the '5th International Conference on Learning Cities' organized by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning next fall.

This international conference is held every two years, attended by representatives from 197 UNESCO lifelong learning member countries and 174 UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC) member cities from 55 countries, aiming to strengthen social inclusion through global citizenship education and promote sustainable growth.

The 5th UNESCO International Conference on Learning Cities, which Yeonsu-gu is pursuing to host, is scheduled to take place over three days in October next year at the Songdo Convensia area in Incheon.

The district is planning the conference under the theme of 'Global Health Education and Emergency Response' to explore new lifelong education solutions in the post-COVID-19 era's normalized non-face-to-face culture, as well as to promote linkage, cooperation, and exchange among GNLC member cities.

Based on Korea's successful COVID-19 quarantine experience, the plan is to enhance international status by taking the lead in global citizenship education agendas and to imprint the status of K-Edu as a leading country in convergence education to lifelong learning stakeholders worldwide.

Additionally, through Songdo International City, a center for specialized global conventions linked with international organizations and the creation of an international conference complex district to foster the MICE industry, the district intends to emphasize Incheon’s image as a well-prepared city with sufficient capabilities.

During the event, various global citizenship education activities such as the K-Edu Expo, industry exhibitions, the Global Citizenship Festival, Book Festival, Media Festival, and Climate Change Response Day are planned, along with the Songdo Fireworks Festival, K-Pop International Cooperation Charity Concert, and cultural tourism tours to revitalize the K-tourism industry.

The budget is being negotiated at around 2 billion KRW, including government support. The application to host the 5th International Conference on Learning Cities will be submitted to the UNESCO Korean Commission within this month, and domestic and international hosting activities will commence in earnest. The host city selection is expected to take place in November.

Since being designated as Incheon’s first lifelong learning city in 2003, Yeonsu-gu has been recognized as an Education Internationalization Special Zone in 2012, approved for GNLC membership in 2018, and selected as a GNLC Global Citizenship Education Cluster Coordinator City last year.

Moreover, with the opening of the Yeonsu-gu International Language Experience Center last year, the district has established a vision and strategy for a global lifelong learning city and has played an international responsible city role related to global citizenship education by hosting the Global Citizenship Education Forum earlier this year.

Notably, in October last year, Yeonsu-gu Mayor Go Nam-seok led a delegation with district council members to participate in the 4th UNESCO International Conference on Learning Cities held in Medell?n, Colombia, where they deeply shared lifelong learning experiences with cities worldwide.

Through this hosting campaign, the district plans to emphasize the position of Songdo International City as a Pacific Rim global hub city leading the advanced information and communication industry and the Northeast Asian economy, and to imprint the status of the Education Internationalization Special Zone, where Incheon Global Campus and international schools are concentrated.

Furthermore, through diverse cultural events and attractive venues such as the Pentaport Rock Festival, Songdo Beer Festival, Songdo Fireworks Festival, Songdo Light Festival, and Yeonsu Neunghoedae Festival, which embody the city’s charm and dignity, the district aims to promote a future-oriented city image globally.

Go Nam-seok, Mayor of Yeonsu-gu, emphasized, "Humanity must continuously prepare for global crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic," adding, "Korea, Incheon, and Yeonsu-gu are the best-prepared optimal locations to share experiences of wisely overcoming crises through K-quarantine with learning cities worldwide."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.