Asia-Pacific Learning Cities Alliance Launched... Over 300 Cities from 48 Countries Unite for Lifelong Learning

Holding the Founding General Assembly with the Vision of 'One Asia-Pacific Learning City'... 35 Domestic Cities and 17 Cities from 10 Overseas Countries Join... Cities from 48 Asia-Pacific Countries Unite through Lifelong Learning... Cooperation and Networking in the Asia-Pacific, the World's Largest Region... Meeting Global Learning City Standards, Achieving Results, and Promoting Future-Oriented Development

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] The Alliance for Asia-Pacific Learning Cities (APLC, 창립준비위원장 Moon Seok-jin, Mayor of Seodaemun-gu) is connecting approximately 300 cities across 48 countries in the Asia-Pacific region through lifelong learning.

The APLC Preparatory Committee announced that it will hold its inaugural general meeting both online and offline at 4 p.m. on September 30 at the IGC Incheon Global Campus Performance Hall.

The Preparatory Committee includes Kwak Sang-wook, Mayor of Osan and President of the Korean Association of Lifelong Learning Cities, which comprises 182 learning cities nationwide, and Ko Nam-seok, Mayor of Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, the host city of the 5th International Conference on Learning Cities (ICLC) in 2021, who have joined forces.

Additionally, an advisory group consisting of 19 founding member cities in Korea and 28 domestic and international experts is collaborating to promote the long-term development of the alliance.

The alliance (APLC) is supported by the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (UNESCO APCEIU), DVV-International (German Adult Education Association), PASCAL International Observatory (Place And Social Capital And Learning), the Korean Association of Lifelong Learning Cities, UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL), Korean National Commission for UNESCO, Ministry of Education, and the National Institute for Lifelong Education.

At the inaugural general meeting, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye and David Achoarena, Director of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, will deliver congratulatory messages via video, while ambassadors from India and Costa Rica to Korea are expected to participate in person.

Moon Seok-jin, Chair of the Preparatory Committee, stated, “Once the executive cities, bylaws, mission, and roles are thoroughly discussed and finalized at the general meeting on the 30th, the network will become more active and established.”

The Alliance for Asia-Pacific Learning Cities (APLC) is established to meet global standards for learning cities, promote achievements, and foster future-oriented development through cooperation and networking in the Asia-Pacific region, the largest global area.

Membership eligibility includes over 300 cities in 48 Asia-Pacific countries that have adopted the concept of learning cities into their policies and are implementing them. Currently, 35 cities in South Korea and 17 cities across 10 Asia-Pacific countries, totaling 52 cities, have joined.

Additionally, three cities from the United States, including South Bend, are participating as special guests, and the alliance is expected to be a platform where Korea, China (including Wuhan), and Japan (including Okayama) all come together.

The seven visions of the alliance (APLC) are: ▲Creating and expanding learning opportunities for citizens of learning cities ▲Strengthening political leadership, vision, foresight, and governance of learning cities ▲Sharing comprehensive and actionable plans and mutual cooperation through partnerships across various sectors ▲Setting clear phased goals and strengthening area-focused strategies reflecting regional characteristics ▲Establishing specialized strategies and strong implementation to solve specific challenges of learning cities ▲Developing and sharing effective policies, cases, and projects that positively influence learning cities mutually ▲Empowering individual citizens of learning cities and practicing positive impacts on socially, economically, and culturally sustainable development.

Moon Seok-jin, Chair of the Preparatory Committee, said, “The Alliance for Asia-Pacific Learning Cities will function as a platform for information exchange among Asia-Pacific learning cities, sharing comprehensive and actionable plans through partnerships across various sectors. It will also seek creative solutions for the recovery of learning cities in response to global challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic.”

By visiting the alliance (APLC) website, one can watch videos of the general meeting and case studies of learning cities in five languages (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese, Russian).

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