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UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning Bulletin, July 2021

In this issue of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning Bulletin you will find information about this year’s International Literacy Day, updates on the fifth International Conference on Learning Cities, multimedia stories about learning cities’ responses to COVID-19, the latest edition of the International Review of Education – Journal of Lifelong Learning, and much more.

Wishing you a good read!

David Atchoarena

August 2021

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Dear Reader,

In this issue of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning Bulletin you will find information about this year’s International Literacy Day, updates on the fifth International Conference on Learning Cities, multimedia stories about learning cities’ responses to COVID-19, the latest edition of the International Review of Education – Journal of Lifelong Learning, and much more.

Wishing you a good reading!

David Atchoarena, Director

Literacy and basic skills

International Literacy Day is on 8 September!
This year’s International Literacy Day (ILD) will be celebrated under the theme ‘Literacy for a human-centred recovery: Narrowing the digital divide’. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the learning of children, youth and adults on an unprecedented scale. ILD 2021 is an opportunity to reflect on the importance of building the digital literacy skills of non-literate youth and adults to ensure that no one is left behind.

Learn more ►

Statistics of the month

Global Alliance for Literacy

Global Network of Learning Cities

Join the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities!
From 1 September to 1 November 2021, cities from UNESCO Member States are invited to apply for membership in the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC). The UNESCO GNLC is an international policy-oriented network providing inspiration, know-how and best practice.

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Register now for the fifth International Conference on Learning Cities
UIL, in collaboration with the UNESCO learning city of Yeonsu, Republic of Korea, will host the fifth International Conference on Learning Cities from 27 to 30 October 2021. Representatives of UNESCO learning cities and education experts from around the world will come together for this hybrid event to discuss the theme ‘From emergency to resilience: Building healthy and resilient cities through learning’. Registration is now open!

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Join the fifth International Conference on Learning Cities!

Snapshots of learning cities’ responses to COVID-19

Poland’s Familial Gdynia project kept families informed throughout the pandemic
Featured in UIL’s recently published Snapshots of learning cities' responses to COVID-19 publication, the Familial Gdynia project helped young children, teenagers and parents during the COVID-19 crisis. Each month since the onset of the pandemic, an estimated 1,000 participants have engaged in meetings, events and workshops.
Learn more in our multimedia story.

Goyang encourages ‘distancing in daily life’
Also featured in UIL’s Snapshots of learning cities' responses to COVID-19 publication, the ongoing COVID-19 recovery strategy of Goyang, Republic of Korea, aims to transform the city into one that encourages ‘distancing in daily life’.
Learn more in our multimedia story.

`Investment in education is one of our priorities as we believe it is an essential tool of a prosperous and developed society.´

Luis Miguel Albuquerque
Mayor of the UNESCO learning city of Ourém, Portugal

Full video statement ►

Adult learning and education

CONFINTEA VII consultation presentations and recordings
Presentations and recordings from regional consultations in preparation fpr the seventh International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VII) are available on our website.

View presentations and recordings ►

Upcoming regional consultation for the seventh International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VII)

8 and 9 September 2021: European regional consultation ►
22 September 2021: Asia–Pacific regional consultation ►

International Review of Education

A year (and a bit) of living dangerously
The latest issue of the International Review of Education – Journal of Lifelong Learning (IRE) considers lifelong learning in the context of a world coming to terms with COVID-19 and challenges some of the educational orthodoxies – the unfairness or insufficiency of which have been exposed by the crisis.

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IRE editor's August recommendations

A bottom-up approach to improve women’s access to technical and vocational education and training in India: Examining a non-formal education upskilling programme
Matthew A. Witenstein and Radhika Iyengar

From deficit to apposite: A critique of NEET constructions of out-of-school youth in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland)
Tibekile A. Manana and Peter N. Rule

Open Heritage Days in UIL’s host city of Hamburg, Germany
As part of Hamburg’s annual Heritage Days from 10 to 12 September 2021, UIL invites readers to make a virtual visit to its historical home and to learn more about its original owner, the shipping magnate Albert Ballin. Built in 1908 by architects Lundt & Kallmorgen, the imposing villa provided Ballin with a prestigious setting for the visits of high-ranking guests, among them Kaiser Wilhelm II.

Learn more ►