KEY AIM: Learning cities are confronted and challenged by a number of critical issues that are global in their scale, impact and significance, and which threaten the aspiration for a peaceful, harmonious, and sustainable civilisation on planet earth. This network will look at ways learning cities can respond to critical global issues and build global consciousness and citizenship for a tolerant, multicultural and sustainable world.

Issues include global warming and the imperative need for climate action to the large scale movement of refugees in various parts of the world.  There are examples from PASCAL work with learning cities around the world in which cities harness the power of education, learning and community building to respond to challenges in building global consciousness, understanding, respect for others and active citizenship.

This network shared ideas on such approaches with a progress report to the PASCAL International Conference in Pretoria, South Africa in October 2017, and offered a final report to the 2018 PASCAL International Conference on learning cities in Suwon, Republic of Korea in September 2018.

• In what ways can learning cities foster climate actions and a commitment to stewardship of the environment in their cities?
• What are the features of good practice in learning cities that harness the power of education, lifelong learning and community development to meet the needs of refugees and migrants and build tolerant, sustainable multicultural communities?
• What can be done to strengthen the role of civil society in fostering global consciousness and active citizenship at all levels?