Dear Partners,

In this newsletter – our first of 2016 – we are delighted to report on several developments that demonstrate the growth and dynamism of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC).

Firstly, we are pleased to announce that the Report on the 2nd International Conference on Learning Cities has been published. This report summarizes the main issues covered during the 2nd International Conference on Learning Cities, which took place from 28 to 30 September 2015 in Mexico City and which set the stage for the continued development of sustainable learning cities around the world.

Secondly, we are glad to inform you that the main materials of the UNESCO GNLC are now available in all six official languages of the UN. Thirdly, we can announce that applications for the UNESCO Learning City Award 2017 will open in the coming week. We will distribute a special announcement and we look forward to receiving applications from exemplary learning cities around the world.

And finally, it gives us great pleasure to welcome the following cities to the UNESCO GNLC: Contagem (Brazil), Okayama (Japan), Bristol (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) and Serres (Greece).  We invite you to read more about their learning city practices in this newsletter.

Before describing these exciting developments, this newsletter opens with an interview with Jorge Sequeira, Director of the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in Latin America and the Caribbean, about the role of learning cities in realizing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the region.

To increase exchange and peer learning among learning cities, we would appreciate your help in publicizing the Network around the world so that we can welcome many more cities in 2016. Thank you for your continued commitment to the UNESCO GNLC.

The UNESCO GNLC Coordination Team