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Lifelong learning for health in cities: a guide, enacting the Yeonsu Declaration for Learning Cities Year of publication: 2023 Author: Jourdan, Didier | Gray, Nicola | Howells, Alex | Valdés-Cotera, Raúl Corporate author: UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) <Executive summary> The COVID-19 health crisis has led all cities in the world to put public health issues at the top of their agendas. The pandemic has highlighted that one cannot implement public health measures without, or indeed against, the goodwill of the population. The population is not the ‘problem’. Rather, it is part of the solution to the health crisis. Cities play a major role in developing the population’s capacity to promote individual and collective health.Education and learning are at the very core of what makes ‘health for all’ possible. The crisis, therefore, has been an eye-opener regarding the importance and need for lifelong health education. Instituting such a place-based lifelong learning culture could play a key role in building resilience for individuals, communities and cities.In Yeonsu, Republic of Korea, the fifth International Conference on Learning Cities was convened from 27 to 30 October 2021. Attending in person or online were: mayors, deputy mayors, officials, representatives from 229 learning cities in 64 countries worldwide, education executives, education experts, representatives of United Nations agencies, the private sector, and regional, international and civil society organizations. At the end of the conference, a declaration was issued. It includes a set of commitments to build healthy and resilient cities.This guide aims to assist municipal teams in the concrete development of a policy that promotes lifelong learning for health within the framework of the Yeonsu Declaration. It is intended not only for cities already identified as learning cities or healthy cities – which may use the guide to integrate a lifelong learning for health dimension into existing city policies and projects – but also for all cities that wish to implement a policy promoting lifelong learning for healthThis guide proposes a three-step process for enacting such a policy: 1. raising awareness of the role of cities in lifelong learning for health; 2. developing a policy that promotes a healthy and resilient city; and 3. implementing the policy.The lifelong learning for health policy can be formalized through the creation of a learning for health pathway. The pathway makes explicit – and simultaneously formalizes – the content, the learning approaches and learning outcomes of the learning opportunities offered throughout people’s lives. It focuses on building individual capacities for awareness and understanding of complex health issues, critical judgment and action. The pathway also has a communication purpose by making what is being done to promote health in the city explicit to citizens, partners and professionals. It is based on four key action principles: ‘valuing, sharing, aligning and improving’. This approach seeks, first, to demonstrate the value of the educational work carried out in formal, non-formal and informal settings of the urban environment; then to make this known among stakeholders and to make the pathway coherent; and, finally, to identify the gaps and take the necessary initiatives to fill them.The guide can be used in different ways depending on the context, means and objectives of the individual cities. It is not always necessary to read the whole guide. And we expect that a large proportion of readers and users will simply pick and choose from the various sections of the guide elements that are of particular interest to them. Nonetheless, we hope that everyone will find something to contribute to their city’s efforts and actions for implementing an inclusive policy for promoting lifelong learning for health. 
CONFINTEA VII Seventh International Conference on Adult Education: Final Report; Adult learning and Education for Sustainable Development; A Transformative Agenda Year of publication: 2023 Corporate author: UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) The International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA) is a UNESCO intergovernmental conference for policy dialogue on adult learning and education (ALE) and related research and advocacy, which has taken place every 12 to 13 years since 1949. This is a final report of the Seventh International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VII) held in Marrakech, Kingdom of Morocco, and online, from 15 to 17 June 2022. 
Communities in Action: Lifelong Learning for Sustainable Development Year of publication: 2015 Author: Fumiko Noguchi | Jose Roberto Guevara | Rika Yorozu Corporate author: UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) This handbook identifies principles and policy mechanisms to advance communitybased learning for sustainable development, based on the commitments endorsed by the participants of the Kominkan-CLC International Conference on Education for Sustainable Development, which was held in Okayama City, Japan, in October 2014. To inform policymakers and practitioners new to this field, the handbook clarifies the international vision and goals for sustainable development and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), and identifies the potential contributions of community-based learning centres and organizations. It documents both policy and practice from different regions and concludes with a summary of principles and policy support mechanisms. 
[Summary] 3rd Global Report on Adult Learning and Education: The Impact of Adult Learning and Education on Health and Well-being, Employment and the Labour Market, and Social, Civic and Community Life; Key Messages and Executive Summary Year of publication: 2016 Corporate author: UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) The third Global Report on Adult Learning and Education (GRALE III) draws on monitoring surveys completed by 139 UNESCO Member States to develop a differentiated picture of the global state of adult learning and education (ALE). It evaluates countries’ progress in fulfilling the commitments they made in the Belém Framework for Action, which was adopted at the Sixth International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VI) in 2009.In addition, the report examines the impact of ALE on three major areas: health and well-being; employment and the labour market; and social, civic and community life. GRALE III provides policymakers, researchers and practitioners with compelling evidence for the wider benefits of ALE across all of these areas. In so doing, it highlights some of the major contributions that ALE can make to realizing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This report is guided by three goals: first, to analyse the results of a monitoring survey of UNESCO Member States, and to take stock of whether countries are fulfilling the commitments they made at CONFINTEA VI; second, to strengthen the case for adult learning and education with evidence of its benefits on health and well-being,employment and the labour market, and social, civic and community life; and third, to provide a platform for debate and action at national, regional and global levels. 
Inclusion Beyond Borders: What Is Needed to Recognize, Validate and Accredit the Prior Learning of Migrants and Refugees? (Lifelong Learning Policy Brief; 15) Year of publication: 2024 Corporate author: UIS This policy brief provides insights regarding four principal areas of action for policy-makers and other key stakeholders who seek to build the recognition, validation and accreditation (RVA) systems that cater to the needs of migrants and refugees as distinct groups. It highlights the importance of developing an integrated national policy approach that supports sustainable implementation of RVA practices inclusive of newcomers from different walks of life. It also looks at establishing a clear, shared vision for a comprehensive RVA system that is inclusive of both migrants and refugees, reflected in key building blocks. It explores the creation of quality processes to assess the skills, competencies and potential of individuals from diverse backgrounds accurately and professionally, through flexible, accessible practices. Finally, it evaluates how RVA outreach and counselling mechanisms that cater to both migrants and refugees can be incorporated. 
Promoting Lifelong Learning for All: The Experiences of Ethiopia, Kenya, Namibia, Rwanda and the United Republic of Tanzania Year of publication: 2018 Corporate author: UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) This report is an outcome of a project supporting the promotion of lifelong learning for all in selected African countries. The project aims to increase the capacity of policy-makers and researchers to develop national policies and strategies that will establish lifelong learning systems in Africa, ultimately contributing to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.This publication showcases the advancements made by five African countries in promoting and implementing lifelong learning as per the recommendations outlined in Key Issues and Policy Considerations in Promoting Lifelong Learning in Selected African Countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Namibia, Rwanda and Tanzania (UIL, 2014). This continuous assessment and review of the countries’ progress can help monitor the reforms and developments taking place, and can contribute to the sharing of promising practices. The four main sections of the report include an introduction with the background to and methodology of the study; the origin, essence and benefits of lifelong learning; a compendium of good practices in promoting lifelong learning for all; and a conclusion comprising reflections on how progress can be accelerated in the region as well as potential collaboration opportunities with the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL).Attempts to implement lifelong learning concepts in the five African countries has seen mixed results, but advancements are being made. It is hoped that this synthesis report will help foster the exchange of successful practices among the countries and the further development of lifelong learning policies and strategies across the African continent. 
CONFINTEA VI Mid-Term Review: Report of the Conference Year of publication: 2017 Author: Clinton Robinson Corporate author: UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) The Sixth International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VI), held in Brazil in 2009, closed with the adoption of the Belem Framework for Action (BFA), which recorded the commitments of Member States and presented a strategic guide for the global development of adult learning and education. The third Global Report on Adult Learning and Education (GRALE 3), published in 2016, drew on survey data to evaluate progress made by countries in fulfilling the commitments made in Brazil.The CONFINTEA VI Mid-Term Review, held in Suwon, Republic of Korea, in October 2017, took stock of progress made by Member States in the past eight years, looking ahead to GRALE 4 in 2019 and CONFINTEA VII in 2021.This report summarizes the discussions that animated the Mid-Term Review conference and gives readers a brief survey of the key issues concerning progress against the BFA, across all world regions. 
Lifelong Learning in Transformation: Promising Practices in Southeast Asia Year of publication: 2017 Author: Rika Yorozu Corporate author: UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) This report is an outcome of a project on building a lifelong learning agenda in Southeast Asian countries, which aims to address the region’s remaining educational challenges in ensuring ‘inclusive and equitable quality education and promot[ing] lifelong learning opportunities for all’ (Goal 4 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development). By sharing promising policies and practices in implementing integrated lifelong learning from different perspectives, countries can learn from one another and move their visions for lifelong learning fully into practice. The publication documents a variety of promising practices from 11 countries, focusing particularly on the features critical to the promotion of lifelong learning for all; namely, inclusive and gender-responsive teaching and learning practices, recognition of learning outcomes from non-formal and informal learning, collaboration between social and economic development sectors and coherent national government policies and strategies. The report comprises three main sections: a reflection on lifelong learning in international and national documents, a collection of good practice drawn from their national reports, and a set of recommendations for policies and programmes promoting lifelong learning. It is hoped that these recommendations will stimulate discussion and new developments, in both policy and practice, in the region. 
Europe and North America Regional Workshop on the Global Action Programme on Education for Sustainable Development and Cities Year of publication: 2017 Corporate author: UNESCO UNESCO promotes Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) through the Global Action Programme (GAP), the official follow-up to the UN Decade of ESD. The Europe and North America region was the first to officially adopt a regional strategy for the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD, 2005-2014), which seeks to promote a better quality of life for populations and human settlements. Learning to live in a sustainable way and securing people’s involvement and participation in community and urban life are key factors in ensuring sustainable economic, social and environmental development. It is in this context that UNESCO, the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities, with its secretariat in the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) in Hamburg, and the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, organized the regional workshop for Europe and North America on the role of cities in accelerating sustainable solutions at local level through education. More than 50 experts and city representatives from Europe and North America participated in the regional workshop in Hamburg, Germany, from 12 to 14 December 2016. The workshop examined how education and learning beyond the formal system can be used to support the implementation of the five Ps (Planet, People, Peace, Prosperity and Partnership) of the 2030 Agenda to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Experts shared their views on ESD, with cities providing insight into their good practices and enriching discussions on the challenges of promoting the various SDGs through education and lifelong learning at city level. These discussions helped to promote awareness on integrating ESD in their cities’ development and education agendas. 
Literacy in multilingual and multicultural contexts: effective approaches to adult learning and education Year of publication: 2016 Author: Ulrike Hanemann, Cassandra Scarpino All of the literacy programmes featured in this publication offer valuable experiences and lessons on how the challenges posed by linguistic and cultural diversity can be productively addressed by harnessing the potential of language and culture as enriching resources in the process of literacy teaching and learning. A major lesson that has emerged over the years is that the use of local languages as the medium of instruction enhances the effectiveness and efficiency of the learning process in developing literacy, numeracy and (second or more) language skills. However, mother tongue-based literacy not only facilitates the learning process, but is also an important symbol of identity, unity and self-determination. It is closely intertwined with culture and local values, wisdom, worldviews and tradition. A number of the featured programmes demonstrate that language and culture in education are highly political. Respect for all languages and cultures, and their equal treatment, can play a critical role in fostering national cohesion. In some cases, this is contributing to rebuilding peace in post-conflict communities. Literacy programmes that contribute to the preservation of linguistic and cultural diversity should, also, be viewed as integral to sustainable development.