UNESCO Welcomes 72 New Cities to the Global Network of Learning Cities
Date: 4 December 2025
Last update: 5 December 2025
Photo credit: PR Learning Cities © Chihuahua City
UNESCO welcomes 72 new cities from 46 countries to the Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC), recognizing their outstanding commitment to making the right to education across all ages a reality at the local level.
Education transcends the classroom—it is a collective endeavour, and cities play a key role in promoting learning for all. The 72 new UNESCO Learning Cities announced today are redefining what it means to learn, turning every street, library, workplace, museum, and home into a space for knowledge and innovation. By making education a priority from early childhood through adulthood, these cities are empowering people and unlocking opportunities for all.
A Growing Global Network
With this expansion, the Global Network of Learning Cities, launched in 2013, now includes 425 cities from 91 countries, collectively supporting lifelong learning opportunities for nearly 500 million citizens.
UNESCO Learning Cities are dynamic communities where learning is embedded in everyday life—across schools, workplaces, libraries, homes, and public spaces. They create opportunities for all by:
reskilling and upskilling workers to meet evolving job markets,
providing literacy opportunities for those who missed out in early years,
empowering citizens of all ages to navigate and shape the AI era, and
fostering entrepreneurial mindsets.
Local Impact: Selected Examples
Porto-Novo (Benin): The Women’s Entrepreneurial Pathways Project combines literacy, vocational training, and microfinance to empower women entrepreneurs in crafts and food processing.
Lisbon (Portugal): The City of Learning platform connects over 120 partners and offers 1,200 mapped learning opportunities throughout the city.
Buenos Aires (Argentina): Through its Secondary Learns Programme, the city is transforming secondary education with personalized pathways and interdisciplinary teaching, reducing dropout rates and preparing youth for the future.
11 Capital Cities and 12 New Countries
Capital cities joining the Network include:
Porto Novo (Benin), Bissau (Guinea-Bissau), Lusaka (Zambia), Cairo (Egypt), Riyadh (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Lisbon (Portugal), Ankara (Türkiye), Ashgabat (Turkmenistan), Hanoi (Viet Nam), Buenos Aires (Argentina), and Caracas (Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela).
Countries joining the Global Network of Learning Cities for the first time include:
Benin, Burkina Faso, Chile, Cyprus, Guinea-Bissau, Iraq, Mongolia, Niger, Turkmenistan, United States of America, Venezuela, and Zambia.
The complete list of newly designated UNESCO Learning Cities is available here.
About UNESCO
With 194 Member States, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) contributes to peace and security by leading multilateral cooperation on education, science, culture, communication, and information.
Headquartered in Paris, UNESCO has offices in 54 countries and employs over 2,300 people. The Organization oversees:
more than 2,000 World Heritage sites, Biosphere Reserves, and Global Geoparks;
networks of Creative, Learning, Inclusive, and Sustainable Cities; and
over 13,000 associated schools, university chairs, training, and research institutions, supported by a global network of 200 National Commissions.
UNESCO’s Director-General is Khaled El-Enany.
“Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed.”
— UNESCO Constitution, 1945
More information: www.unesco.org