Confirming and sharing the value of lifelong education for health, the 5th UNESCO International Conference on Learning Cities (ICLC), where global lifelong learning scholars gathered, had an opening ceremony on the 28th and began the full-scale conference with 24 sessions.
The opening ceremony was held at the Grand Ballroom at Songdo Convensia, hosted by announcer Ji-young Jeong, which brought the global villagers together to work on the importance of contactless education and global health education and crisis response plans.
About 200 people from 24 countries and public officials attended the event in person, including Ki-moon Ban, former UN Secretary-General, Eun-hye Yoo, Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister and David Atchoarena, Director of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning. About 2,000 people, including officials from 229 lifelong learning member cities around the world, participated both online and offline.
Former Secretary-General Ki-moon Ban delivered a keynote speech, stating, “In order to solve the problem of health inequality that is prevalent around the world, international support and cooperation are needed so that it can be improved toward UNESCO’s Sustainable Development (SDGs) goals.”
Also, Ban emphasized the participation of cities in the global village by calling for a prompt response to the climate crisis, establishment of a cultural climate where people around the world can learn for life, and promotion of mutual understanding through global citizenship education.
Education Minister Eun-hye Yoo also said in her opening speech on the same day, “Lifelong learning will become a driving force for our society to develop into a higher and more dignified society. I hope it will be a place of harmony and opportunity to share the direction of lifelong learning in the post-COVID era and various learning methods for the underprivileged."
The opening performance that followed was a performance of Salpuri Dance by the National Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 97, which contained the hope for a new beginning and soothed the weary minds caused by COVID-19.
In addition, along with the adoption of the ICLC 2021 meeting agenda and the election of the meeting board of directors, full sessions were held under the themes of “Learning for Health: A New Paradigm in the Post-COVID Era” and “City Resilience: Strengthening Community and Local Learning Systems.”
Meanwhile, on the 29th and 30th, the ‘2021 ICLC Global Citizen Lifelong Learning Expo’ will open to welcome Incheon citizens and related officials under the quarantine rules by organizing 9 themed halls and 154 booths in the Songdo Convensia 1.2 Exhibition Hall.
It plans to provide opportunities for various sights and experiences to domestic and international participants and citizens visiting ICLC. It will also be a space to confirm the international competitiveness and status of Incheon and Yeonsu, which will be positioned as future lifelong learning cities.
Under the theme of ‘Journey to the City of Lifelong Learning – The Path of Global Citizens,’ it also plans to present the process of acquiring information and experiencing the keywords city-ecology-people-art-global village through one page of a large book displayed in each themed hall in the form of a road tour.
There will also be a Korean Food Fair to share the importance of education and learning in the global village, Book Media Festival, SDG Public Relations Hall, and the 2021 ICLC Edu Expo to share the importance of education and learning in the global village, and the 2021 ICLC Edu Expo, which introduces excellent Korean educational companies, will also be operated.
Lastly, at the opening ceremony held on the main stage at 1 P.M. on the 29th, various performances under the motto of the importance of carbon neutrality, which has emerged as a global concern after COVID-19 will be performed.
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