Al Wakra wins 2021 UNESCO Learning City Award

Al Wakra City

The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning announced that the city of Al Wakra won the "UNESCO Learning Cities Award for the year 2021, among ten cities around the world for achieving outstanding achievements in the field of lifelong learning."

The 2021 UNESCO Learning City Award was granted to the city of Al Wakra for its outstanding progress in providing lifelong learning opportunities for its almost 90,000 inhabitants.

The award was announced by UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) on its official Twitter account, coinciding with yesterday's ceremony on Learning City Award 2021 held in Yeonsu, South Korea.

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— UNESCO-UIL (@UIL) October 27, 2021

On Twitter, UIL stated: "Congratulations to Al Wakra on winning the 2021 UNESCO Learning City Award for outstanding progress in #lifelonglearning. The city has made lifelong learning a priority as part of its sustainability plan, with a focus on vulnerable groups."

The award also highlighted Al Wakra's sustainability, its pioneering education sector and commitment to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), priority on the environment, its work on widening access to learning as well as its focus on the most vulnerable groups of the society as it continues "to strengthen its policies and programmes in order to give enable everyone the chance to learn."

The ten cities which were honoured in this year's Learing City Award were selected by UIL, on the recommendation of an independent jury of international experts. 

The cities awarded include Belfast (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland), Clermont-Ferrand (France), Damietta (Egypt), Dublin (Ireland), Huejotzingo, (Mexico), Jubail Industrial City (Saudi Arabia), Osan (Republic of Korea), Shanghai (People’s Republic of China), and Wyndham (Australia).

In a statement on its website, UIL said that "whether they are megacities or smaller urban areas, all of the awardees have shown how learning opportunities empower citizens of all ages when suitable policies and programmes are put in place."

On the Path to Becoming a Sustainable City

Al Wakra has evolved into one of the largest cities in Qatar.

The long-term objective of its learning city plan is to develop Al Wakra into a sustainable city. Its broader goals have been laid down in a dedicated sustainability action plan.

A Pioneering Education Sector

Al Wakra's education sector is considered pioneering, both within Qatar and in the Gulf and Arab region as a whole. Education is viewed as an investment in upcoming generations. Educational policy centres on providing equal educational opportunities for all, and seeks to eliminate discrimination towards all levels of society.

The UNESCO Learning City Awards

The UNESCO Learning City Award was established to further promote lifelong learning for all and showcase good practices in building learning cities. It is confered on cities that have achieved outstanding progress in this regard. All awardee cities have demonstrated best practices that lay the foundation for sustainable development.

Source: UNESCO - UIL