UNESCO Adds 72 New Cities to Global Network of Learning Cities

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has included 72 new cities from 46 countries in its Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC), bringing the total membership to 425 cities.

• In December 2025, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) included 72 new cities from 46 countries in its Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC), bringing the total membership to 425 cities from 91 countries.
• The new additions include 11 capital cities and this is the first time that 12 countries have joined the network.
• 11 capital cities: The new members include 11 capital cities: Porto Novo (Benin), Bissau (Guinea-Bissau), Lusaka (Zambia), Cairo (Egypt), Riyadh (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Lisbon (Portugal), Ankara (Turkey), Ashgabat (Turkmenistan), Hanoi (Vietnam), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Caracas (Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela).
• 12 countries: 12 countries are joining the Global Network of Learning Cities for the first time, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Chile, Cyprus, Guinea-Bissau, Iraq, Mongolia, Niger, Turkmenistan, United States of America (USA), Venezuela, and Zambia.

About the Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC):

• GNLC was launched in 2013 by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) and officially began accepting city declarations in 2015.
• The network aims to support and promote policy dialogue, exchange of experiences, and sharing of practices among member cities to help them build capacity for lifelong learning and sustainable community development.

Indian cities in GNLC:

• As of 2025, three Indian cities are part of UNESCO’s GNLC: Warangal in Telangana and Thrissur and Nilambur in Kerala.

About the UNESCO:

• UNESCO contributes to peace and security by leading multilateral cooperation in education, science, culture, communication, and information.
• Director-General (DG) – Khalid Ahmed El-Enany Aly Ezz
• Member countries – 194
• Headquarters – Paris, France
• Established – 1945