BACKGROUND INFORMATION
One of the significant achievements of the United Nations’ agenda for global transformation, adopted in September 2015, was the recognition in Sustainable Development Goal 4 of the importance of promoting lifelong learning. Other goals, such as those to do with Health and with Cities, echoed the value of lifelong learning in the importance placed on all citizens having better understanding of these issues and of the implications to their own practices. Five years since the Goals were adopted, the challenge of gaining better support and commitment to lifelong learning seems to be just as great as ever.

Learning cities are one way of recognising and operationalising the power of lifelong learning and supporting not only the aims behind SDG 4, but the whole agenda for transformation.  How can learning cities make an integral contribution to the UN’s Global Agenda?