Bristol took to the stage at a two-day conference in Hangzhou, China, last month to showcase its partnership approach to tackling inequality in the city through learning.

The UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC) held their first ever Members’ Meeting on 15 and 16 November, with over 150 city representatives present.

Since becoming England’s first UNESCO Learning City, city leaders in Bristol have been developing a vision of promoting, improving and extending learning opportunities for all. 

At the meeting, representatives from Bristol were able to raise the city’s profile and make international connections with cities that have similar ambitions, including Jordan, Denmark and Ireland; thus creating the opportunity for future collaboration and knowledge-sharing.

Two members of the Bristol Learning City Partnership Board: Councillor Claire Hiscott, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, and Paul Jacobs, Service Director for Education and Skills at Bristol City Council, shared Bristol’s journey towards becoming a Learning City and how partners are working together to tackle some of the city’s long-standing challenges.

The advantages to Bristol of being part of the UNESCO GNLC worldwide network include: developing partnership opportunities; learning from the experiences of other cities; allowing Bristol to showcase its experiences with other members and opening up new avenues for funding.