After three years of negotiations, Mérida received the official designation as a Learning City from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Monday, March 25th.
“We are pleased to know that our great Mérida has been accepted into the UNESCO World Network of Learning Cities, joining a global movement to support and accelerate the practice of lifelong learning,” said Mayor Alejandro Ruz Castro, after receiving the distinction from Luis González Arenal, executive coordinator of the Learning Cities Network of Mexico.
The mayor highlighted that Mérida has managed to occupy a privileged place both nationally and internationally as a city that bases its development and strength on citizen participation.
“Once again, Mérida is located on an international level by joining this Network that already has more than 350 cities around the world promoting lifelong learning policies through the application and support of local initiatives, bringing changes that improve the quality of life of our citizens,” added the mayor.
The event was held at the Olimpo Cultural Center, where municipal officials gathered, including Irving Berlin Villafaña, director of Culture, who addressed the welcome message.
He recalled that during the pandemic, “Mérida de 10” emerged in the City Council, an educational program that taught the importance of acting with the common good in mind and the urgency of working for sustainability, as well as health care.
From there, he said, the idea of applying for Mérida to be part of the UNESCO Network of Learning Cities arose.
For his part, González Arenal pointed out that, of the entire country, Mérida stands out for playing a great role and becomes an example for other cities, and that, of the 250 or 300 cities that registered, this one presented the best proposal of the entire region.
“I firmly believe that if people educate and learn in a city, the city will take care of itself. I also believe that the security of learning and culture are the platforms that serve as the basis for all other activities of a city to be carried out successfully.”
González Arenal explained some key points to be a city of learning. “This is based on lifelong learning, which means that from the moment we are born until we die, we are learning; But something I love is that, no matter if you are five years old or eighty-five, we all have something to learn, but also something to teach.” At the end of the formal ceremony, the mayor highlighted to the media that this is a great distinction for the city, which is added to other international recognition.
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