Waterford officially joins the Learning Cities network with signing of MoU
Cllr. Tony Fitzgerald, Deputy Lord Mayor of Cork; Cllr. Seamus Ryan, Mayor of Waterford City and County; and Cllr. Andrew McGuinness, Cathaoirleach of Southern Regional Assembly alongside Laura Power, Learning City Project Manager at SETU, and contributors from local and regional groups, celebrate MoU signing. Photo: Patrick Browne
Waterford has officially joined the Irish Network of Learning Cities (INLC), becoming the newest member of the all-island partnership committed to promoting lifelong learning and inclusive educational opportunities for all citizens.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony took place on October 24, and was hosted by Waterford City and County Council to celebrate the city’s designation as a UNESCO Learning City. At the event local representatives signed the MoU which saw Waterford join the other Irish Network of Learning Cities (INLC) comprised of Belfast, Cork, Derry City and Strabane, Dublin and Limerick. A spokesperson for SETU said the cities share a commitment to advance learning as a driver of personal, social, and economic development and that the initiative marks a new chapter of collaboration across the island.
Cllr Seamus Ryan, Mayor of Waterford City & County, expressed pride in joining the network, sayin: “I am delighted to be here as Mayor of Waterford, but also as a former librarian, to officially join the Irish Network of Learning Cities."
"I am very passionate about lifelong learning and the benefits of remaining curious throughout your whole life," he said.
"Signing this MoU strengthens Waterford’s commitment to play our part in working towards a learning region in the southeast of Ireland with our Learning City neighbours Cork and Limerick," he added.
Mayor Ryan also said the initiative "strengthens our shared commitment" to leading lifelong learning efforts across the island of Ireland.
Welcoming Waterford to the Network, Deputy Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Tony Fitzgerald said: “On behalf of Cork Learning City, I am delighted to be here today to warmly welcome our Waterford Learning City neighbours to this important and valuable network”.
Meanwhile, Laura Power, Learning City Project Manager, based at South East Technological University (SETU), said it was an exciting time for Waterford.
"This MoU is a representation of how committed Waterford is to not only integrate lifelong learning within our city, but to learn from, and share best practice with, our fellow learning cities," she said.
The INLC was first established in 2019, uniting Ireland’s designated UNESCO Learning Cities under a shared MoU. The Network is grounded in the principles of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC), which promotes lifelong learning as a foundation for sustainable development, equity, and wellbeing. Representatives of the other Irish cities in the network extended congratulations to Waterford to the initiative.
The expanded network now includes six member cities, each recognised internationally by UNESCO for their leadership in lifelong learning.
