UNESCO Learning City BragaPortugal
Braga, located in Portugal, was inducted into UNESCO’s Global Network of Learning Cities in 2022.
A cosmopolitan and inclusive city
As Portugal’s third largest city, Braga is a cosmopolitan and inclusive city with a rapidly growing foreign population. A pedestrian-friendly and historic city, Braga was the 2012 European Youth Capital and the 2016 Ibero-American Youth Capital.
Building a city for a brighter future
Lifelong learning is important to Braga because it encourages city residents to participate actively in building a city for a brighter future. The city prioritizes participatory citizenship, social inclusion, and the provision of opportunities for intergenerational encounters where young and old can exchange knowledge. By joining the Global Network of Learning Cities, Braga hopes to engage in meetings with other cities, share best practices, and visit other learning cities to find out about their lifelong learning programmes and initiatives.
Mr. Ricardo RioMayor of Braga
“Hello, my name is Ricardo Rio, I am the mayor of the city of Braga, in Portugal. For us, lifelong learning is a crucial strategy and the pillar of the development of our city for two main reasons: the first one is related to the individual perspectives of each of our citizens. To proceed with continuous learning, upskilling, and reskilling is obviously crucial to grant to each of our citizens the opportunity to improve their careers, to have access to better job opportunities, and obviously to fulfil their dreams, and in their work, to improve their quality of life.”
Sustainability and health in Braga
Sustainability and health practices are being integrated into the activities of educational institutions. The ‘Participatory Budget’ project invites community members to contribute to policymaking by submitting suggestions and ideas. This is a sustainable way of improving the city’s quality of life.
Promoting equity and inclusion
As a culturally diverse city, Braga places inclusion and equity at the core of its lifelong learning initiatives and policies in order to ensure that everyone has access to quality education.
Integration programmes and social support are available to foster equality in schools, public spaces, health centres and institutions.
Integration programmes and social support are available to foster equality in schools, public spaces, health centres and institutions.
Promoting decent work and entrepreneurship
The municipality of Braga and its employment and vocational training services work together to provide training, guide enrolment in courses, provide individualized support to companies, disseminate information on internships, and support hiring processes. Programmes such as the Economy Fair encourage young people to become entrepreneurs.
Mr. Ricardo RioMayor of Braga
"For the dimension of the community and for the city, it's not only a matter of social justice and the concern that we don’t want to leave anyone behind, it’s also a crucial pillar of the economic development that we are pursuing and the strategy that we are developing. We need critical mass to supply to the companies that are settling in our city and are continuously looking for new workers for their needs. Therefore, we need to adjust the offer that is available in our liberal market to the needs of these companies that are expanding their activity. Also, obviously, to supply that adjustment between the skills of our workers and the needs of the companies is very important for the development of the city."
Braga’s good practices Qualifications Centre
This is a consortium to raise awareness of the importance of lifelong learning in labour market integration, career advancement and professional retraining. Candidates’ needs and interests are discussed before they are allocated to a suitable programme.
Braga’s good practices Braga, Reading City
This initiative, coordinated by the Office of the School Libraries Network, promotes reading and involves the community in creating a reading city. Libraries are set up in public schools and in spaces that are accessible to the public, and services such as digital support are provided to the public to engage them in reading.
Braga’s good practices Capacit'art
In partnership with the Artistic Education Cooperative, this initiative caters for the learning requirements of special needs learners through music therapy.
Lifelong learning for all
As part of the Global Network of Learning Cities, the UNESCO learning city of Braga will continue to work towards providing learning opportunities for young and old!
Hand in hand with other UNESCO learning cities across the globe it aims at making the promise of lifelong learning for all a reality.
Hand in hand with other UNESCO learning cities across the globe it aims at making the promise of lifelong learning for all a reality.
The UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities
The UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC) supports and improves the practice of lifelong learning in member cities by promoting policy dialogue and peer learning, documenting effective strategies and good practice, fostering partnerships, providing capacity development, and developing tools and instruments to design, implement and monitor learning cities strategies.
UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities
Image Credits: Município de Braga; Município de Braga; Município de Braga; Município de Braga; Município de Braga; AleksandarNakic/Getty Images; SilviaJansen/Getty Images; kickstand/Getty Images; fatihhoca/Getty Images; naratrip boonroung
UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities
Image Credits: Município de Braga; Município de Braga; Município de Braga; Município de Braga; Município de Braga; AleksandarNakic/Getty Images; SilviaJansen/Getty Images; kickstand/Getty Images; fatihhoca/Getty Images; naratrip boonroung
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Braga
A cosmopolitan and inclusive city
Building a city for a brighter future
Mr. Ricardo Rio
Sustainability and health in Braga
Promoting equity and inclusion
Promoting decent work and entrepreneurship
Mr. Ricardo Rio
Qualifications Centre
Braga, Reading City
Capacit'art
Lifelong learning for all
The UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities