The Thrissur Corporation and the Nilambur municipality have been recommended for inclusion among the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC).
The recommendation, which has been made by the Central government, would pave the way for the local bodies to become the first entrants from the country into the coveted group of global cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Hamburg, Athens, Incheon, Bristol and Dublin.
Hailing the decision, Local Self-Government Minister M.V. Govindan said the development would provide impetus for the State’s efforts to position itself as a knowledge society. UNESCO GNLC plays a vital role in forging links between cities, fostering partnerships and capacity development in improving learning facilities.
Knowledge hub
Mr. Govindan said the project in Thrissur will be implemented by the Corporation, the Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA) and the School of Architecture and Planning that functions under the Government Engineering College, Thrissur. The city will be made a knowledge hub through the 10-year-long project.
The government has initiated efforts in association with the KILA to fetch similar recognitions from UNESCO and other agencies for other cities in the State. It has been envisaged to associate with the UN agency to elevate Kochi, Kozhikode and Kannur Corporations as cities of design, literature and craft respectively.
The United Nations Sustainable Group (UNSDG) will be approached to designate the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation as a city of peace, while efforts are being made to make the Kollam Corporation a ‘biodiverse city’ in association with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), said Mr. Govindan.
