(in photo above) Mae Valdez-Irong, ICLEI Southeast Asia Regional Program Manager (facing camera, second from left), and Hon. Abigail Binay, then Mayor of Makati City, Philippines, ICLEI Southeast Asia Representative to the ICLEI Global Executive Committee, and Chair of the ICLEI Innovative Finance Portfolio (facing camera, third from left), served as panelists during the session “Urban Spaces, Lifelong Places: Cultivating Continuous Learning in Cities” of the 5th International Conference in Urban and Regional Planning and the 18th PASCAL International Conference on Learning Cities. Photo courtesy of UP School of Urban and Regional Planning and JAD Photo Cinema.
ICLEI Southeast Asia joined local and international planning and education leaders to discuss how sustainability and resilience can be enhanced at the local, regional, national, and international levels during the 5th International Conference in Urban and Regional Planning and the 18th PASCAL International Conference on Learning Cities.
Held on 12–13 November 2024 at The Heritage Hotel Manila and organized by the UP School of Urban and Regional Planning in collaboration with the PASCAL International Observatory, the Conference saw participants exploring the theme “Sustainable Development Futures: From Knowledge to Practice”.
ICLEI Southeast Asia Regional Program Manager, Mae Valdez-Irong, served as a reactor during the panel session, “Urban Spaces, Lifelong Places: Cultivating Continuous Learning in Cities,” highlighting how ICLEI’s global network supports capacity development and lifelong learning among local governments.
ICLEI Southeast Asia Regional Program Manager, Mae Valdez-Irong, (third from left) highlighted how ICLEI’s global network supports capacity development and lifelong learning among local governments. Photo courtesy of UP School of Urban and Regional Planning and JAD Photo Cinema.
She emphasized the importance of equipping LGUs not only with data and tools but with the mindset and systems of a “learning organization”—one that fosters knowledge collaboration and co-creation, evidence-based decision-making, inclusive governance, and capacity-focused human resource planning.
Reflecting on ICLEI’s work with cities across Southeast Asia, Valdez-Irong stressed that local governments are key players in shaping inclusive lifelong learning programs within and beyond their organizations. “You cannot give what you do not have,” she shared, calling on local governments to pioneer investments in lifelong learning in order to better enable and influence learning within their jurisdictions.
Citing examples such as Makati City’s DRR Academy and partnerships with academic institutions, Valdez-Irong also demonstrated how strategic collaboration can extend climate adaptation and disaster response expertise beyond city borders.
Hon. Abigail Binay, then Mayor of Makati City, Philippines, ICLEI Southeast Asia Representative to the ICLEI Global Executive Committee, and Chair of the ICLEI Innovative Finance Portfolio (facing camera, third from left), also served as a panelist during the same session.
ICLEI Southeast Asia’s participation in the Conference reaffirms its commitment to building local capacity for and linking global knowledge with local sustainability actions.
