Andong, the cradle of Korean humanities and the capital of Korean spiritual culture, launches the World Humanistic Cities Network. Its objective is to foster the spread of universal human values and bolster cooperation in the humanities across cities globally.

The WHCN aims to be a platform for continuous reflection and exploration of practical approaches to address today’s common challenges through humanistic values, fulfilling the following roles:

• Enhancing exchange and cooperation between global cities to seek universal values needed in the 21st century collectively and reflect on humanity to ensure the dignity and rights of individuals
• Supporting participation from city representatives, scholars, and experts, sharing experiences and wisdom to collectively find visions and solutions for individual self-recovery, civic happiness, and human prosperity and coexistence

In 2023, Andong hosted the 10th edition of the 21st Century Human Values Forum, where consensus was reached among participating city mayors, representatives, and citizens on spreading humanistic values and forming a global platform for humanistic exchange and cooperation. This forum is held annually in Andong and, over the past decade, it has facilitated discussions on achieving a better life through humanistic reflection and creating a world where everyone can be happy, providing various networking opportunities. The 2024 Forum will take place on 31 October-2 November 2024 (TBC).

If you wish to participate as a representative of global local governments in the founding of the “World Humanistic Cities Network (WHCN)” during the “11th 21st Century Human Values Forum” to be held in Andong, Republic of Korea in 2024, please contact the IAEC Secretariat and we will provide you with the contact details.