21 June 2017
WFUNA, Partners Discuss Global Citizenship Education for 2030 Agenda
UN Photo/Gill Fickling
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The World Federation of UN Associations organized an event on the role of global citizenship education in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and beyond.

Speakers highlighted the group of friends on global citizenship education, the forthcoming World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), and initiatives to reach teachers and high school students regarding the SDGs.

19 June 2017: UN entities, UN Member States and other stakeholders highlighted the importance of global citizenship education for sustaining peace, preventing global extremism and achieving the SDGs, during an event on the role of global citizenship education in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and beyond. The event was organized by the World Federation of UN Associations (WFUNA) in collaboration with the Permanent Missions of the Republic of Korea and Qatar, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and UNESCO’s Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (APCEIU).

Opening the meeting on 19 June 2017, at UN Headquarters in New York, US, Cho Tae-Yul, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea, noted that global citizenship education is part of SDG target 4.7, and that while it is new in the UN context, it has existed for a long time. He announced that the Republic of Korea and Qatar have launched a group of friends on global citizenship education.

Hahn Choong-Hee, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea, said global citizenship education should not be seen only as an SDG 4 target but as an overarching goal within the SDGs, as it is related to people, people in need, the planet, peace and security, sustainable development, human rights and humanitarian assistance, among other issues. He stressed the need to integrate global citizenship into education systems around the world, and to adapt it to national realities and circumstances. Han Kyung-Koo, Seoul National University, described global citizenship education as a response to the call of the global community to make a united effort to achieve the SDGs.

Abdulrahman Al-Hamadi, Permanent Mission of Qatar, informed participants that the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) will take place in Doha, from 14-16 November 2017, on the theme, ‘Co-Exist – Co-Create: Learning to Live and Work Together.’ Bonian Golmohammadi, WFUNA Secretary-General, noted the relevance of Mission Possible, a global citizenship education program to enable high school students to learn about the UN and the SDGs, and to apply their learning through student-led projects focused on the Goals.

Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director-General, stressed the importance of quality education for tolerance and dialogue within societies and between cultures so as to strengthen global solidarity and boost sustainable development. She said UNESCO has a global citizenship education programme, and that APCEIU provides a reference in sharing lessons learned and best practice in that field. Lily Gray, UNESCO New York Office, said UNESCO has a specific programme to prevent extremism through global citizenship education. Hahn added that UNESCO has published a teachers’ guide on the prevention of violent extremism.

Moon Chung-In, Yonsei University, said textbooks have been developed in South Korea on global citizenship education, which have been used by approximately 600 primary, middle and high schools. The textbooks cover the SDGs, globalization, poverty, inequality and peace, among other issues.

Karen Bryner, Educate a Child (EAC) – a global programme to reduce the number of children worldwide who are denied their right to education – reported that about one third of children out of school live in conflict zones. Mareike Hachemer, TeachSDGs, called for reaching all teachers, including those in marginalized and poor communities, to teach global citizenship and the SDGs. She emphasized the importance of integrating those concepts in formal and informal education.

A high-level SDG action event on education will be convened by UN General Assembly (UNGA) President Peter Thomson, in partnership with SDG 4 stakeholders, on 28 June 2017, at UN Headquarters in New York, US. [Meeting Website] [UNESCO Global Citizenship Education Programme] [UNESCO’s Teachers’ Guide on the Prevention of Violent Extremism] [IISD Sources]

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