by Pam Perraud, AAWE Paris/FAUSA
So, what’s the big deal about “Global Citizenship Education”?
In today’s increasingly interconnected world, the need for global norms, standards and benchmarks as to how nation-states should behave toward their own citizens has been well documented in human rights legislation, but it is now vitally important for each citizen to understand their own role and responsibilities within the world community. That is where Global Citizenship Education comes in. 
UNESCO defines “global citizenship” as “promoting integrated development of the whole person emotionally, ethically, intellectually, physically, socially and spiritually; imbued with an understanding of our roles, rights and responsibilities for the common good in service to humanity and the advancement of a culture of peace, non-violence, freedom, justice and equality. “
The idea of “global citizenship” goes back a long way and was instrumental in the formation of the United Nations in 1945 and the writing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. The ideas were also important in the creation of the Millennium Development Goals, Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015. As Michelle Bachelet, former President of Chile and head of UN Women recently said of global citizenship, “it is a type of citizenship that transcends what is purely national, is unrelated to a specific identity and/or territory and embraces a constantly evolving global ethic.”
How does “global citizenship” fit into the SDGs?
By 2030, the international community has agreed to ensure that all learners acquire knowledge and skills to promote sustainable development. The concept and target of global citizenship is embedded in SDG 4: Insuring the inclusive and quality education for all and promoting life-long learning. That learning needs to include concepts of the greater world and the pressing issues of our day, including social justice, human rights and the advancement of peace.
How is global citizenship being taught?
The United Nations promotes the importance of global citizenship through UNESCO, and it believes that in addition to literacy and numeracy, education must advance the cause of global citizenship. UNESCO considers promoting global citizenship through its GCED division as one of its most important roles, as it builds upon the work of Peace and Human Rights Education to instill in learners the values, attitudes and behaviors that support responsible citizenship, namely: creativity, innovation and commitment to peace, human rights and sustainable development. For more information on GCED, go to https://en.unesco.org/themes/gced.
Unfortunately, too often, schools only cover national “citizenship” issues and responsibilities. Civics curriculum does not cover global citizenship. A recent UNESCO report showed that some 92% of countries referred to “national identity/ citizenship” in their curriculum while only 42% refer to “global identity/citizenship,” which shows that there is a long way to go to integrate global citizenship ideas into the development of school curriculum.
UNESCO has prepared books, workbooks and numerous reports on global citizenship and holds regular international seminars and conferences to encourage nations to integrate global citizenship programs into local curriculum at every grade. They have tried to create curriculum to modify negative stereotypes in textbooks on race, religion and gender. They have also done programs to promote tolerance and reduce extremism and violence in schools. For more information on materials and textbooks go to https://en.unesco.org/themes/gced/textbooks.
FAWCO continues to shine a spotlight on global citizenship in two ways. FAWCO Youth plans Cultural Volunteers programs for the teenage children of FAWCO members that pair cultural awareness with hands-on opportunities to impact the local communities they visit. Additionally, in the past year, Mary Dobrian and Ann Marie Morrow have coordinated a series of Global Issues seminars for interested global FAWCO youth, with the goal of broadening their frames of reference and sharing pathways on how to become more involved.
Additional Resources
If you want to learn more about Global Citizenship check out : Global Citizenship Education: A Cultural Introduction to Key Concepts and Debates by Edda Sant, Ian Davies, Karen Pashby and Lynette Schultz. Bloomsbury Publishers. London, UK.
If you want to give a head start on the issue with your child ages 4-9, check out: Global Citizenship for Young Children by Margret Collins, Sage Publishers. London, UK .
Also, The World’s Largest Lesson, a partnership between UNESCO and UNICEF, provides a plethora of resources for all age levels for teaching the SDGs, including Global Citizenship.
(Photo courtesy of Unsplash)
