All-inclusive approach to education for global citizenship promoted at NGO Conference

All-inclusive approach to education for global citizenship promoted at NGO Conference

Introduced by youth co-chairs Juan Pablo Celis (far left) and Saphira Rameshfar (center), UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon (right) delivers remarks to the youth caucus on 30 May 2016.
Introduced by youth co-chairs Juan Pablo Celis (far left) and Saphira Rameshfar (center), UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon (right) delivers remarks to the youth caucus on 30 May 2016.
GYEONGJU—28 June 2016

Perhaps the most surprising thing about the final statement produced by non-governmental organizations at a UN conference on global education earlier this month in the Republic of Korea was the absence of the usual list of “excluded” groups that should be included.

Instead, the outcome document of the 66th DPI/NGO conference states: “In the spirit of global citizenship, in which our primary identity is that of human beings, all people, regardless of circumstances” should have access to quality education and lifelong learning opportunities.

The stress on the word “all” encompassed the spirit of the Gyeongju Action Plan -- as the outcome document is formally known --  inasmuch as it emphasizes the importance of including everyone in the process of using global education to build a more inclusive and prosperous world.

“We avoided a list of groups, knowing that some groups are always left behind,” said Daniel Perell, co-chair of the committee charged with drafting the Action Plan. “We decided just to say all means all.”

The focus of the conference was on Sustainable Development Goal 4, which calls for the world to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”

Sponsored by the UN’s Department of Public Information, the conference drew more than 3,700 people from 80 countries representing at least 360 NGOs, with the aim of furthering the partnership between the UN and civil society in implementing Agenda 2030.

In line with the emphasis on SDG 4, the theme of the conference was: “Education for Global Citizenship.” The Action Plan called it “an essential strategy to address global challenges as well as to promote gender equality, facilitate the eradication of poverty and hunger, build skills, eliminate corruption, and prevent violence, including violent extremism.”

The importance of the conference was highlighted by the presence of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who said NGOs are at “the vanguard of the international action” and necessary to the success of Agenda 2030.

Mr. Ban also said: “‘Education for Global Citizenship’ could also be the motto of my life,” explaining that it was education offered in the spirit of “global solidarity” as a young boy growing up in postwar Korea that enabled his success.

“We used textbooks donated only through very generous support from the United Nations…,” he said. “They taught us reading and math – and they proved that the world was caring for Korea. Now that very poor boy is now standing as the Secretary-General of the United Nations before you.”

Among those in attendance were  representatives of the Baha’i International Community. They included: Mr. Perell, Saphira Rameshfar, Lori Noguchi, and Carl Murrell.

Their efforts to contribute to the conference included not only Mr. Perell’s service as co-chair of the Action Plan drafting sub-committee but also Ms. Rameshfar’s service as co-chair of the youth caucus. In those roles, both delivered plenary speeches. They also participated in a number of side events, including one sponsored by the Baha’i International Community.

The side event sponsored by the BIC was entitled “Community-Driven Education: Local Ownership for Global Advancement.” Facilitated by Mr. Perell, it sought to generate discussion on what kind of qualities and skills education should foster, and how local communities in particular could engender these traits.

Participants determined that education should be centered around “human values,” such as: respect, cooperation, empathy, a spirit of volunteerism, a sense of community and a responsibility to give back to one’s community, passion, combining individualism with collectivism, sharing, curiosity, and proactive attitudes.

Key skills should include communication, listening, organization, critical thinking, public speaking, multilingualism, leadership, basic literacy, and small investment-making.

Mr. Perell also spoke at a side event sponsored by UNESCO. He emphasized the importance of gender equality in any effort to promote education for global citizenship. For millennia, he said, women have been systematically prevented from achieving their full potential in society, including access to education.

Though the traditional gender paradigm focuses on how women are disadvantaged by gender inequality, said Mr. Perell, people should also reflect on the way men are socialized, which oftens restricts their contribution to society, including their roles in the home.

Ms. Rameshfar spoke on a plenary roundtable about STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math).

“Any true understanding of global citizenship must be founded on the immovable conviction that humanity is one: that we are a single people occupying a single homeland --the planet,” said Ms. Rameshfar, adding also that “science leaves no doubt that the human race is one.”

“Global citizenship education must engender this conviction, and simultaneously develop citizenship capacities that involve the critical skills needed to understand and prevent violence and injustice, and to work towards social and structural alternatives that increase our collective capacities for unity and peacemaking,” she said.

Ms. Rameshfar also devoted considerable attention to activities designed to increase the involvement of youth in addressing global challenges.

Among other things, she co-chaired the conference sub-committee on youth, facilitating three morning youth caucuses to explore how young people are experiencing their education systems, what the purpose of education is, and how young people are making meaningful contributions to society. These consultations contributed to the Youth Declaration, which fed into the Action Plan.

“The Youth Declaration is a necessary reminder that young people are needed as leaders and decision-makers not only in youth forums and special-purpose councils, but in those spaces where the course and direction of society as a whole are determined,” said Ms. Rameshfar in remarks made while presenting the Declaration to the conference.

For more information about the conference, go to its website.