LESSON 1: WHY GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP MATTERS?

LESSON 1: WHY GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP

MATTERS?
KEY VOCABULARIES
SDG:

global citizenship:

GCED:

UNITED NATIONS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDG)1

2015 marked the target date for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals
and the start of the post-2015 development and climate processes, which ultimately aim to
eradicate p_____, improve people’s lives, and rapidly transition to a l__-carbon,
climate-r______ economy, are mutually reinforcing: when acted on together, they can
provide prosperity and security for present and future generations.

The Millennium Development Goals have been a great success in many ways. The
global extreme poverty rate has been halved and continues to decline. More children
than ever are attending primary school. Child deaths have dropped dramatically. About
2.6 billion people gained access to an improved drinking water source. Targeted
investments in fighting malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis have saved millions.

Plans are now being made within the UN system to ensure that s__________
development goals can be met, as well. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development was adopted at a high-level summit in September 2015, where a set of
action-oriented and universal sustainable development goals were presented, leading
to a renewed global partnership for development, backed by c____ society, the private
sector, parliamentarians and the scientific and academic community.

The __ Sustainable Development Goals and ___ targets demonstrate the scale and
ambition of this new universal Agenda. They seek to build on the Millennium
Development Goals and complete what these did not achieve. They seek to realize the
human rights of all and to achieve gender e_____ and the empowerment of all women
and girls. They are integrated and indivisible and balance the three dimensions of

1 https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/
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sustainable development: the e_______, s____ and e_________.2

WHAT DOES GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP MEAN?

The concept of citizenship has evolved over time. Historically, citizenship did not extend
to all – for example, only men or property owners were eligible to be citizens. During the past
century, there has been a gradual movement towards a more inclusive understanding of
citizenship, influenced by the development of c___, p_____ and s____ rights. Current
perspectives on national citizenship vary between countries, reflecting differences in political
and historical context, among other factors. An increasingly globalised world has raised
questions about what constitutes meaningful citizenship as well as about its global
dimensions.

Although the notion of citizenship that goes beyond the nation state is n__ new, changes in
the global context – for example, the establishment of international conventions and treaties,
the growth of transnational organisations, corporations and civil society movements, and the
development of international human rights frameworks – have significant implications for
global citizenship. It has to be acknowledged that there are differing perspectives about the
concept of global citizenship including, such as the extent to which it extends and
complements traditional citizenship, defined in terms of the nation state, or the extent to
which it competes with it. Global citizenship refers to a sense of belonging to a b______
community and common h______. It emphasises political, economic, social and cultural
inter________ and inter_________ between the local, the national and the global.3

The renewed attention to the purpose and relevance of education for human development
and economic, social and environmental sustainability is a defining feature of the SDG4-
Education 2030 agenda. This is embedded in its holistic and humanistic vision, which
contributes to a new model of development. That vision goes beyond a utilitarian4 approach
to education and integrates the multiple dimensions of human existence. It understands
education as inclusive and as crucial in promoting democracy and human rights and
enhancing global citizenship, tolerance and civic engagement as well as sustainable
development. Education facilitates intercultural dialogue and fosters respect for cultural,
religious and linguistic diversity, which are vital for achieving social cohesion and justice.5

2 https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/post2015/transformingourworld
3 http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002329/232993e.pdf
4
Though there are many varieties of the view discussed, utilitarianism is generally held to be the view that the morally right
action is the action that produces the most good. There are many ways to spell out this general claim. One thing to note is
that the theory is a form of consequentialism: the right action is understood entirely in terms of consequences produced.
What distinguishes utilitarianism from egoism has to do with the scope of the relevant consequences. On the utilitarian view
one ought to maximize the overall good — that is, consider the good of others as well as one's own good. The Classical
Utilitarians, Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, identified the good with pleasure, so, like Epicurus, were hedonists (the
word ‘hedonism’ comes from the ancient Greek for ‘pleasure’) about value. They also held that we ought to maximize the
good, that is, bring about ‘the greatest amount of good for the greatest number’.
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/utilitarianism-history/

5 www.unesco.org > THEMES > Education for the 21st century > Leading education 2030
(http://en.unesco.org/education2030-sdg4; http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0024/002456/245656E.pdf)
LESSON 1: WHY GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP MATTERS?

WORKSHEET 1: WHAT GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP MEANS TO YOU?

By 2030, the United Nations pledges to ensure that all citizens of international community
acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including,
among others, through education for global citizenship. Describe what the expression
“global citizenship” brings to your mind. Go to www.unesco.org > THEMES > Education
for the 21st century > Leading education 2030 > Incheon Declaration & Framework for
Action > Target 4.7.

WORKSHEET 2: WHY IS GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION

IMPORTANT?
Watch UNESCO’s video on GCED posted on our web-board “UNESCO Global citizenship
education (GCED)” and answer the following questions.

1. Why is global citizenship education important?

2. How can education foster global citizenship?

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WORKSHEET 3: VIRTUAL REALITY: A NEW LENS ON THE

MIGRANT CRISIS
Go to the UN’s website >> News and Media >> Audiovisual library >> and search for the
video titled “Virtual Reality: A New Lens On The Migrant Crisis.” Answer the following
questions.

1. Humanitarian crises are all too familiar to television viewers. Provide some examples of
them.

2. How do people come out virtual reality equipment viewing humanitarian crises?

3. What does GABO ARORA do with a team of the United Nations?

4. What is virtual reality in terms of humanitarian crises?

5. What was GABO ARORA looking to create at the World Economic Forum in Davos,
Switzerland.

6. What is the short VR film “Clouds over Sidra” about?

7. What was people’s response to the short film at the Davos Forum?

8. What did VR to do the UNICEF’s fund-raising?

LESSON 1: WHY GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP MATTERS?

WORKSHEET 4: WHAT DOES GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP MEAN TO

YOU?
Describe how you see a global citizen as?