The World Needs Global Citizenship Education Now More than Ever

Written by Giorgio Marinoni

At a time when nationalism and division are rising, the call for Global Citizenship Education (GCE) has never been more urgent. The world is facing a wave of de-globalization: in many countries around the world xenophobia and political polarization are on the rise. As a result, we see increased tensions within and between countries, sometimes leading to violent conflicts that echo the darkest chapters of history.

While globalization once promised shared prosperity, it has also deepened inequality. Over the past three decades, wealth, education, and health indicators have improved overall, but not for everyone. Many communities were left behind, fuelling resentment and mistrust. It is thus no surprise that the very ideas linked to globalization, such as global citizenship, have come under criticism.

One reason behind this criticism is that GCE is often framed in narrow economic terms: as a tool to empower citizens to thrive in a market oriented, neo-liberal world in which competition and commercialization are the norm.  However, this degrades the essence of what global citizenship truly means.

As I discuss in the chapter that I wrote for New Conversations on Global Citizenship Education (Bosio, Ed., 2025), GCE should not be limited to preparing people to compete in a market economy. It must also nurture empathy, shared responsibility, and a sense of belonging to our common humanity.

What Global Citizenship Education Really Means

The primary aim of Global Citizenship Education (GCE), as defined by the United Nations, is “nurturing respect for all, building a sense of belonging to a common humanity and helping learners become responsible and active global citizens. GCE aims to empower learners to assume active roles to face and resolve global challenges and to become proactive contributors to a more peaceful, tolerant, inclusive and secure world”. (United Nations, n.d.)

If we read carefully such definition, we can immediately see that GCE goes beyond a limited economic understanding. According to UNESCO, GCE is the process of moving “Beyond borders and differences”. (UNESCO, n.d.).

That phrase “Beyond borders and differences” is at the heart of GCE. It’s not an easy journey; it demands effort and perseverance. It starts by recognizing differences, valuing them, and understanding that cultures, beliefs and epistemologies are not static. They continuously evolve over time and space and through exchange between each other.

The so-called Western culture, for instance, is often portrayed as rooted in humanism and individualism. Yet, history tells a more complex story. Medieval Europe was deeply collectivist and religious, values that today we associate with cultures of non-Western origin. This is a reminder that cultures are neither fixed nor exclusive. Likewise, cultural boundaries in geographic terms are not clear cut; often they are artificially created to serve a particular ideology based on exclusion of a certain group. It would suffice to travel across Europe and across the Mediterranean to realize that culture and societies in Southern European countries like Spain, Italy, or Greece have many similarities to the ones in North Africa and the Middle East. However, one single difference, for example religion, is often stressed in order to create a complete, artificial divide of cultural irreconcilability.

Learning Through Diversity

True global citizenship begins when we engage with difference, not as a threat, but as an opportunity. Cultures have always evolved through interaction; it is thanks to the exchange of ideas that new ones emerge.

Yet, this process doesn’t happen on its own and often does not happen at the same power level, which might lead to one culture, belief, and epistemology imposing itself on another. This is because the process of knowing and appreciating diversity is complicated, and there can be difficult moments when we could be tempted to reject diversity. Learners need to be helped in such a process and that is exactly the role played by GCE. GCE gives learners the tools to distinguish between descriptive judgments (“this is different”) and value judgments (“this is good or bad”). It helps us understand and appreciate diversity. Through this process of learning through diversity we do not only acquire new knowledge, but we also critically reflect on our beliefs, recognise, and overcome our biases.

Why GCE Matters Now

Global challenges, from pandemics to climate change, do not stop at national borders. As the COVID-19 crisis showed, isolation is not protection. In a world that is more interconnected than ever, collaboration, empathy, and cross-cultural understanding are essential.

“Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed” declared UNESCO’s Constitution in 1945. That principle remains as relevant today as it was then.

Education is our most powerful tool to build those defences. Global citizenship education is not a luxury for the privileged few, it is a moral imperative. By equipping future generations to understand, respect, and work with others, we lay the groundwork for a more peaceful and sustainable world.

Note: The book “New Conversations on Global Citizenship Education (Bosio, Ed.)” was published on 10 November 2025 and is available here.