The Making of a Global Citizen

THE MAKING OF

A GLOBAL CITIZEN

January 2026

THE MAKING OF A GLOBAL CITIZEN

COORDINATION

JULIA SALZMANN

LAYOUT DESIGN

MAJA MARKUS

PROOFREADING

JENNIFER BROWN

PHOTOGRAPHY

CHAPANISHA IMAGEZ

CHRISTIAN STREILI

CLARA PARAGUASSU

DAN MUNIU

GABRIELLA C. MARINO

GIORGIO COSULICH

KATHARINA SCHAUPERL

MARTIN KRACHLER

RICHARD SCHABETSBERGER

WWW.BANKIMOON.ORG

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

6 INTRODUCTION

8 GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP

EDUCATION: A CALL TO

ACTION

H.E. Ban Ki-moon

16 GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP: THE

BRIDGES THAT CONNECT AND

UNITE

H.R.H. Prince Abdullah bin

Khaled Al Saud

11 GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP:

BUILDING A WORLD FOR THE

NEXT GENERATION

H.E. Heinz Fischer

18 LIVING THE VALUES OF

GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP: A

PERSONAL JOURNEY

Saffie Abia

14 BRIDGING NATIONS,

HONORING HUMANITY: A

DIPLOMAT’S REFLECTION ON

GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP

19 WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A

GLOBAL CITIZEN?

Dr. Márcia Balisciano

H.E. Talal S. Alfassam

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21 BUILDING GLOBAL

COMPETENCES: THE FUTURE

OF CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION

H.E. Irina Bokova

36 GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP IN

ACTION: MY JOURNEY WITH

THE BAN KI-MOON

FOUNDATION

Darcise Dolorès Mache Ngassing

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MY JOURNEY TO GLOBAL

CITIZENSHIP: FROM LOCAL

CURIOSITY TO GLOBAL

RESPONSIBILITY

Monika Froehler

36 GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP BEGINS

AT THE GRASSROOTS

Winifred Maduko

28 GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP IN A

CHANGING WORLD: KOREA’S

ROLE AND REFLECTIONS

H.E. Ham Sang Wook

40 FROM MISCARRIAGES TO A

MIDWIFE: TURNING

GENERATIONAL GRIEF INTO

GLOBAL HEALING

Tosi Jones Nkwain

30 FINDING MY PLACE IN A

CONNECTED WORLD: A

REFLECTION ON GLOBAL

CITIZENSHIP

42 WEAVING BRIDGES: GLOBAL

CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION

THROUGH SERVICE LEARNING

AND PEACE CULTURE

Aathika Hazmer

Kelly Esmeralda Quispe Flores

32 BEYOND BORDERS: SOWING

THE SEEDS OF CHANGE

THROUGH GLOBAL

CITIZENSHIP

Renzo Lacida

44 EMBRACING GLOBAL

CITIZENSHIP: LEARNING,

COLLABORATING, AND

ACTING BEYOND BORDERS

Tiana Randrianarison

34 ROOTED IN THE SOIL,

CONNECTED TO THE WORLD:

MY JOURNEY AS A GLOBAL

CITIZEN

Fiona Macharia

46 EMPOWERED TO LEAD:

BRIDGING DISABILITY

INCLUSION AND CLIMATE

ACTION THROUGH THE BAN

KI-MOON FOUNDATION

SCHOLARSHIP

Aftahana Dahiru Sarina

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48

RETHINKING WHAT IT MEANS

TO BE A GLOBAL CITIZEN

Hala Sharafeddine

56 GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP: A

PERSONAL REFLECTION

Lilian Elochukwu Terna-Ayua

50 BEYOND BORDERS:

TEACHING GLOBAL

CITIZENSHIP IN THE SHADOW

OF DISPLACEMENT

Mohammad Shehadat

58 OUR GREATEST CHALLENGES

REQUIRE GLOBAL SOLUTIONS

AND GLOBAL CITIZENS

Jean Todt

52 GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP IS

ABOUT SEEKING COMMON

GROUND TO TACKLE THE

CHALLENGES NO COUNTRY

OR COMMUNITY CAN SOLVE

ALONE

Michael Sheldrick

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UNITY, DIVERSITY, AND A

SHARED FUTURE — GLOBAL

CITIZENSHIP: A JOURNEY TO

UTOPIA

Varnessa Kayen Varlyngton

54 THE JOURNEY TO GLOBAL

CITIZENSHIP

Elvin Teo

62 MY VISION OF GLOBAL

CITIZENSHIP

Muhammad Zainulabdin

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INTRODUCTION

The Ban Ki-moon Foundation’s mission is to foster leadership for

the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and the

Paris Climate Agreement by inspiring current leaders and

empowering young changemakers. Working with governments, civil

society, academia, and international organisations, the Foundation

supports initiatives that strengthen education, promote multilateral

cooperation, and advance sustainable development. Reaching more

than 2.5 million people worldwide, these efforts reflect a shared

belief that meaningful global progress depends on individuals who

understand today’s interconnected challenges and are equipped to

respond with knowledge, empathy, and purpose.

It is precisely this belief that underscores the importance of

education in an increasingly interconnected world. As local realities

are shaped by global forces, education plays a vital role in helping

individuals grasp the dynamics that influence their lives and

communities. Global Citizenship Education (GCED) responds to this

need by equipping learners with the capacity to engage thoughtfully

and responsibly with global realities. Rooted in the promotion of

peace, human rights, equality, inclusion, and sustainability, GCED

encourages individuals to look beyond their immediate

surroundings. It empowers them to recognize how local challenges

are influenced by broader global dynamics - and how their own

choices can, in turn, contribute to more just and resilient

communities.

Building on these principles, the Ban Ki-moon Foundation actively

advocates for the integration of GCED in national curricula

worldwide. It works closely with GCED practitioners across both

formal and informal educational settings - from researchers,

scholars, teachers, program coordinators, training specialists,

community organizers to volunteers.

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Despite the diversity of their roles, they share a

commitment to empowering learners with the

knowledge, skills, and values needed for meaningful

global engagement. This shared mission is reinforced

through the BKMF’s membership in Mission 4.7, a

global initiative that advances GCED by developing

high-quality educational resources, promoting

sustained investment in education, and supporting

innovative approaches to educator training

worldwide.

Since 2023, this ecosystem of education has been

complemented by the annual International Forum on

Education at Schloss Leopoldskron, hosted by the

Ban Ki-moon Foundation in collaboration with the

Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Korea - an

internationally recognized pioneer in advancing

GCED - and Salzburg Global.

Each year, more than one hundred participants -

including education experts, policymakers, young

changemakers, educators, academics, and

representatives of NGOs and international

organizations - gather in person to explore how

education intersects with pressing global issues such

as climate action, artificial intelligence, and the

evolving post-2030 agenda. Their discussions

highlight the centrality of GCED in navigating

complex transformations - such as the climate crisis,

growing inequalities, and the spread of

misinformation - and in shaping inclusive, futureoriented

education systems.

The BKMF Global Citizenship Handbook builds on

these collective efforts by bringing together personal

essays from Global Citizens around the world,

including members of our Board and our wider

community of changemakers. The contributions

reflect their individual perspectives and lived

experiences, presented in their original form to

preserve the authenticity of each voice. Rather than

offering a single editorial viewpoint, the collection

showcases a broad spectrum of interpretations and

practices of Global Citizenship. Together, these

essays provide a multifaceted and inspiring insight

into Global Citizenship in action. They encourage

you, dear readers, to translate these insights into

their own practice by embracing education, empathy,

and shared responsibility to help shape a more just

and sustainable future.


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GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP

EDUCATION: A CALL TO

ACTION

H.E. Ban Ki-moon

8th Secretary-General of

the United Nations;

Co-chair, Ban Ki-moon

Foundation

This year marks the tenth anniversary of two landmark agreements:

the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate

Change Agreement. Building on these, the Pact for the Future,

adopted in 2024, reinforced international commitment by providing

an action plan to accelerate SDG implementation, while also

establishing new commitments on digital cooperation and future

generations. Yet, despite these milestones, progress is not moving

fast enough. In 2025, only 35% of SDG targets were on track or

making modest gains, while nearly half were advancing too slowly

and 18% were actually regressing. These setbacks unfold against a

backdrop of mounting global crises: war, climate change, massive

human rights violations by repressive regimes, food insecurity,

fading trust in multilateralism, the rise of autocratic powers and

social unrest. More than ever, we must invest in education that is

grounded in human rights, respect for diversity, inclusion, and

equity. Global Citizenship Education, anchored in SDG 4.7, offers a

framework for nurturing compassionate, innovative, and socially

responsible leaders who can tackle these challenges and ensure

that no one is left behind.

My conviction in the transformative power of education is deeply

personal. Growing up under Japanese colonial rule, experiencing

the Korean War in the 1950s and watching my country grow from

dictatorship to a stable and prosperous democracy with the help of

the United Nations profoundly shaped my worldview.

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When South Korea was attacked by North Korea, the

United Nations sent troops and humanitarian aid. My

family survived on food rations, and I remember

studying UNESCO-provided schoolbooks by the light

of kerosene lamps or candles. These early

experiences with the UN instilled in me a deep

appreciation for solidarity and the importance of

access to quality education. The latter was

instrumental in helping our nation rise to the

prosperous democracy and thriving economy it

represents today. After the Korean War, the Republic

of Korea was a low-income developing country,

ranked 39th in the world by GDP in 1962. Today it is

the 12th largest economy and a member of the

OECD as well as the G20. Our own history shows

that education and global solidarity are tangible

forces capable of overcoming hardship and creating

lasting change.

This understanding deepened when I was just 18

years old and had the privilege to be part of a group

of young people invited by the Red Cross to meet

President John F. Kennedy at the White House in

Washington DC. He told us that we were one big

human family, and that national boundaries didn’t

mean much. To him, only one question mattered:

“Whether you are ready to extend a helping hand.”

His words have remained with me ever since and

describe the essence of Global Citizenship: that our

responsibility to others is not limited by borders. This

principle had a profound impact on my 50-year career

as a diplomat, including my tenure at the United

Nations.

As UN Secretary-General, I worked to build

consensus among 193 nations to support a detailed

plan to invest in sustainable development, address

the climate crisis, and improve women’s health and

opportunities around the world. The adoption of the

Paris Climate Agreement and the 2030 Agenda in

2015 provided the blueprints for a better future. To

accelerate progress towards achieving the SDGs,

including beyond 2030, the world needs to renew its

commitment to collective action, concrete financing,

and partnerships. We must empower a generation of

leaders who think beyond national borders and act

with a global citizen mindset. Global Citizenship calls

on us to see ourselves not merely as members of a

nation or community but as members of humankind.

It means caring for the planet, advocating for peace,

and supporting those who have been left behind.

Therefore, Global Citizenship Education plays a vital

role by equipping learners with the knowledge, skills,

and values needed to collaborate across borders,

challenge injustice, and develop sustainable

solutions. To think and act as global citizens is to

understand that the challenges we face are global

and we share a collective responsibility to address

them.

Cultivating this mindset and practicing this sense of

responsibility demands versatility and resilience. The

wisdom to “act like water,” as taught by the Chinese

philosopher Lao Tzu, has deeply inspired me. It

teaches openness, adaptability, and the ability to

navigate change without losing one’s essence. Water

is ‘formless’ and can become what it needs to suit the

situation. In the same way, Global Citizenship

Education encourages learners to approach global

issues with curiosity, empathy, and a willingness to

learn from diverse perspectives. A mind that flows,

free of prejudice, able to adjust, and ready to engage,

embodies the competencies needed to confront

complex global realities.

Another principle that I try to apply to my everyday

work, and that lies at the heart of the 2030 Agenda, is

“Leave no one behind”. It demands that we eradicate

poverty, end discrimination, and reduce inequalities

so that every individual can reach their full potential.

Global Citizenship Education is fundamental to this

work because it empowers individuals to recognize

injustice and to act upon it. Through cultivating

empathy, amplifying marginalized voices, and

encouraging learners to participate in civic life, Global

Citizenship Education helps build societies where

diversity is valued and human rights are protected.

These values must be nurtured not only in our

schools, but also in our communities and families,

and extend to the highest levels of policymaking.

Only by ensuring that no one is excluded or

overlooked can we create truly just and equitable

societies.


905

Although I am no longer the UN Secretary-General, I

remain guided by these principles every day,

continuing my work by advocating for global

citizenship and the importance of multilateralism. This

commitment led me to establish the Ban Ki-moon

Foundation, which over the years has fostered

collaboration among policymakers, practitioners,

educators, students, youth leaders and civil society to

advance Global Citizenship Education. The

Foundation regularly contributes to and co-organizes

major events on this topic, including the International

Forum on Education, which has convened three

times under slightly different themes (the

International Forum on Global Citizenship Education,

the International Forum on Education and Climate

and the International Forum on Education for the

Post-2030 Agenda) in partnership with Salzburg

Global and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the

Republic of Korea, represented by its Permanent

Mission to the United Nations in Vienna.

Building on this work, I remain convinced that despite

the magnitude of today’s challenges, hope is a

powerful force. Solidarity, empathy, and cooperation

are the foundations on which societies can thrive.

Young people, in particular, are crucial to shaping a

better future. Their creativity, compassion, and

courage will determine whether we can leave a world

that is peaceful, just, and sustainable for generations

to come. We must invest in their skills, well-being,

and leadership by ensuring access to quality

education, health services, and opportunities for

meaningful participation. By nurturing a generation

that embraces global citizenship and is committed to

leaving no one behind, we create the conditions for

long-term peace and sustainable development. The

path forward requires each of us to act with both

passion and compassion, to listen and learn from one

another, and to engage in collective efforts that

transcend individual or national interests. If we

uphold these values and work together with

determination, we can ensure that future generations

inherit a world that is not only stronger and fairer, but

also more sustainable, more humane, and more

hopeful.

Biography:

Ban Ki-moon is a South Korean diplomat who served

as the eighth Secretary-General of the United

Nations (UNSG) from January 2007 to December

2016. Before becoming UNSG, he was a career

diplomat in the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of

Foreign Affairs. As the eighth UNSG, he led the

efforts for the landmark Paris Climate Change

Agreement, the Sustainable Development Goals and

the 2030 Agenda. Ban Ki-moon currently serves as

the Co-chair of the Ban Ki-moon Foundation which

seeks to empower youth and women to become

active global citizens in creating a sustainable future

for all. In addition, he currently holds over 20

positions, including the Presidency and Chairmanship

of the Global Green Growth Institute, and of the Boao

Forum for Asia.

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GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP:

BUILDING A WORLD FOR

THE NEXT GENERATION

H.E. Heinz Fischer

11th President of the

Republic of Austria;

Co-chair, Ban Ki-moon

Foundation

I was born in 1938, just before the outbreak of the Second World

War — a time when the international order collapsed, when norms

were broken, and when the breaking of norms became the new

norm. As a child, I experienced the devastating consequences of

war not as an abstraction, but as daily reality. We saw cities in ruins,

families displaced and murdered, and societies deeply wounded.

When I started school in 1944, the final battles of the war reached

Austria. Vienna was heavily bombed — the Parliament, the State

Opera, St. Stephen’s Cathedral and other historic buildings were

destroyed or set on fire.

When the war ended, Austria was divided among the four Allied

powers. The city of Vienna, my home, was shared between them —

the Soviets in the east, the Americans in the center, the British in

the south, and the French in the west. For a decade, from 1945 to

1955, we lived under occupation. These years shaped my

understanding of what peace means — not as an abstract concept,

but as a condition that must be built patiently, through cooperation,

dialogue, time and respect.


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I was seventeen when, in May 1955, the Austrian

State Treaty was signed. I still remember cycling

across Vienna to the Belvedere Palace, where

thousands gathered to witness the moment Austria

regained its sovereignty. The crowd cheered as the

foreign ministers of the four Allied powers signed the

document, and only months later, Austria adopted its

constitutional law on neutrality. It was the beginning

of a new chapter for Austria — one built on

reconciliation, international partnership, and the

determination never to return to war.

These formative experiences — from the collapse of

order to the slow rebuilding of peace — taught me

early that cooperation among nations is not a luxury,

but a necessity. They also became the foundation of

what I now call Global Citizenship: the conviction that

humanity’s survival depends on our capacity to act

together, to understand one another, and to share

responsibility for our common future.

As I grew older, this belief guided my professional

path. I studied law at the University of Vienna, drawn

by a desire to understand how rules and institutions

can protect peace and justice. In 1971, during the era

of Chancellor Bruno Kreisky, I entered the Austrian

Parliament. Kreisky’s policies were often built on

dialogue, peace, and respect between nations —

principles that resonated deeply with the lessons of

my own youth. Over time, I sought not only to carry

these values forward, but to translate them into

practical policy: fostering education as a foundation

for equality, encouraging cooperation across diverse

political and cultural lines, and strengthening human

dignity both within Austria and beyond its borders.

My encounters throughout those years reaffirmed a

simple truth: across all cultures and continents,

people share the same hopes — for peace, dignity,

opportunity, and a safe future for their children.

Whether meeting students, scientists, or heads of

state, I saw again and again that what unites us is far

greater than what divides us. To me, this is the heart

of Global Citizenship: recognising these shared

aspirations and understanding that our actions —

political, economic, or personal — have

consequences beyond our own borders.

I remember visiting post-conflict regions where young

people spoke not of revenge, but of development and

reconciliation. Their courage to look forward

reminded me that being a global citizen does not

depend on one’s position or birthplace.

It depends on the willingness to see humanity in

others and to take responsibility for the world we

share.

In 1998, I met Ban Ki-moon, then the Ambassador of

the Republic of Korea to Austria. He felt quickly at

home in Vienna, a city shaped by dialogue and

diplomacy. Years later, when he became Secretary-

General of the United Nations, Austria strongly

supported his candidacy — and as President, I did as

well. Our collaboration was always grounded in

mutual respect and a shared commitment to

multilateralism and peace. During one of his visits to

Austria, at the presidential summer residence in the

Styrian Alps, we first discussed the idea of creating

an institution that would continue this mission beyond

his UN tenure — an institution devoted to

empowering youth and women, advancing the

Sustainable Development Goals, and promoting

Global Citizenship and education for peace. Those

conversations became the seed for the Ban Ki-moon

Foundation for Global Citizens in Vienna.

Today, as Co-Chair of the Foundation, I continue to

advocate for the principles that have guided my life:

responsibility, cooperation, and solidarity. Global

Citizenship is hence not an abstract concept — it is a

practice, a way of thinking and acting every day. It

means listening before judging, engaging across

boundaries, and making decisions that consider not

only “my country” or “my community,” but the wider

human family. It also requires courage: the courage

to challenge injustice, to speak out against hate, and

to extend empathy even when it is inconvenient.

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These values are more urgent today than ever

before. The wars in Gaza and Ukraine, the conflicts

in Sudan and other parts of Africa, and the escalating

crises of climate change, poverty, and discrimination

all reveal how interconnected our world truly is. No

nation can face these challenges alone. They are

shared problems — and they demand shared

solutions.

If the past century has taught us anything, it is that

isolation, nationalism, and mistrust do not lead to

peace. They lead to fragility. In contrast, Global

Citizenship offers a vision of strength through

cooperation. It teaches us that the wellbeing of one

region cannot come at the expense of another, and

that our children’s future depends on the choices we

make together today.Throughout my life, whether in

public office, in the mountains I love to climb, or

through my passion for music and culture, I have

seen that what connects people — curiosity,

compassion, the pursuit of excellence — always

transcends borders. These shared values are the

essence of Global Citizenship.

That is why I believe each of us can, in our own way,

be a global citizen. Some do so through policy and

diplomacy; others through teaching, research,

volunteerism, or everyday acts of kindness. The

scale may differ, but the principle is the same: to see

beyond ourselves and to act with responsibility for the

collective human family.

Only by embracing this mindset can we confront the

crises of our time and build a world that is more

peaceful, more just, and more sustainable for the

generations to come. That, to me, is the meaning of

Global Citizenship: not an abstract ideal, but a way of

living — consciously, courageously, and

compassionately — every single day.


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BRIDGING NATIONS,

HONORING HUMANITY: A

DIPLOMAT’S REFLECTION

ON GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP

H.E. Talal S. Alfassam

Global citizenship is not something I studied in theory. It is

something I experienced, step by step, through a career that led me

from the quiet offices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kuwait to

the complex negotiation halls of the United Nations in Vienna and

New York, to the multicultural bridges of Singapore. For me, it is not

just an abstract value. It is a lived responsibility—one that has

evolved with every posting, every conversation, and every

challenge.

Permanent

Representative of Kuwait

to the UN in Vienna, (ex

officio);

Board Member, Ban Kimoon

Foundation

When I first joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kuwait, I

understood diplomacy as a practice of representing my nation’s

interests. But over time, especially through the roles I held abroad, I

came to see diplomacy—and by extension, global citizenship—as

something much broader. It is not about abandoning one’s national

identity, but about using it as a platform for global engagement,

empathy, and ethical leadership.

My first overseas post was at the Embassy of the State of Kuwait in

the United States of America. In Washington, I began to understand

the power and responsibility of dialogue between nations. The scale

and scope of U.S. foreign policy meant that even a single bilateral

meeting could have implications across multiple regions. I learned to

balance clarity and discretion, to listen even more than I spoke, and

to carry Kuwait’s voice with calm strength.

14

I later served in Austria for four years as a member of

both the Embassy and Kuwait’s Permanent Mission.

This period was pivotal for me. Working closely with

international organizations such as the International

Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the UN Office in

Vienna opened my eyes to the truly global nature of

diplomacy. The discussions we engaged in—on

nuclear nonproliferation, development, and

disarmament—weren’t just theoretical. They touched

on real-world consequences that affect people far

beyond any one border.

Singapore came next—a very different environment,

but equally enriching. There, I observed a society

built on inclusion, careful policy-making, and longterm

vision. I admired how diversity wasn’t just

tolerated but actively integrated into national identity.

It reminded me that diplomacy isn’t always conducted

through high-level summits; sometimes, the most

valuable lessons come from watching how a society

treats its own people.

Upon returning to Kuwait, I was appointed Section

Head on Nonproliferation within the Department of

International Organizations. In that role, I handled

some of the most sensitive topics of our time—

disarmament, nuclear security, and our relations with

NATO. This wasn’t just technical work; it was ethical

work. It required a deep understanding of both

Kuwait’s principles and the stakes of global safety.

The diplomacy of disarmament is, at its heart, an act

of global citizenship: it asks us to imagine a world

where security is shared, not enforced.

After that came New York and now, having returned

to Austria as Kuwait’s Ambassador and Permanent

Representative, I bring all those layers with me—

national, regional, and global. This role is not just

about representing Kuwait to the international

community. It is also about helping shape that

community in a way that reflects the values we all say

we believe in—peace, cooperation, equity, and

sustainability.

In every post I’ve held, I’ve seen how deeply

interconnected our world has become. A food crisis in

one region, a health emergency in another, a

cyberattack thousands of miles away—all these

ripple outward. And in those moments, nationality

becomes secondary. What matters more is our

shared humanity and our collective ability to respond

with wisdom and solidarity.


But global citizenship isn’t only about emergencies. It

is about mindset. It’s about how we approach

dialogue, how we design policy, how we raise the

next generation. It means recognizing that one can

be fully Kuwaiti and still care about environmental

policy in Latin America, educational reform in Africa,

or disarmament talks in Europe. It means refusing to

draw a boundary around empathy.

What stays with me most in this work are not

headlines or official outcomes, but the quiet shifts—

the change in tone during a difficult dialogue, the

mutual respect built over time, the unexpected

understanding between people who began on

opposite sides. These moments don’t happen in

public view, but they are where diplomacy is most

real.

These moments remind me that global citizenship is

not about dramatic gestures; it is about how we

choose to engage—with patience, with sincerity, and

with a willingness to listen. In a world so often divided

by identity and interest, these small moments of

connection are where lasting progress begins.

Kuwait has always believed in constructive

diplomacy. Whether in humanitarian aid, regional

dialogue, or multilateral cooperation, we have sought

not to impose but to understand—to offer solutions

grounded in dignity. This ethos is not a political

strategy—it’s a reflection of who we are. And it aligns

perfectly with the values of global citizenship.

In the nonproliferation world, I’ve learned that even

the most technical negotiations are grounded in

moral logic. When we talk about disarmament, we

are ultimately talking about safety, about generations

not yet born. That is what gives this work its weight—

and its hope.

Global citizenship is not a title or an ideology. It’s a

discipline. One that asks us to stay open, stay

curious, and stay committed to something larger than

ourselves. As a diplomat, I’ve learned that I am never

just speaking for Kuwait. I’m also listening for the

world. And in that listening, I’ve found the truest

meaning of my work.

Today, more than ever, the world needs leaders—

official and unofficial—who can think beyond borders

without forgetting where they come from. That is the

balance I strive to maintain in every room I walk into:

a Kuwaiti voice, with a global ear.

15

GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP:

THE BRIDGES THAT

CONNECT AND UNITE

H.R.H. Prince Abdullah

bin Khaled Al Saud

Ambassador of the

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

to Germany;


Foundation

Global citizenship is, in my experience, not an abstract theory but a

practical reality. It becomes most apparent when individuals move

between different cultural, social, and political contexts and are

called upon to engage responsibly with varied perspectives. For me,

it has always meant balancing a clear sense of heritage with

openness to dialogue and mutual learning.

Growing up in Riyadh during the late 1980s and 1990s, I was

shaped by an environment rooted in tradition, family, and

community. These foundations provided clarity about identity and a

deep sense of responsibility toward society, and they remain the

anchor from which I engage with the wider world.

During my studies in the United States, my background was

frequently viewed through the lens of broader regional narratives. In

academic and social settings, questions directed to me reflected

curiosity about Saudi Arabia and the wider Arab world. Such

interactions, while sometimes simplified, highlighted the importance

of engaging constructively and providing context that went beyond

prevailing portrayals. Over time, these moments became

opportunities to foster greater understanding of global perspectives.

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More recently, in my years serving as the Kingdom’s

Ambassador in Austria and now in Germany, I have

often been called upon to provide a perspective on

Saudi Arabia and the Gulf. At the same time, friends

and family in Riyadh have sought my insights into key

European debates and issues. Alongside formal

engagements, private conversations often allow for

the discussion of a wider range of topics and a more

candid exchange. In those settings, it is possible to

speak with greater clarity about the scale and

seriousness of change underway in the Kingdom,

change that is sometimes misunderstood abroad,

and to reflect, with equal frankness, on the social and

political challenges European societies are

navigating. These experiences demonstrate that

global citizenship is not about abandoning one’s

national identity, but about acting as a bridge

between societies, offering explanation, context, and

dialogue in both directions.

The defining challenges of the 21st century cannot be

addressed in isolation. Conflict, migration,

pandemics, climate change, energy interdependence,

and technological disruption all transcend borders. In

this context, global citizenship is not an aspiration but

a necessity. It requires the recognition that our

futures are interconnected and that no society can

remain entirely self-contained.

Far from weakening identity, international

engagement strengthens it. Explaining my own

culture abroad sharpened my awareness of its depth,

its continuity, and its capacity for renewal. It also

demonstrated that global citizenship calls for

responsibility: the ways we present our societies and

the ways we listen to others carry consequences for

mutual understanding.

At a time when international discourse is often pulled

into binaries such as East and West, North and

South, and de-risking versus decoupling, the value of

global citizenship is practical rather than rhetorical. It

means stepping outside information silos and

focusing on the quiet tasks that build trust: agreeing

verifiable humanitarian pauses and evacuation

windows; maintaining back-channels to prevent

miscalculation and de-escalate incidents; working

with neutral intermediaries to sequence detainee

exchanges and returns; keeping sanctions-compliant

payment rails open for aid; arranging civil aviation

and maritime deconfliction to protect civilians; and

safeguarding religious and cultural sites during

periods of tension. In such settings, those heard in

more than one camp can convene discreet meetings,

translate assumptions, and supply the third-party

assurances that let incremental steps hold. From

where I sit, Saudi Arabia can at times contribute in

that quiet, practical way, not as a headline, but as a

steady accompaniment to formal diplomacy. Some of

the most useful progress happens off the record,

where it is easier to acknowledge that perceptions

can lag realities, both regarding the Kingdom’s

transformation and Europe’s tests, and to shape

solutions that stand in both arenas.

To ground this in practice, one experience that

shaped my understanding came during my university

years in the United States, when those discussing the

Middle East often turned to me for perspective. The

questions, though sometimes simplified, reflected a

genuine curiosity to look beyond headlines and gain

a more comprehensive understanding of Saudi

Arabia. Conversations frequently extended beyond

the classroom, addressing themes of family, religion,

modernization, and the balance between tradition

and change. These exchanges highlighted the

importance of offering context and of presenting

culture in a way that resists stereotypes and fosters a

more nuanced appreciation.

Years later, while living in Vienna and Berlin, I

encountered the reverse dynamic. Colleagues

frequently sought my insights into Saudi Arabia’s

ongoing transformation, while friends and family in

Riyadh were eager to understand the debates

unfolding in Europe. Acting as an informal bridge in

these conversations highlighted that global

citizenship is not confined to institutions or formal

statements. It is often most effective in personal

dialogue, where candor, discretion, and respect can

advance understanding more than any set speech. It

is exercised in everyday interactions, through

explanation, listening, and the small but significant

acts that bring societies closer rather than allowing

them to drift apart.


17

LIVING THE VALUES OF


PERSONAL JOURNEY

Saffie Abia

BKMF Global Citizen

Scholar 2025;

Health Professional;

Master’s Student in

International Health &

Social Management

Global citizenship is more than a concept; it is a way of life rooted in

empathy, intentionality, and a deep awareness of our shared

humanity. As a recipient of the Ban Ki-moon Scholarship, I have

come to understand that being a global citizen means embracing

our interconnectedness and acting with the collective well-being of

humanity in mind.

The inspiration for the Lifeline Project came from a deep desire to

save lives. Rooted in diverse cultural and social contexts, it

highlighted the importance of community-driven solutions. I realized

that real change often starts with small, purposeful acts.

Global citizenship is about recognizing that our actions, no matter

how small, can ripple across communities and borders, creating

meaningful change.

18

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO

BE A GLOBAL CITIZEN?

Dr. Márcia Balisciano

Chief Sustainability

Officer, RELX;


Foundation

You do not need to have a passport or to have visited foreign lands

to be a global citizen. It is more fundamental than that: it is an

openness to learning about other people, places, and perspectives.

And it is a mindset anyone can develop. Against a backdrop of rapid

change and complexity, finite resources and conflict, it is about

practicing curiosity over suspicion; prioritizing engagement over

isolation; and understanding our differences while seeking our

shared humanity.

Reading was my ticket to becoming a global citizen. Growing up in

the US, raised by my incredible single mother, money was tight, and

trips across borders were not feasible, but my mother regularly took

me to our local library, where I explored other locations and cultures

via books.

When the opportunity arose during university to gain a work study

placement on a ship sailing around the world (an old container ship

outfitted with classrooms), I did not hesitate. I saw a little bit of a lot

of the world. I could not speak the native language of the citizens I

met across 13 countries, ranging from South Korea and Sri Lanka to

Egypt and Greece, but I came away with a sense that their aims

were the same as mine: to peacefully pursue their aspirations, raise

their families, laugh, love, and live.

The adventure led to my living in Japan and going on to study

international relations: an academic discipline that explores the

labyrinthine interaction between states and other actors.


19

I was interested in how that plays out in practice and

worked for a time in Latin America before eventually

settling in London, a great international city, for more

study, where I have since built my life and career.

Building on my childhood passion for information on

the world, I have been fortunate to work for RELX, a

global data, analytics, and events company, with

customers in some 180 countries and territories and

offices in approximately 40. Together, we are more

than 36,000 people focused on our unique

contributions to society, including reducing risk and

fraud and increasing financial inclusion; advancing

science, health, and the rule of law; and fostering

communities and improving the efficiency of markets.

A global citizen ethos has been helpful in my role as

Chief Sustainability Officer. I work with my colleagues

to understand how we can accelerate our positive

impact while decreasing the risks of conducting our

business, including on the environment. Challenges

such as climate change cannot be addressed solely

by one company or one nation; its effects are felt

across geographic boundaries, and solutions need to

be progressed and deployed by all. Accordingly, Ban

th

Ki-moon, 8 Secretary General of the United Nations

(UN), in 2015 succeeded in getting 195 parties to

ratify the Paris Agreement, a legally binding

international treaty, to work to keep global

temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius from preindustrial

levels.

Likewise, international cooperation is tantamount to

addressing other cross-border issues, including the

scourge of modern slavery and human trafficking and

corruption. A race to the top on corporate

responsibility can benefit everyone, including

consumers and suppliers. International standards,

such as the International Organization for

Standardization (ISO), with over 25,000 standards

covering critical concerns such as health and safety,

quality, and food management, can provide guidance

and guardrails for responsible business practice. At

RELX, we hold ISO certification on information

security and environmental management.

It is important to have inspiration and support along

the way. Since 2003, RELX has been a signatory to

the UN Global Compact (UNGC), the largest

international business initiative helping more than

17,000 companies globally pursue ten core principles

related to human rights, labor, the environment, and

anti-corruption.

The UNGC has also articulated the role for business

in progressing the SDGs, adopted by all 193 UN

member states in 2015 under Ban Ki-moon’s vital

leadership. The 17 global goals are a ‘to-do list’ for

the world to address critical issues facing people and

the planet, including poverty reduction, quality

education, climate action, and peace. The UNGC

asks companies “to first do business responsibly and

then pursue opportunities to solve societal challenges

1

through business innovation and collaboration.”

Innovation and collaboration are at the heart of the

RELX SDG Resource Centre

(https://sdgresources.relx.com), a free site for all, with

more than 300,000 unique users annually, where we

curate content and tools from across our business

and key partners to provide knowledge that can

advance the SDGs.

A global citizen outlook is relevant to the crucial

questions of our times. With meteoric technological

advances, we need to ensure that, as stated in the

RELX Responsible AI principles, solutions evaluate

the real-world impact on people and maintain privacy

and human oversight. Standards for AI literacy are a

key matter, as we also consider access in the Global

South and how best to lessen the environmental

impact of increasing levels of computing power

needed for AI. If a rising tide lifts all boats, we need

broad dialogue on the answers.

It is an approach taken by the Ban Ki-moon

Foundation for Global Citizens, where I have the

privilege of serving on the Board. In its programs,

such as the Global Citizen Scholarship program,

young entrepreneurial changemakers from across

Africa work to address needs in their communities

through SDG micro-projects. They receive support

and meet peers from other countries, share

knowledge, ideas, and concerns, and develop

opportunities that can benefit the group overall.

I am grateful for the perspectives traveling, studying,

living, and working in different places have given me.

As I try to instill in my children, it all begins with

reading and thinking because being a global citizen

can be part of anyone’s worldview.

[1] United Nations Global Compact Global Goals for

people and planet. Available at:

https://unglobalcompact.org/sdgs/about (Accessed

30 August 2025)

20

BUILDING GLOBAL

COMPETENCES:

THE FUTURE OF

CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION

H.E. Irina Bokova

Former Director-General

of UNESCO;


Foundation

This year, the international community celebrates the 80

Anniversary of the United Nations and of UNESCO, the first UN

Agency to be created in 1945, with the idea, inscribed in its

Constitution, that “Since wars start in the minds of men, it is in the

minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed”. It

went further on to state that “a peace based exclusively upon the

political and economic arrangements of governments would not be a

peace which could secure the unanimous, lasting and sincere

support of the peoples of the world, and that peace must therefore

be founded, if it is not to fail, upon the intellectual and moral

solidarity of mankind”.

For this to happen, UNESCO was called to promote cooperation in

the areas of education, culture, and science. This profound

humanist conviction remains as salient today as it was in 1945.

At every crossroad of human history in the last 80 years, UNESCO

has served as a global platform for intellectual debate, fostering

partnerships, encouraging the creation of knowledge, and launching

new ideas.

th

This is how the concept of education for all, knowledge-based

societies, expressions of cultural diversity, global citizenship

education, the ethics of science, and the ethics of climate change,

as well as the concept of world heritage and the whole range of

cultural conventions, were born.


21

Today, we have three defining challenges in front of

us: conflicts, climate change, and the technological

revolution. In all of these, UNESCO’s mandate to

build peace in the minds of women and men remains

even more relevant.

Last year, at the Summit of the Future, convened by

the secretary-general of the UN, Antonio Guterres,

world leaders adopted a Pact for the Future that

recognizes the vital role of youth in shaping the future

and commits UN Member States to invest in young

people across the board: from amplifying youth rights

to improving youth mental health and from fostering

non-discrimination and social inclusion to building

intergenerational solidarity.

The Pact also calls for the improved and meaningful

participation of youth in decisions and solutions that

affect our world. This is where education again is a

priority on the global agenda. This brings me back to

the Education First Initiative, launched more than 10

years ago by the then Secretary-General Ban Kimoon,

with the support of UNESCO and the historic

2015 Incheon Global Education Forum, which

adopted Goal 4 of the Sustainable Development

Agenda: “To ensure inclusive and equitable quality

education and promote lifelong learning opportunities

for all”. The Incheon Declaration went further to affirm

that:

Education is a human right that is essential for

individual dignity, and that also provides

sustainability to all development

Education is a force for life, social cohesion, and

deeper inclusion

Education is critical for gender equality and

women’s empowerment

Quality education is a major prerequisite for

economic growth and prosperity

Education is vital for protecting the planet and its

biodiversity and tackling the challenges of climate

change

Education is vital for peace and mutual

understanding, for living together as global

citizens

All of these important ideas were embodied in the

innovative and groundbreaking concept of Global

Citizenship Education, outlined in target 7 of SDG

Goal 4: “By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the

knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable

development, including, among others, through

education for sustainable development and

sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality,

promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence,

global citizenship and appreciation of cultural

diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable

development.”

This represented a true paradigm shift in our

st

understanding of the role education plays in the 21

century and opened the space for further debates

among educators, governments, academia, and civil

society groups.

I have always believed that Global Citizenship

Education lies at the core of the Agenda 2030 as it

captures the need to prepare young people for the

st

21 century with all its opportunities of connectivity

and technological advances, but also all of its

challenges, technological disruption, and rapid

change.

It also invites us to think about how to repurpose

education and to rethink the “what and how” of

learning. The Transforming Education Summit,

convened by the UN Secretary-General in September

2022 as well as the report Reimagining our futures

together: A new social contract for education,

launched earlier by the International Commission

under the President of Ethiopia Sahle-Work Zewde,

reconfirmed the importance of SD Goal 4 and made

an important assessment — the way we organize

education across the world does not ensure just and

peaceful societies, a healthy planet, and shared

progress that benefits all.

“For too long, education itself has been based on an

economic growth-focused modernization

development paradigm. We should move towards a

new ecologically-oriented education rooted in

understandings that can rebalance our ways of living

on Earth and recognize its interdependent systems

and their limits. And that sustainable development

should be elevated as both a guiding purpose for

education and organizing principle for curricula.”

Today, GCE is closely linked to the new and

important debate about global competence in an era

of technological disruption and AI. In our increasingly

interconnected and interdependent world, fostering

global competence is not just an educational priority

— it is a necessity, as it refers to the knowledge,

attitudes, skills, and values that enable young people

to understand and act on issues of global

significance.

22

This competence is essential to navigate the

complexities of our globalized world and for fostering

peaceful and productive coexistence among people

of different cultural backgrounds.

GCE encourages educational institutions and young

people themselves to aspire to global competence in

order to understand and respect cultural diversity.

This cultural awareness fosters empathy and reduces

prejudices, helping build more inclusive communities,

while the global perspective helps students

appreciate the richness of human diversity.

Peace education takes a prominent place in this

context. As pointed out by the famous educator Maria

Montessori, “avoiding war is the work of politics,

establishing peace is the work of education.”

The recently adopted UNESCO Recommendation on

Education for Peace and Human Rights, International

Understanding, Cooperation, Fundamental

Freedoms, Global Citizenship and Sustainable

Development, plays a very important role and

acknowledges that peace is built not only through

international negotiations but also in classrooms and

sports fields, in communities and throughout life, with

the aim of building peaceful societies.

An important aspect of global competence is

enhancing critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Global challenges, such as climate change and

achieving sustainable development globally, require

young people to propose innovative and collaborative

solutions. It requires the consideration of multiple

viewpoints, and sometimes cross-cultural and

integrated interdisciplinary approaches.

Global competence promotes civic engagement and

global responsibility. Those who understand global

interdependencies are more likely to take action on

global issues and contribute to the common good.

Particularly in the new era of AI, when new

challenges are emerging for managing our

economies and societies, as jobs will be transformed

and even lost, there will be constant needs, and

lifelong learning will become the new norm. hile

previous technological revolutions brought deep

transformation, this time it is different because AI is

transforming our economies at an altogether different

speed, reinventing entire sectors.

To adapt to this reinvented economy, people will

need to reinvent their skills and careers and to upskill

and reskill on an ongoing basis. All of this requires

policies that are inclusive, flexible, and adaptive.

Experts say that digital technologies are helping

transform education from an industrial revolutionbased

'one size fits all' paradigm where students

receive the same information, at the same time, and

at the same pace, akin to an assembly line, to one

that can be self-paced, adaptive, and personalized,

that is, focused on the learner.

At the same time, we should not forget that education

is and should remain a deeply human act rooted in

social interaction. Investing in technology is

important, but investing in human capacity is equally

important to narrow existing educational divides in

educators, educational institutions, and systems. We

should not forget that education is also about instilling

the so-much-needed today “soft skills”: leadership,

emotional intelligence, critical thinking, listening,

conflict-solving, empathy, and intercultural and

communication skills. AI can formulate responses,

but humans need to formulate ideas and

communicate them effectively. This is what GCE is

promoting and where the role of teachers and

educators is irreplaceable.

As the world faces multifaceted challenges and

crises, global learning that is fostered by global

citizenship education becomes an essential tool to

not only build understanding across borders and

cultures but to advance our social, political,

economic, and environmental interconnectedness

necessary to address global and local issues.


23

MY JOURNEY TO GLOBAL

CITIZENSHIP:

FROM LOCAL CURIOSITY

TO GLOBAL

RESPONSIBILITY

Global citizenship, to me, has never been a vague slogan or a feelgood

concept. It is a way of looking at the world, and at oneself, with

a deep sense of responsibility toward all of humanity, not just the

people who happen to share your flag, language, or neighborhood.

It is an attitude that grows in people who feel agency, who want their

daily actions to matter, and who understand that even small, local

choices can ripple across continents.

Monika Froehler

Chief Executive Officer,

Ban Ki-moon Foundation

My own experience of global citizenship did not start with a career in

international diplomacy or work at the United Nations. It began

much earlier, at sixteen, when I entered the European Youth

Parliament as a delegate from Austria. Suddenly, the world

widened. I found myself in Granada, Spain, surrounded by

passionate young people from every corner of Europe, all eager to

debate real policy issues, not as a school exercise, but as a genuine

contribution to shaping the world we hoped to inherit.

Our committee’s topic, the right to privacy versus the right to

information, could not have been more relevant. The internet was

expanding rapidly, digital connections were changing our lives, and

we were among the first youth cohorts to grapple with balancing

openness with protection.

Working in English, a shared but not native language for most of us,

forced us to focus on clarity, empathy, and listening.

24

There were plenty of “alpha personalities” in the

room, yet we learned to cooperate, compromise, and

draft a resolution that represented the common good

rather than individual egos.

That time in Granada taught me something essential:

that borders, languages, and backgrounds make us

different, but they never prevent us from working

together. Becoming friends with people from across

Europe at such a formative age opened my world

more than any textbook could. It planted in me the

conviction that I wanted to spend my life working

internationally, tackling the big challenges that shape

humanity’s future.

A Family Memory That Became a Compass

My desire to contribute to peace was also shaped by

the stories I heard at home. My grandparents often

spoke about the Second World War when we were

children. Their memories were not abstract historical

facts; rather, they were lived traumas. My

grandmother’s refugee experience was especially

defining for her; every family gathering eventually

circled back to her story of loss, displacement, and

survival.

At the time, I did not fully grasp the magnitude of

what she had endured. I wish I could speak with her

again today to ask her about her lessons, her fears,

and her hopes. But one message was always clear:

despite the war, despite everything she saw, she

remained convinced that one must act like a good

person in the world.

Her conviction has stayed with me. It still guides me.

I was terrified as a teenager that escalating conflicts

in the Middle East might one day grow into a world

war. This fear made me want to understand the world

better — to go beyond headlines and see humanity

through different cultures, religions, and perspectives.

There, I learned from classmates who carried their

regions’ histories in their stories, their humor, their

frustrations, and their hopes. I studied alongside

peers from the broader Mediterranean but also

Europe, the United States, China, and northern

Africa.

Traveling through North Africa and Europe during this

period taught me that each culture contains a part of

the global puzzle, and that understanding grows from

listening. I knew then that I wanted to dedicate my life

to fostering peace.

From Vienna to Geneva: Joining the Austrian

Foreign Service

My path continued at the Vienna Diplomatic

Academy, and later into the Austrian foreign service.

Serving in Geneva on disarmament and nonproliferation

was both eye-opening and humbling. It

quickly became clear that while nearly all countries

want peace, they do not necessarily agree on how to

achieve it, especially when it comes to banning

certain weapons.

I met Peace Nobel Laureates like Jodie Williams and

worked on issues related to anti-personnel mines. I

travelled from Latin America to Africa, from Central

Asia to the Balkans, from Southeast Asia to Central

Europe. Everywhere I went, I saw the same truth

reflected to me: humans have far more in common

than what separates us.

The UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of

Human Rights became, for me, not just legal

documents but moral lighthouses — guiding lights for

how we should live together on this planet.

Yet a key moment that shifted my view about the

utility of multilateralism entirely was deeply personal.

Learning to See the World Through Many Eyes

This curiosity led me to study International Relations.

I wanted to understand why conflicts emerge, how

societies heal, and how diplomacy could prevent

suffering. My questions about the Middle East were

particularly strong, so I chose to study in Malta — a

place where young diplomats from across the

Maghreb and Mashriq came together to learn global

affairs in an unbiased, academic environment.


25

The Survivor Who Changed My Understanding of

Impact

During my work in Central Asia, I organized a

workshop for landmine survivors. Among the

participants was a woman from Tajikistan whose

story I still carry with me.

After her wedding, she and her bridesmaids walked

back to the village across a minefield they believed

was safe. It was not. A mine exploded under her feet.

She lost her leg. One friend lost her eyesight; another

was left with shrapnel embedded in her skin. Her

husband, seeing the accident as a bad omen,

annulled the marriage. She returned to her parents’

home, pregnant, traumatized, and deemed a burden

because she could no longer work on the family farm.

When we met, her daughter was five. She told me

she earned a few coins from sewing, but she could

not fulfill the orders she received because she did not

own a sewing machine.

At the workshop, we provided psychosocial support

and offered a modest per diem (just a few hundred

dollars). After the session, she approached me with

tears in her eyes. With that small amount of money,

she said, she could finally buy a sewing machine. It

would change her life. It would allow her to support

herself and send her daughter to school.

In that moment, global citizenship became more than

an idea. It became a responsibility. It became

personal.

Her gratitude, her courage, and her determination

deepened my commitment to fighting against

weapons that indiscriminately harm civilians. But it

also taught me something else: multilateral treaties

and international frameworks matter enormously, but

individual agency — and people taking initiative to

solve problems — can transform lives.

Continuing the Journey: From Disarmament to

Sustainable Development

After my time working on disarmament, nonproliferation,

and international legal frameworks

banning weapons, my path led me into new global

challenges — development, including women’s

empowerment, energy access, renewable energy,

clean cooking solutions, and now, at the Ban Kimoon

Foundation, advancing the legacy of Ban Kimoon

and Heinz Fischer, that is, the Sustainable

Development Goals and the Paris Climate

Agreement.

In each chapter of my professional journey, the same

thread appears: global citizenship takes many

shapes. It can be found in drafting treaties, designing

programs, empowering women, supporting climate

action, or building bridges between cultures.

It is present whenever people decide that the world

can be better — and then act accordingly.

Global Citizenship as a Way of Life

Looking back, I realize that my path toward global

citizenship was formed by a mixture of personal

history, youthful curiosity, academic passion, and

real-world encounters with people whose lives have

been shaped by policies, conflicts, and cooperation

across borders.

Global citizenship is not about traveling the world or

collecting stamps in a passport. It is about knowing

that what we do, how we vote, how we consume,

how we speak, and how we help, creates ripple

effects that reach far beyond our immediate

surroundings.

It is about caring for humanity as a whole, and

believing that we share one planet, one future, and

one responsibility.

26

Ban Ki-moon Foundation Board Members


27

GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP IN A

CHANGING WORLD:

KOREA’S ROLE AND

REFLECTIONS

H.E. Ham Sang Wook

Permanent

Representative of the

Republic of Korea to the

UN in Vienna (ex officio);


Foundation

The world is changing at an unprecedented pace. Multilateralism,

once regarded as the cornerstone of global stability that many of us

took for granted over the past decades, is now under strain like

never before. Climate change continues to accelerate, triggering

environmental crises across continents.

Conflicts around the world continue to brew with no solution in sight.

At the same time, new technologies such as artificial intelligence are

transforming the way we live and work, while also exposing new

risks, among them the rapid spread of disinformation. These

overlapping challenges respect no borders, and remind us that no

country, however powerful, can respond effectively on its own.

This is why global citizenship matters more than ever. UNESCO

describes global citizenship as “a sense of belonging to a broader

community and common humanity.” In today’s world, where the

local, national, and global levels are interwoven so tightly due to our

political, economic, social, and cultural interdependency, it is

essential to nurture the knowledge, skills, and values that enable us,

as individuals, to tackle our common challenges under the idea of

global citizenship.

With this in mind, Korea has made global citizenship education, or

GCED, a central part of its contribution to the international

community. Our commitment to GCED is deeply rooted in Korea’s

contemporary history.

28

Just over 70 years ago, there seemed to be scant

hope for the country ravaged by the Korean War. Yet

with the solidarity of the international community,

development assistance, and, above all, a strong

emphasis on education, Korea was able to rebuild

and ultimately transform into a thriving democracy

and economy, as well as a cultural hub. We know

from our own experience how powerful global

solidarity and education can be in overcoming

hardship and opening the path to groundbreaking

changes.

In this vein, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the

Republic of Korea has been organizing the annual

International Conference on GCED for the past nine

years, in close cooperation with UNESCO. Over the

years, this conference has become a recognized

platform for policymakers, educators, and civil society

to exchange experiences and develop strategies for

teaching the values of inclusion, solidarity, and

mutual respect. It has helped shape the global

conversation on how education can strengthen

resilience and foster empathy across borders.

Korea has also sought to advance GCED in the

multilateral fora. Building on the “Global Education

First Initiative” launched by former Secretary-General

Ban Ki-moon during his tenure, Korea has chaired

the Group of Friends of GCED in New York and the

Group for Solidarity and Inclusion with GCED in

Paris, working closely with partner countries to keep

education and citizenship on the global agenda. In

addition, the Executive Board of UNESCO recently

decided to establish the UNESCO Prize for Global

Citizenship Education, supported by the Government

of Korea. This new prize will serve as an important

milestone, recognizing innovative practices worldwide

and advancing the core principles of GCED.

I was particularly impressed by the energy and

creativity that the young participants brought to the

stage. They did not simply echo familiar slogans that

we hear daily. Instead, they brought forward concrete

proposals, including ways to strengthen curricula on

digital responsibility and ideas to connect schools

more closely with local communities to address

environmental challenges. Listening to them, I was

reminded that global citizenship is not merely a policy

initiative discussed in conference halls. It is already

being lived and practiced by young people across

borders. Their determination convinced me that one

of the most valuable roles we can play as diplomats

is to support, encourage, and amplify their efforts.

Looking ahead, GCED must continue to evolve.

Building on the central pillars of compassion and

tolerance, students must also learn how to navigate

digital spaces, identify and counter misinformation,

and utilize emerging technologies responsibly. They

must come to see climate change not as a distant

scientific concept but as a personal and collective

responsibility. In short, global citizenship must equip

people to act — locally, nationally, and globally — on

the most pressing issues of our time.

Korea will remain a committed partner in advancing

global citizenship by working with partners like the

BKMF and actively engaging in platforms that foster

meaningful dialogue on this important issue. As

Jungkook of BTS said at the UN General Assembly a

few years ago, “I hope we don’t just consider the

future as grim darkness. We have people concerned

for the world and searching for answers.” What

matters most now is creating spaces where these

people can come together, share their ideas, and

collectively seek solutions to the common challenges

we face today.

In Austria, the Korean Embassy has tried to build on

this legacy. Together with the Ban Ki-moon

Foundation, we have co-hosted the International

Forum on GCED in both 2023 and 2024. These

gatherings offered opportunities to highlight emerging

themes such as climate change and digital literacy —

not as abstract concepts, but in practical terms of

how global citizenship education can make a tangible

difference in people’s lives. They also created space

for young people from across the globe to present

their ideas directly to diplomats, educators, and

experts.


29 05

FINDING MY PLACE IN A

CONNECTED WORLD:

A REFLECTION ON GLOBAL

CITIZENSHIP

Aathika Hazmer

BKMF Your Future in

Green Jobs Mentee 2025

“What does being a global citizen even mean?” is a question I often

asked myself as a child, long before I picked up any humanities

classes. Back then, I thought that being a global citizen meant

luxuriously travelling across continents to discover other cultures,

learn new languages, and gain new experiences. Funnily enough,

that vision still does not sound too bad.

However, as I got older, my awareness of the concept began to

change. Through my education, friendships, and discussions that

profoundly influenced my perspectives, I came to understand that

being a global citizen is more about what you learn and how you

behave as a result of that learning than where you go.

And thus, I believe global citizenship stands on a foundation built by

education. As a Sri Lankan-born, first-generation immigrant to the

United Arab Emirates, I soon learned that knowledge is connection.

Growing up in a multicultural environment meant that education was

not just confined to the walls of my classroom, but it was also in the

diversity of my surroundings. Don’t get me wrong, staying updated

on the news, my humanities subjects in school, and the occasional

Substack scroll were integral in helping me remain informed, but the

lessons that shaped me so deeply were actually learnt through

something much simpler: conversations.

30

Keeping informed about the state of home was and

continues to be a daily commitment of mine;

however, it was conversations with friends whose

families came from places I had never been that

showed me that issues of social justice,

sustainability, human rights, and many others were

not just a single-country issue.

These were problems of the world. Advocacy for any

cause was not just for me, or for my country, but for

the world. Thus, I discovered that we, as citizens of

the world, have responsibilities to one another. In this

sense, it is education that founded the empathy of my

identity as a global citizen.

Today, we live in a world drenched in intersecting

social, political, environmental, and economic crises.

In the wise words of Margaret Mead, “Never doubt

that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens

can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that

ever has.” Understanding that meaningful change

often begins with individuals who act on shared

values is crucial, as many of the problems the world

seeks to solve today can be solved simply with the

same educated, informed, and empathetic belief that

we are citizens of one humanity, of one world, of one

earth, before we are citizens of lands separated by

borders.

Now pursuing an undergraduate degree in Law and

International Relations, I am committed to carrying

this belief into everything I do. Through my studies, I

am constantly reminded that any form of justice in

this world is dependent not just on papers of

legislation or clauses in a treaty, but also on the

empathetic leadership that it takes to rule on the side

of humanity. I see my education as both a privilege

and a responsibility, as every essay and research

proposal, every debate and discussion, every

extracurricular activity, significantly adds to how I

understand the world and its issues, along with my

place within them.

Ultimately, my journey as a learner has shaped my

identity as a global citizen. It has shown me that

knowledge is incomplete without empathy and that

every lesson is a chance to create a more equitable

world.


31

BEYOND BORDERS:

SOWING THE SEEDS OF

CHANGE THROUGH

GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP

Renzo Lacida

BKMF Your Future in

Green Jobs Mentee 2025

We all have a duty as soon as we are born. What intrinsically

connects us together, no matter if you come from the deserts of

Namibia or the summits of the Ural mountains, is our humanity, and

with that our obligation to be global citizens.

I grew up moving from country to country and culture to culture all

over the world. At every stage of my life, and in every nation I lived, I

recognized that we all face the same systemic issues that simply

manifest in different ways. For me, out of all these issues,

anthropogenic climate change has been the one that stood out the

most.

Whether it is the heatwaves in the UAE, the loss of biodiversity in

Singapore, or the sharp increase in the frequency of flooding in

Switzerland, climate change is a problem that profoundly impacts all

of us. It knows no borders, no cultures, and is indiscriminate in its

proliferation.

But it is important to never feel helpless, no matter how dire a

situation is. Even as a kid, it was my first instinct to think, ‘How can I

help?’ rather than thinking that the world was just crumbling into

pieces and that we had to accept it. The tragedies that we face

today are all caused by us — but that also means that we have the

power to fix them.

And to me, that is what being a global citizen is all about.

32

Global citizenship is defined by our engagement —

proactively engaging with one another to solve

societal problems through taking action, no matter

how small or ‘insignificant’ the action may be. Anyone

— and I mean anyone — can and should be a

changemaker.

The strength of global citizenship lies in its inherent

call for collaborative action. Global citizenship

promotes the diversity of opinion necessary to

critically tackle injustices, exploitation, and wasteful

acts that harm our environment and society. By

broadening our perspectives, we can foster a society

that is more inclusive, peaceful, and interconnected.

In addition to that, when we work together, we create

the emergent property of greater societal and

environmental impact that can sustain the test of

time, and solutions where the voice of everyone

matters. We need to work together, and work

together now, to make our world a better place.

I wanted to prove that global citizenship is something

that is not limited to accomplished experts, and that,

no matter how young a person is, they can help make

our collective future better. That is why I partnered

with HOPE, an impact organization in the Philippines,

to found the CocoHOPE project.

CocoHOPE aims to empower students all around the

globe over the course of the 2025-2026 school year

to fundraise to plant 10,000 trees for smallholder

coconut farmers in my home country of the

Philippines.

Over the last few decades, smallholder farmers have

been suffering from the consequences of climate

change, aging trees, and monocultures reducing

coconut output. This problematic situation is dear to

my heart, as my father came from the south of the

Philippines, where there is a strong coconut farming

community. These impacts have effectively destroyed

the coconut farmers’ livelihoods. Once I heard that I

could help, I knew that I would act to do just that.

The trees that students fundraise sequester roughly

56 kilograms of CO 2 each per annum, help increase

farmer incomes by over 60%, and are intercropped in

order to fight coconut tree senility. When hearing

about their project, I was so adamant to help them in

my own way because it was a solution that reduced

poverty, increased gender equality, and, of course,

acted for the greater good of the climate.

With students in dozens of schools joining the project

across 5+ continents, CocoHOPE has shown that no

matter how young you are, you can be a

changemaker.

The youth are the future, and we have to get them

involved with changemaking as early as possible. By

embracing our shared humanity, values, and

responsibility, we can shape an equitable future

rooted in determination, empathy, and most of all

collaboration. Through exposing them and people of

all backgrounds to global citizenship, we can unite

with one another and foster hope. After all, the future

belongs to those who dare to improve it.


33

ROOTED IN THE SOIL,

CONNECTED TO THE

WORLD: MY JOURNEY AS A

GLOBAL CITIZEN

Fiona Macharia

BKMF Global Citizen

Scholar 2024,

Co-founder & Social

Impact, Sustainability &

Purpose Manager of

Kiasili Kenya

When I first heard the term global citizenship, it sounded distant — a

concept belonging to conferences and policies, not to the everyday

rhythm of Kenyan farmers tending their land. But over time, I

learned that global citizenship is not about where you are in the

world; it is about how you show up for it. It is a way of seeing,

feeling, and acting — recognizing that our local actions have farreaching

consequences that echo beyond our borders.

My journey began with a simple belief: that the solutions to our

greatest global challenges can often be found in our own backyards.

At Kiasili Farm, which I co-founded, we empower smallholder

farmers — especially women, youth, and persons with disabilities —

to embrace Indigenous and traditional food crops (ITFCs) and

sustainable farming practices. We bridge farmers and digital

marketplaces and promote a food system that nourishes both

people and the planet.

What began as a community initiative in Kiambu County has grown

into a movement of 83 farmers and a vision to impact thousands

more. Through this work, I have come to see that every act of

nurturing the soil is an act of global solidarity. When a farmer in

Kenya restores biodiversity and reverts to Indigenous foods and

practices, they are quietly contributing to the global fight against

climate change and food insecurity.

34

To me, this is the heart of global citizenship —

belonging to a shared humanity, bound by empathy

and responsibility. The Ban Ki-moon Foundation

defines a global citizen as someone who understands

our interdependence, values diversity, and acts for

justice and sustainability. I see these values reflected

every day in the farmers I work with — in their

resilience, generosity, and care for the Earth.

There was a moment that deeply shaped my

understanding of this idea. During one of our farm

visits, a young woman farmer living with a disability

told me, with a smile, “Kiasili has made me proud to

go back to my roots.” Her words reminded me that

sustainability is not about abandoning tradition; it is

about rediscovering it. By reclaiming Indigenous

crops and ancestral farming wisdom, we are

reconnecting with our identity — and in doing so,

offering the world a model of climate resilience rooted

in culture and community.

My lived experience as a global citizen, through my

engagement with the Ban Ki-moon Foundation and

as a President’s Fellow for Kiambu County, has

expanded this perspective. It has shown me that

leadership is not defined by scale, but by connection

— how we link local solutions to global impact.

Whether through a sorghum initiative in Kiambu or a

global forum on climate action, the thread that unites

us is a shared purpose.

In a world often divided by borders and beliefs, global

citizenship challenges us to see beyond difference

and to lead with empathy. It is about turning

compassion into action — planting seeds of change

that may sprout continents away. As we face

intersecting crises, from climate change to inequality,

this sense of shared responsibility is not optional; it is

essential.

As we celebrate the International Day of Education, I

am reminded that knowledge is the seed, but

empathy is the soil where true transformation grows.

We may not all change the world at once, but through

every mindful action, every seed planted, and every

story shared — we embody what it truly means to be

a global citizen.

For me, global citizenship means being rooted yet

limitless. It means honoring my Indigenous heritage

while collaborating with partners across the world. It

means understanding that when one farmer thrives, a

community thrives — and when a community thrives,

the world becomes just a little more sustainable, a

little more hopeful.


35

GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP IN

ACTION: MY JOURNEY

WITH THE BAN KI-MOON

FOUNDATION

Darcise Dolorès

Mache Ngassing

BKMF Global Citizen

Scholar 2025;

Environmental

Consultant;

Youth specialist

Addressing global challenges requires more than awareness — it

demands concrete action. This belief guided me to begin my journey

with the Ban Ki-moon Foundation, an organization committed to

fostering leadership for the implementation of the Sustainable

Development Goals (SDGs). As a young leader and changemaker, I

have come to understand global citizenship not as a distant ideal,

but as a practical philosophy rooted in “learning by doing.” It

empowers individuals to take meaningful action toward achieving

the SDGs by 2030.

To me, global citizenship means recognizing our shared humanity

and understanding that our local actions have global consequences.

It is about embracing diversity, promoting sustainability, and taking

responsibility — not just for our immediate communities, but for the

planet as a whole. It is not limited to international diplomacy or

policymaking; it is lived through everyday choices, community

engagement, and the courage to lead with empathy and purpose.

This understanding deepened when I was selected for the BKMF’s

Global Citizen Scholarship Program, implemented in partnership

with the MCI Management Center Innsbruck. The training I received

was transformative.

36

It equipped me with the tools to understand the SDGs

more deeply and to translate that knowledge into

action. The program emphasized leadership,

advocacy, and project development, all grounded in

the values of inclusivity and sustainability.

My lived experience of global citizenship truly began

when I applied this knowledge to address

environmental challenges in my local community.

Inspired by the BKMF’s emphasis on action-oriented

leadership, I designed and implemented a microproject

called Green Orat’hon. This initiative was

created to promote environmental awareness and

sustainable practices among youth in the Soa

locality. It focused on three key SDGs: SDG 4

(Quality Education), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and

SDG 15 (Life on Land).

Programs like the BKMF’s Global Citizen Scholarship

are vital because they equip individuals with the

knowledge, confidence, and networks to make a

difference. They transform passive concern into

active engagement and show that leadership is not

about titles, but about impact.

In conclusion, my journey with the Ban Ki-moon

Foundation has shown me that change begins with

one person, one idea, and one action; but it does not

end there. Through initiatives like Green Orat’hon, I

have seen how local efforts can inspire global

thinking. I remain committed to this path and believe

that by empowering others, we can build a more

sustainable, inclusive, and hopeful future for all.

Green Orat’hon combined environmental advocacy

with practical interventions. We organized tree

planting activities, introduced smart watering systems

in a school named Lycée de Soa, and conducted

workshops to educate students on climate resilience

and sustainability. Through this project, I empowered

35 students with the knowledge and tools to become

environmental stewards. The impact extended

beyond the classroom, sparking conversations

among families, teachers, and local leaders about the

importance of sustainable development.

One of the most rewarding aspects of Green

Orat’hon was its ability to foster intergenerational

dialogue. By involving both youth and community

elders, the project created a space for shared

learning and mutual respect. This exchange

reinforced the idea that global citizenship is not

confined to age or status — it is a collective journey

that thrives on collaboration.

This experience affirmed my belief in the importance

of global citizenship today. In a time marked by

climate crises, social inequalities, and geopolitical

tensions, we need more than technical solutions —

we need a shift in mindset. Global citizenship offers

that shift. It reminds us that we are part of a larger

human family, and that our actions, no matter how

small, can contribute to global progress. It

encourages us to lead with compassion, to listen

across cultures, and to act with integrity.


37

GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP

BEGINS AT THE

GRASSROOTS

Winifred Maduko

BKMF Global Citizen

Scholar 2023;

Sustainable Development

Researcher;

PhD student at the

University of St Andrews

In our world, we often identify as citizens of a particular country

(e.g., Nigerians, Scots, or Japanese). So, when people hear the

term global citizen, they might, at first, imagine someone who

belongs to all countries at once. However, according to the United

Nations (2023), global citizenship is an umbrella concept that

connects the social, political, environmental, and economic actions

of globally minded people and communities on a worldwide scale. It

recognizes that people everywhere are interlinked, reflecting the

principle of “leaving no one behind.”

For me, global citizenship also goes beyond policies or abstract

ideals. I see it as a concept expressed through grassroots action

and local impact. I have experienced this frequently in my

community in Enugu, Nigeria. For example, I recently sat in a

community hall with women, men, youth, people with disabilities,

and health workers discussing how antibiotic misuse and

antimicrobial resistance affect their families. Such gatherings

promote empathy and grassroots shared learning; they also show

the true essence of global citizenship, which is the collective

responsibility to act locally while thinking globally, to connect

compassion with evidence, and to transform awareness into action.

38

As a Ban Ki-moon Global Citizen Scholar (2023) and

a PhD researcher in Sustainable Development, my

journey into global citizenship has been shaped by

the belief that global issues such as health

challenges, water sanitation and hygiene (WASH),

women and girls’ protection, and several other issues

demand community-centered solutions.

The world’s response to issues such as Antimicrobial

Resistance (AMR), a silent global pandemic

threatening the effectiveness of antibiotics, cannot

succeed without local ownership and culturally rooted

interventions. In my ongoing community project, we

worked with community members in Nigeria to coproduce

a short film and community awareness

campaign on antibiotic use in Enugu.

Global issues can be tackled through grassroots

interventions, which is why we invited community

members, local groups, people with disability, and

young people to help design the solutions. Using

participatory storytelling, we created posters and

radio jingles in the local languages. The aim was not

only to inform but also to co-create knowledge that

reflected people’s lived realities.

These experiences redefined global citizenship for

me. Meaningful change begins when we treat people

and even project participants, not as beneficiaries of

global agendas but as partners in solving them.

Therefore, global citizenship is not about the country

we originate from, but how we choose to belong in

our societies and to one another. In my widespread

advocacy work, I have spoken at the UK Parliament

about equitable access to healthcare in Africa, urging

policymakers to recognize the interdependence

between global health systems. Infections and

illnesses do not need visas to travel. Our health is

shared, just as our responsibilities are.

For instance, the community members in Enugu who

co-created the AMR jingles are exercising global

citizenship as much as any policy expert or

researcher. We are all agents of transformation in our

unique ways and contexts, regardless of our location

in the world. Global citizenship helps us reclaim our

shared humanity. It teaches us that every local act of

care, research, or advocacy contributes to a larger

progress of peace and sustainability. Whether

advocating for responsible antibiotic use, facilitating

youth-led workshops, or mentoring students in

participatory research, I see each action as a useful

contribution to global prosperity.

Global citizenship matters because it transforms

compassion into collective capacity. You may wonder

how this is possible. Well, when people care about

one another across borders and work together to

solve problems, then we can create real change.

Global citizenship reminds me that being a leader is

not about having a big position or fancy title, but more

about working with others, caring about people, being

brave enough to act, and joining hands to make a

difference. When people understand how their

actions affect the world and how the world shapes

their lives, they become true global citizens.

My vision of global citizenship is a world where

empathy informs our policies, science listens to

stories, and communities co-create the future they

deserve.

Today’s interconnected world faces multiple profound

challenges, such as climate change, misinformation,

inequality, and global health insecurity. True global

citizenship requires us to move beyond transactional

forms of charity or awareness-raising. It calls for

solidarity founded on empathy, where we see others

not as distant strangers who we do not truly care

about, but as co-creators of our shared world.


39

FROM MISCARRIAGES TO

A MIDWIFE: TURNING

GENERATIONAL GRIEF

INTO GLOBAL HEALING

Tosi Jones Nkwain

BKMF Global Citizen

Scholar 2025

Before I opened my eyes, my name carried a story, a mission, a

miracle. I was born into a bloodline of loss. My grandparents had

multiple miscarriages. My father and mother were the first in their

families to survive infancy. My mother lost several pregnancies

before me. My own birth was a storm, but in that storm came an

American doctor, Dr. Jones, who saved my life and gave me his

name.

Back home, everyone called me “Doctor.” Not because of a degree I

had earned, but because they saw my potential before I did.

However, when I chose my career path, I did not want to “just” treat

illness; I wanted to protect life before it arrived. So, I chose

midwifery. To me, midwifery is not just about catching babies; it is

about catching hope, walking with women in their most vulnerable

moments, when life and death hold hands, and only one is meant to

win.

After earning my bachelor’s degree in Nursing and Midwifery, I

worked in communities where healthcare was a luxury. This

experience led me to pursue a master’s degree and six years of

humanitarian work with LUKMEF under UNICEF-supported

programs and the International Medical Corps. I trained health

workers, delivered care, and built trust in villages that most officials

will hardly visit.

40

The fight for maternal and child health does not end

in the delivery room; it continues in policy rooms,

budget meetings, and laws deciding who gets care.

That is why I am now pursuing a PhD in Public

Health Policy and Administration. The “Dr.” they

called me as a child? I am earning it, not just in title,

but in purpose.

In 2025, the Ban Ki-moon Scholarship became a

turning point for me. At Management Center

Innsbruck (MCI), mentorship and training gave me

the tools to transform ideas into impact. I founded

Tosi’s Mother and Child Health Foundation,

improving maternal and child health through

healthcare worker training, women’s economic

empowerment, and digital innovation.

With the BKMF’s support, we have:

• Trained 47 nurses and midwives in emergency

obstetric care and decent maternity services;

• Built the capacity of 20 community health workers to

identify and refer danger signs in pregnancy;

• Empowred 20 women economically, strengthening

their decision-making power over health and family

welfare.

Each milestone represents more than numbers; they

signify restored dignity, saved lives, and renewed

hope in communities often left behind. Global

citizenship, to me, means realizing that local pain is

connected to global purpose. When one mother

survives, she builds peace in her home, resilience in

her community, and progress for the planet.

Through training health workers and implementing

community programs, I realized solutions to global

problems begin locally. At MCI, I learned how local

action connects to the Sustainable Development

Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3 (Good Health and

Well-being) and SDG 5 (Gender Equality). The

program inspired me to formalize my foundation,

turning empathy into structured impact.

Global citizenship matters now more than ever. As

the world faces conflict, inequality, and climate crises,

no nation stands alone. The health of a mother in

Cameroon affects global stability. Acting locally while

thinking globally means advocating for justice,

inclusion, and dignity, mentoring young health

workers, and ensuring every heartbeat counts.

As I continue my doctoral research on delays in

emergency obstetric care, I see my work as part of a

collective effort to make the world fairer and safer for

mothers and children. Every trained midwife, nurse,

and empowered woman becomes a bridge between

local change and global progress.

I was born into a family that buried babies. Today, I

help birth futures. I was once a heartbeat away from

never being known. Now, I fight for every heartbeat

still on its way because every life we safeguard

locally echoes across the globe.

Working in conflict-affected regions of Cameroon

taught me that global citizenship begins not with

policy, but with empathy, the willingness to see every

human life as equally valuable. My journey started in

maternity wards, witnessing women losing their lives

to preventable complications simply because they

could not reach care in time. I asked myself: Why

should location or poverty determine survival? This

question became my life’s mission: ensuring no

mother dies unnecessarily giving birth and every child

thrives.


41

WEAVING BRIDGES:

GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP

EDUCATION THROUGH

SERVICE LEARNING AND

PEACE CULTURE

Twenty-nine years ago, I was born in Peru, a country of contrasts,

home to the Inca civilization and to extraordinary cultural and

linguistic diversity. Peru’s richness also brings complexity: multiple

worldviews coexist, sometimes colliding in social and political

polarization. In this setting, the concept of peace takes on a deeper

dimension, one that links local realities with the global challenges of

inequality, migration, and the climate crisis.

Kelly Esmeralda

Quispe Flores

BKMF Global Citizen

Fellow 2021;

Founder of the GCED

Peruvian Lab;

Service Learning

Coordinator at San

Silvestre School

In 2025, peace cannot be defined only as the absence of conflict; it

must be seen as a collective project of coexistence. According to

the United Nations, peace “means accepting differences and having

the ability to listen, recognize, respect, and appreciate others.”

These are precisely the foundations of Global Citizenship Education

(GCED), an approach that prepares learners to understand

interconnectedness, assume shared responsibility, and act for a

more just and sustainable world.

As an educator and communicator for development, I have learned

that GCED begins with self-awareness and grows through

meaningful engagement with others. It connects the personal to the

planetary, the emotional to the ethical. When students experience

learning that combines empathy, reflection, and action, they start to

see themselves not only as Peruvians but as part of humanity.

42

At San Silvestre School, an all-girls institution in

Lima, GCED is nurtured through our community

service program, built on the principles of service

learning. This methodology integrates academic

inquiry with community action and reflection, allowing

students to learn about global issues through local

experience. As defined by Orenda Learning (2020), it

promotes “reciprocal, respectful, and open-hearted

partnerships” that strengthen ethical leadership and

social responsibility.

Every Friday and on weekends, students from Grade

6 to Form V engage in volunteer activities with

organizations that address education, health,

housing, and social inclusion. These encounters

move GCED from theory to practice: they help

students understand interdependence and recognize

that global citizenship starts with local commitment.

In the Alinen Project, students accompany children

with cancer through art and emotional support. They

realize that health inequities, though local, are part of

a global issue of access and dignity. Empathy

becomes their first global skill, understanding that

caring for others is a universal human responsibility.

Through Kantaya, they support the learning of

children in Ventanilla, a marginalized district of

Callao. This experience highlights the global

relevance of quality education, one of the UN

Sustainable Development Goals. The girls see that

every tutoring session contributes to the broader goal

of educational equity and that their actions, though

small, are part of a worldwide movement for

inclusion.

In Alto Perú, they work with young people from

Chorrillos using sports as a tool for empowerment.

Through games, they explore cooperation, fairness,

and cultural exchange — core dimensions of global

citizenship. Sports teach them that peace is built

through teamwork, and that leadership means lifting

others up, not standing above them.

The Emergency Missions project brings students to

the 2 de Mayo Hospital, where they offer

companionship to patients in vulnerable conditions.

This experience nurtures compassion and global

ethics by confronting students with the realities of

inequality in health systems. They learn that peace

and justice are inseparable and that global solidarity

begins with listening and presence. Finally, in the

TECHO Project, students collaborate with community

members to build houses for families in poverty.


Working side by side with residents teaches them

about social justice, sustainability, and shared

responsibility for human well-being. They understand

that citizenship extends beyond borders; it is a global

practice rooted in everyday action.

Across these initiatives, students develop the key

competencies of GCED: critical thinking, empathy,

collaboration, and responsible action. They learn to

identify root causes of social problems, respect

cultural diversity, and reflect on their own privilege

and power. Service learning transforms abstract

concepts like human rights, sustainability, and peace

into lived realities.

For Peru, a country shaped by both richness and

inequality, GCED provides a hopeful framework. It

invites young people to see that building a peaceful

society requires an understanding of the systems that

connect us all. Whether addressing poverty, gender

equality, or environmental degradation, global

citizens recognize that local choices have global

consequences.

I believe that shaping global citizens means

empowering new generations to act with ethics,

awareness, and compassion. Education should not

only transmit knowledge but also cultivate a sense of

belonging to humanity and responsibility toward the

planet. In this sense, every classroom can become a

laboratory of peace, where students learn to

collaborate across differences and imagine new

possibilities for coexistence.

At San Silvestre, I have witnessed how service

transforms knowledge into wisdom. Through

reflection and dialogue, students realize that peace is

built daily, through empathy, inclusion, and shared

purpose. They learn that citizenship is not confined to

nationality but expressed through solidarity and

action.

Ultimately, weaving bridges through educational

service is the essence of GCED. It connects hearts

and minds, linking local realities with global

aspirations. Each student who volunteers, listens,

and acts with kindness becomes a thread in the

fabric of peace, proof that education, when rooted in

humanity, has the power to heal divisions and inspire

hope. In a world facing uncertainty, GCED offers a

pathway forward: one that empowers learners to

think globally, act locally, and live ethically. Peace,

after all, is not a destination but a shared journey,

one that begins in the classroom and extends to the

world.

43

EMBRACING GLOBAL

CITIZENSHIP: LEARNING,

COLLABORATING, AND

ACTING BEYOND BORDERS

Tiana Randrianarison

BKMF Global Citizen

Scholar 2025

Being a global citizen means more than simply belonging to the

world; it is about actively engaging with it. For me, global citizenship

begins with learning: learning from others, from their cultures, from

their ways of seeing and being. Each encounter is an opportunity to

broaden my perspective, to recognize our shared humanity, and to

understand that diversity is not a challenge to overcome, but a

strength to celebrate.

One of the most enriching aspects of my journey has been working

and collaborating with people from diverse nationalities and

backgrounds in the Ban Ki-moon Global Citizen Scholarship

Program. Crossing cultural and linguistic barriers has taught me

patience, empathy, and humility. Whether through community

projects, international dialogues, or academic collaborations, I have

witnessed how cooperation rooted in mutual respect can transform

not only projects but people. It is through such collaboration that we

begin to build the bridges our world so urgently needs.

Global citizenship, to me, also means being conscious of our

collective challenges: climate change, gender inequality, poverty,

and migration. These are not someone else’s problems; they are

ours. Understanding this shared responsibility is what drives me to

contribute to the achievement of the SDGs. Each goal is a reminder

that our actions, no matter how small, are connected to a larger

global vision of peace, prosperity, and sustainability.

44

Participating in initiatives that address these global

challenges has deepened my sense of purpose.

From my project on how to safely and smartly use the

internet, I have seen how small action at the

community level contributes to global progress.

These experiences reaffirm my belief that change

begins with awareness and awareness must lead to

action.

In a world that often feels divided, global citizenship

offers a path of unity. It calls on us to see beyond

nationality, language, or culture, and to recognize the

power of our interconnectedness. It challenges us to

act with compassion, to think critically about our

impact, and to stand in solidarity with those whose

voices are less heard.

As I continue my journey, I carry with me the

conviction that being a global citizen is not a title, but

a lifelong practice, one that demands openness,

collaboration, and commitment to shared goals.

Together, by learning from one another and acting

with purpose, we can make the vision of global

citizenship not just an idea, but a lived reality for all.


45

EMPOWERED TO LEAD:

BRIDGING DISABILITY

INCLUSION AND CLIMATE

ACTION THROUGH THE

BAN KI-MOON

FOUNDATION

SCHOLARSHIP

Aftahana Dahiru Sarina

BKMF Global Citizen

Scholar 2024;

Certified Disability

Inclusion Facilitator,

Deputy Coordinator;

Vulnerable People

Support and Development

Initiative (V-PeSDI)

In 2024, my life took a turn I never imagined possible. I became a

Global Citizen Scholar under the Ban Ki-moon Foundation, and that

experience became a light that reshaped my journey, my dreams,

and my understanding of the world around me.

Before this scholarship, my world was a small one, rooted in my

community in Kano State, northwest Nigeria, where opportunities for

people with disabilities are often scarce, and inclusion is more a

hope than a reality. But through the Global Citizens Scholarship, my

world expanded beyond borders. I met incredible people from every

corner of the globe, people whose languages, cultures, and

experiences were different from mine, yet whose dreams for

humanity were the same as mine. We shared stories, challenges,

and hopes. We learned that our differences do not divide us; they

enrich us.

To me, global citizenship is more than a title; it is a way of living. It

means caring about the planet and its people as if we were all part

of one family. It means standing for justice, sustainability, and

inclusion even when no one is watching. It means understanding

that the fight for equality in one corner of the world echoes in all

corners of the world.

46

Through the scholarship, I gained international

exposure and learned about leadership, sustainable

development, and advocacy. I realized that education

has no walls, and that learning from others’

experiences is one of the most powerful tools for

growth. The program also gave me the confidence to

bring global knowledge back to my home and make it

meaningful in my own community.

One of the most transformative parts of my journey

was implementing my SDG Micro Project titled

“Promoting Disability Inclusion Climate Change and

Policy Advocacy in Kano State”. As a person with a

disability, I have long seen how environmental

challenges — heat waves, floods, drought — affect

people like me disproportionately. Yet, we are rarely

part of the conversation. Through my project, I

brought together people with disabilities and other

relevant stakeholders to talk about climate change

and its impact on our lives. Together, we explored

how to adapt, how to protect ourselves, and how to

make our voices heard in climate policy discussions.

It was empowering to see others realize that they,

too, could be part of the solution.

That experience changed me forever; it was no

longer just about me or my goals; it became about

creating a bridge between local realities and global

responsibility. I learned that being a global citizen

starts with acts of courage: listening, educating,

advocating, and lifting others up.

Later, I earned two international certificates, one from

RELX and another from the Ban Ki-moon

Foundation, personally signed by His Excellency,

Ban Ki-moon, the former United Nations Secretary-

General. Those recognitions did not just decorate my

resume; they opened doors: they helped me secure

consultation services with NGOs, and more

importantly, they strengthened my purpose to serve,

to teach, and to lead by example.

Looking back, I realize that the scholarship did not

just give me knowledge; it gave me a new identity. It

taught me that to be a global citizen is to see

humanity as one community, where every voice

matters, and every action counts.

Today, I continue to use my platform to raise

awareness on climate change and disability inclusion,

knowing that my story, like many others, is a small

but vital thread in the global fabric of change.


47

RETHINKING WHAT IT

MEANS TO BE A GLOBAL

CITIZEN

Hala Sharafeddine

BKMF Your Future in

Green Jobs Mentee 2025;

IBDP Student;

Tech and Environmental

Enthusiast

When people talk about global citizenship, they often describe it as

being part of one world: respecting cultures, caring for the planet,

and viewing humanity as being one big and happy family. It sounds

beautiful, and it is. But living in Lebanon has taught me that global

citizenship is not about words in a definition; it is something you live,

sometimes in the hardest of ways.

Here, things do not always work as they should. Electricity cuts out,

people struggle to find medicine, and news of another tragedy is

never far away. But even in that chaos, I have seen something

powerful — people helping one another with nothing to gain,

strangers opening their homes after disasters, and youth rebuilding

schools when no one else would. These acts make me realize that

being a global citizen starts where you are in any given moment. It

is not about traveling or being fluent in English; it is about showing

up for people, whether they live next door to you or halfway across

the world.

In Lebanon, you cannot ignore injustice; it is in your face every day.

And maybe that is what makes us more aware of it elsewhere, too.

When I see what is happening in Palestine, or in other places where

people are suffering in silence, I feel it deeply. Because we know

what it means to feel unseen and unheard. Global citizenship, to

me, means refusing to stay silent, and it means standing up for what

is right, even when the world looks away.

48

It also means doing what you can with what you

have, and that is something I have carried into my

work. Recently, I founded Code Her Way, a small

initiative that teaches girls how to code for free. It

started with a simple idea: if young women here

could learn digital skills, they could create their own

opportunities by building websites, apps, and maybe

even futures that previously were out of their reach.

For me, that is what global citizenship looks like, not

waving a flag of the world, but using your heart, your

skills, and your empathy to make a difference where

it is needed most. It is realizing that my generation

does not have the luxury of indifference. The

problems we face, from inequality to climate change,

are too connected for us to look away.

Living in Lebanon has taught me resilience, but also

responsibility. When you grow up surrounded by both

struggle and generosity, you learn that the world

does not change just by talking about it — it changes

when people act, even in small, quiet ways. Global

citizenship is not about being everywhere; it is about

caring everywhere. It is about believing that the line

between “my people” and “others” should not exist at

all.

So, when I think of global citizenship now, I do not

think of it as an identity — I think of it as a promise. A

promise to care, to act, to speak up, and to never

believe that what I do is too small to matter. And

maybe that is what living in Lebanon has given me

most: a deep, unshakable belief that no matter how

broken the world feels, we can still choose to be the

kind of people who fix small parts of it.


49

BEYOND BORDERS:

TEACHING GLOBAL

CITIZENSHIP IN THE

SHADOW OF

DISPLACEMENT

Mohammad Shehadat

BKMF Learners to Leaders

Program Alumnus;

Kofi Annan Changemaker;

Founder of the Youth for

Peace Initiative

When I first learned about global citizenship, it was not in a

university classroom or during formal training. It was in exile, in a

refugee camp, where survival itself was a daily act of courage. I was

seventeen when I survived a massacre in my hometown in Daraa,

Syria. The war forced me to flee, leaving behind my school, my

dreams, and my sense of belonging. For a long time, I believed I

had lost everything. But what I eventually discovered was a deeper

truth: even when borders define your body, they cannot confine your

humanity.

During my decade as a refugee in Jordan, I witnessed both despair

and resilience. Education became my way to rebuild meaning, a tool

not just for learning, but for healing and hope. In those years, I

learned the essence of ethical leadership: to serve before being

served, to act with integrity even when the world seems unjust. As

Kofi Annan once said, “Leadership is not about the next election, it’s

about the next generation.” That belief became my compass.

In 2019, I founded the Youth for Peace Initiative — a youth-led

platform that empowers displaced and host-community youths to

become active global citizens and peacebuilders. Later, I launched

the 100 Global Citizens Project, an initiative that equips young

Syrians and Jordanians with the skills and values of global

citizenship, empathy, dialogue, and shared responsibility.

50

Our classrooms became laboratories of coexistence,

where identity was not a label, but a lesson in

humanity.

These experiences taught me that ethical leadership

is not about power; it is about purpose. It means

listening before leading, and leading not through fear

or authority, but through example and trust. It means

having the courage to hold on to principles even in

times of chaos.

When I found myself again a refugee in Europe, my

understanding of global citizenship deepened. In the

Netherlands, my language teacher, a woman named

Margret, showed me how compassion can bridge

cultures. In Switzerland, I learned that peace is not

built in conferences, but in conversations, in small

acts of understanding that transcend generations and

borders.

Now, as a Syrian peacebuilder based in Geneva, I

dedicate my work to connecting grassroots realities

with global decision-making spaces. My mission is to

prepare the next generation of Syrian youth to lead a

peaceful, democratic, and inclusive new Syria, one

rooted in the values of dignity, justice, and shared

humanity.

Through projects like the 100 Global Citizens and

collaborations with UNESCO and the Kofi Annan

Foundation, I have witnessed how young refugees

can rise as ethical leaders, not defined by trauma, but

driven by vision.

In every workshop, dialogue, or classroom, I see the

future of Syria being rewritten by hands that once

held nothing but loss, now holding pens, ideas, and

purpose.

Kofi Annan’s philosophy continues to guide me: “No

one is born a good citizen; no nation is born a

democracy. Both are processes that continue to

evolve over a lifetime.”

To me, this is the heart of global citizenship, a lifelong

journey of learning, reflection, and responsibility. It is

not only about knowing the world, but about changing

it through ethical action.

My leadership journey has been shaped by loss, but

also by love, love for humanity, for justice, and for the

possibility of peace. And I believe that the future of

Syria will not be rebuilt only by politicians or policies,

but by citizens who embody ethical leadership: those

who lead with empathy, act with integrity, and build

with hope. Because in the end, global citizenship is

not a privilege; it is a responsibility. It teaches us that

our freedom is tied to the freedom of others, and that

our humanity grows when we serve beyond

ourselves.

This is the kind of leadership I strive to live, one that

transcends borders, inspires inclusion, and believes,

as Kofi Annan did, that education and moral courage

are the true engines of peace. And after this journey,

I firmly believe that the new Syria begins with a new

kind of citizenship, global, ethical, and humane.


51

GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP IS

ABOUT SEEKING COMMON

GROUND TO TACKLE THE

CHALLENGES NO COUNTRY

OR COMMUNITY CAN

SOLVE ALONE

Michael Sheldrick

Co-Founder, Chief Policy,

Impact & Governmental

Affairs Officer, Global

Citizens;

Author of From Ideas to

Impact: A Playbook for

Influencing and

Implementing Change in a

Divided World;


Foundation

After interviewing leaders from government, business, unions,

grassroots movements, and the arts for my book, From Ideas to

Impact, one truth kept emerging: lasting change almost always

requires working with people we do not like or agree with. That

willingness to reach across divides is at the very heart of what it

means to be a global citizen.

The Perception Gap

This is an elegant concept in theory. However, putting it into practice

is more challenging. Research from More in Common shows that

while 66% of Americans believe they can learn from people different

from them, and 70% feel a responsibility to connect across

backgrounds, many rarely do. We crave connection, but we hesitate

to act in ways to achieve it.

This “perception gap” — underestimating how many others are open

to connection and collaboration — is not unique to the U.S. The

forthcoming Global Solidarity Report 2025 finds that while more than

80% of people worldwide want more decisive climate action, most

underestimate their fellow citizens’ willingness to act. That lack of

trust fuels a cycle of inaction, making progress feel impossible.

52

Stories That Break the Cycle

One of the best ways to break this cycle is to

spotlight real examples of people connecting across

divides to achieve breakthroughs that improve lives.

In my book, I refer to this as the eighth principle of

policy entrepreneurship: sharing stories of success.

Research backs this up. Hope-based

communications studies (Coombs, 2020) show that

when we frame issues in terms of solutions and

share progress, people are more likely to believe

change is possible and join in. Similarly, More in

Common’s research finds that seeing evidence of

cooperation corrects misperceptions and makes

people more likely to act.

Everyday Global Citizens

Fortunately, all around the world, citizens are

showing examples of cooperation, bridge-building,

and tenacity. When Global Citizen asked its 12.5

million-strong movement for such stories, the

response was overwhelming. In the UK, neighbors

rallied to reverse a local council decision to encroach

on green spaces. In Rwanda, a young woman

brought the necessity of clean water to the forefront

of the political agenda after contacting her local

representative. In Nigeria, a community mobilized

against and addressed toxic pollution during the

month of Ramadan. And in the U.S., one citizen

sparked new electric bus routes while another

pressed her representative on fentanyl and school

safety.

When Systems Change

On a larger scale, I have seen the same spirit of

global citizenship transform entire systems.

South Africa: Advocates like Candice Chirwa and

Nokuzola Ndwandwe fought to end period

poverty, partnering with unexpected allies and

persuading President Ramaphosa to commit to

free sanitary pads in schools. Global citizenship

here meant turning outrage into partnerships that

gave millions of girls the chance to stay in class

with dignity and hygiene.

Collie, Western Australia: Environmental activists

and coal workers, long at odds with one another,

set aside their differences after realizing they had

a common interest. Together, they presented a

plan to the government that secured AU$700

million for new jobs and green industry. In doing

so, they laid the groundwork to phase out the

town’s coal industry without leaving workers

behind. Global citizenship here meant a wellexecuted

and just transition.

Barbados: Prime Minister Mia Mottley refused to

accept the unfair burden placed on vulnerable

nations. What began as an “unrealistic” idea —

pause clauses to suspend debt repayments after

disasters — became World Bank policy after she

worked with G7 nations and institutions that had

previously been dismissive. Global citizenship

here meant a leader speaking not just for her

country, but for all vulnerable communities.

United Kingdom: Confronted with restrictive rules

on onshore wind, Greg Jackson of Octopus

Energy chose to work within the system he

disliked. By proving households would embrace

renewables if it meant cheaper bills, he helped

shift public perception and eventually paved the

way for more relaxed rules on wind power. Global

citizenship here meant the tenacity to work within

broken systems and expand what society

believes is possible.

Begin, and Begin Again

Eleanor Roosevelt once advised, “The way to begin

is to begin.” The challenge for global citizenship is

knowing how. One of the most powerful ways is by

sharing stories of success — stories that counter our

misplaced doubts about each other’s willingness to

set aside differences and work together.

Fortunately, such stories abound. Beneath the radar

of our negative headlines, global citizenship is

already alive in people’s everyday actions. We just

have to open our eyes to them.


53 05

THE JOURNEY TO GLOBAL

CITIZENSHIP

"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the

narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader

concerns of all humanity" (Martin Luther King Jr.).

Elvin Teo

Secretary General, Junior

Chamber International

(JCI);


Foundation

It is a profound realization that our lives are connected across

borders and that even small actions can create a global impact.

Global citizenship means recognizing our shared humanity, pledging

to uphold universal values, and fulfilling our daily responsibilities.

One guiding principle of Junior Chamber International (JCI) is “Local

to Global, Global to Local.” Among JCI’s four areas of opportunity is

international cooperation, which links us to the most pressing global

issues while aligning our work with the United Nations Sustainable

Development Goals. Local initiatives gain strength when they are

part of a global effort to improve the world. Act locally, think globally.

I discovered this lesson in 2015, while leading my first community

project, the “Bag to School” program. At the time, I was a secondyear

JCI volunteer. Life was difficult for many children in rural

Cambodia, where limited access to education kept families trapped

in poverty. Many students lacked even the most basic tools to learn,

still affected by the legacy of past conflicts and ongoing economic

struggles.

54

The flagship initiative of my local JCI chapter, Bag to

School, provided disadvantaged children with school

supplies such as books, bags, and stationery.

This was also my first experience in a cross-border

initiative, working with our sister chapter, JCI Phnom

Penh. Through six months of collaboration with my

project co-chairperson in Phnom Penh, I learned the

true value of multilateralism. Shared goals and

teamwork created an impact far greater than anything

we could have achieved alone.

One memory stands out. At a school in Kampong

Speu, we distributed supplies to 1,000 students. A

girl, about seven years old, held her new bag with

quiet reverence. Her eyes were filled with disbelief

and joy. In that moment, I understood that the bag

was more than notebooks and pens. It was hope for

her future and proof that people beyond her village

cared. I realized that global citizenship means

identifying with others, feeling responsible for their

welfare, and acting on that empathy.

That experience, far from the comforts of Singapore,

deepened my belief in our shared humanity and

strengthened my conviction in the power of

teamwork. It has shaped my journey in JCI and in life.

Today, global citizenship is more urgent than ever.

Conflicts, pandemics, climate change, inequality, and

political instability transcend borders and require

collective solutions. Multilateralism is not only a

political necessity but a foundation for our common

survival and well-being. Young people must learn this

mindset.

global awareness, and friendships across borders.

The alignment between JCI and the Ban Ki-moon

Foundation creates powerful opportunities. We value

their commitment to global citizenship education, its

mentorship programs that connect young leaders

with global changemakers, and its support for the

2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. With

JCI’s network of 150,000 members worldwide, we

can serve as a grassroots force to bring these shared

goals to life.

Such collaboration validates our projects

internationally and gives our members greater

opportunities to grow. It creates a cycle of inspiration

and impact that multiplies over time.

As we look ahead, we must renew our commitment to

global citizenship. Our work begins in local

communities, but it also requires partnerships with

organizations like the Ban Ki-moon Foundation. By

equipping young leaders to act as global citizens,

build understanding, and cooperate across cultures,

we can create a better future for all. We share not

only responsibility but also destiny.

I close with a value from the JCI Creed that captures

this vision: "Service to humanity is the best work of

life."

Youth play a vital role in shaping the future. We must

equip them with the skills, knowledge, and

compassion to thrive in a complex world. This is the

heart of Global Citizenship Education (GCED), a

mission strongly advanced by the Ban Ki-moon

Foundation. GCED teaches young people to respect

others, work together across cultures, and take

responsibility for shared challenges.

JCI’s Four Areas of Opportunity — Business and

Entrepreneurship, International Cooperation,

Community Impact, and Individual Development —

provide a framework for developing global citizens.

Local projects such as Bag to School support SDG 4:

Quality Education and SDG 17: Partnerships for the

Goals while also building leadership,


55


PERSONAL REFLECTION

Lilian Elochukwu

Terna-Ayua

BKMF Global Citizen

Scholar 2024

Thinking about this topic, the first thought that came to mind was a

line from a song, “For we are one in the love of Christ”. This

resonates beautifully with the principles of global citizenship,

particularly the idea of unity and shared responsibility. The song

calls for love, compassion, and care for one another through ethical

solidarity and responsibility for people beyond our immediate

environment. Despite our racial, national, cultural, religious, and

social differences, we are all interconnected as members of a larger

family, and that is where our humanity comes in.

Global citizenship is a lived experience of my view of the world and

how I engage with it. This could be responsibly, compassionately, or

ethically. As global citizens, our actions are seeds, and the world is

the garden we collectively tend. This means that our actions, big or

small, have a ripple effect not only in our communities but across

nations and continents, and it is ethical for us to act with empathy,

justice, and sustainability in mind. The boundaries of nation-states

cannot contain the interconnectedness of our lives, cultures, and

challenges when we think with the mindset of a global citizen.

56

Personally, global citizenship is a daily commitment

to learning from the diverse perspectives of the

people I encounter and using them to shape my

values and choices for good. For example, the plight

of my sister-in-law and her children being displaced

by the farmers-herder conflict in her community

brought the awareness of the insecurity in northcentral

Nigeria home to me, and I understood fully

how violence and displacement can affect and

change the lives of people. Supporting her and other

displaced people taught me that global citizenship

beyond the idea requires practical action rooted in

empathy, humanity, and change.

The second line of the song is “O when your brother

cries out tears, share with him his hopes and fears”.

Today's world is filled with crises — climate change,

inequality, forced migration, injustice, authoritarian

regimes, and more — and no country or individual

can solve these challenges in isolation. As global

citizens, every act of kindness echoes across

continents, through hope, compassion, and empathy

with all. Also, cultivating a sense of shared

responsibility, solidarity, equity, and sustainability for

the future generation is vital to being called a global

citizen.

In my work at Farm-Her AgriPower, the principles of

global citizenship inform our commitment to

empowering women farmers displaced by conflict

with sustainable practices and skills for economic

resilience. This, in turn, will impact the community

positively and aid in food production sustainably.

At Global Politics Affairs, the values of global

citizenship solidify our advocacy, research, and policy

engagement on global issues such as displacement,

governance, human rights, and more with ethical

responsibility, solidarity, humanism, and crosscultural

understanding.

His Excellency Ban Ki-moon's quote on global

citizenship is that "A Global Citizen is any individual

who has a global vision. Someone who can look

beyond the national boundaries".

He also said, "You have to take ownership and

leadership of tomorrow. For that to be possible, you

have to strengthen your capacity and widen your

vision as a global citizen, by looking beyond national

boundaries, strengthening your capacity and acting

responsibly at all times”.

The world is a single fabric and every thread matters,

this means that as a global citizen, my actions, locally

and professionally, have meaningful implications, and

I must act with empathy, integrity, and a shared

responsibility to the people who are yet to find their

voice or identity and those who have found theirs,

ensuring that no one is left behind in my trail of

impacts.


57

OUR GREATEST

CHALLENGES REQUIRE

GLOBAL SOLUTIONS AND

GLOBAL CITIZENS

Jean Todt

UNSG’s Special Envoy for

Road Safety;


Foundation

Wars. The climate emergency. Geo-political uncertainty. Safe and

sustainable mobility. The answers to these urgent global issues lie

in what we can do together, not what tears us apart. In an

increasingly divisive world, it has never been more important to be

an active global citizen.

Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon understands this very

well. His life, like his native Republic of Korea, is an exemplary story

of rags to responsibility. He never forgets his humble roots, what he

owes, and how he can help others, especially the least fortunate in

life.

He understands that road deaths are a silent pandemic. A hidden

crisis that kills nearly 10 times more people than armed conflict and

terrorism every year: 1.2 million deaths. Road crashes are the

world’s leading killer of children and young people aged 5-29. Every

number has a name, a story, and a family.

Around the world, the families of millions of victims now struggle

without breadwinners. Loved ones are forced into full-time care work

for the injured. Health systems are creaking under increasing strain.

Road deaths and injuries are a huge drag on economies, costing

countries up to 5% of GDP.

58

Yet one of the greatest dangers is hidden from view

but crucially important. That is public indifference — a

tacit acceptance of road carnage. The world must

know that road deaths are not isolated and

unavoidable ‘accidents’; they are a global crisis of

epic proportions that we know how to solve.

Global citizens understand that the life of a child in

São Paulo or Nairobi has the same right to walk

safely to school as any child in New York, Paris, or

Seoul. Safe mobility is a universal human right. It

must be a pathway to opportunity, not tragedy, so we

must demand more urgent action.

Global leaders set an ambitious target of halving road

deaths by 2030 in the Sustainable Development

Goals and the Decade of Action for Road Safety

2021-2030. This can still be done, but it requires

global citizens everywhere to step up and speak out

because road safety is everyone’s business.

All sectors must be involved. Governments must lead

with strong policies, laws, and regulations.

Businesses must apply safety standards. Engineers

must build safe infrastructure. Police must enforce

the law fairly. Academia and civil society can

generate evidence. The media can cover crashes

accurately, and educators can share life-saving

safety messages. As individuals, we can all demand

action that is rooted in a deep moral conviction and

evidenced by proven solutions.

Global citizenship means speaking up, getting

involved, and holding decision-makers to account. It

means organizing and demanding safer streets,

better infrastructure, fairer laws, and transport

systems that protect the most vulnerable. It means

choosing urgent action over indifference.

Nothing brings people together more than safe and

free movement. Mobility powers economies, opens

opportunities, reduces pollution and congestion, and

improves health by making walking and cycling safe.

It helps ensure a peaceful, prosperous, and

sustainable future for people and the planet.

We can all do more to follow in the footsteps of

visionary leaders and public servants like Ban Kimoon.

Growing up in France, I knew I was one of the

lucky ones. Yet this makes it even more important to

give back and pay it forward to those with less, as

any good global citizen would.

Safe and sustainable mobility underpins the peaceful,

prosperous, and sustainable future that the United

Nations strives for. Yet we can only achieve this if we

work together as responsible global citizens.


59

UNITY, DIVERSITY, AND A

SHARED FUTURE —


JOURNEY TO UTOPIA

Varnessa Kayen

Varlyngton

BKMF Your Future in


High School Student;

Founder and Executive

Director of Egalitarianism

for Earth

When I was younger, subjects like geography, history, and civic

education fascinated me. What drew me in was the study of people,

culture, and relations. I always yearned to explore far and near, not

just for the thrill of adventure, but because I wanted to understand

diversity, how communities thrive, and what binds us together — the

shared goals, the problems, and us, the solutions. This was the

beginning of a genuine passion I discovered later in my life; I

gradually found my identity as a global citizen.

Global citizenship is more than a term; it is an interdependent

ecosystem where we belong, shape, and understand our world

together. The first three words that come to my mind when global

citizenship is brought to the table are unity, diversity, and

representation. As Socrates stated, "We are not citizens of just our

hometowns or nations, but of the world." This simple sentence has

stayed with me on my journey as a changemaker from the Niger

Delta. Despite being miles apart, my and other changemakers’

stories are part of a global conversation and a shared valuing of the

experiences of other communities. Beyond COVID to joyful global

celebrations like Christmas, Eid, or Halloween, and sports like the

World Cup, we not only share problems but happiness, values, and

systems.

60

Over the past seven years, I have unleashed my

native side in the global world, and it has profoundly

shaped my perspective on dialogue, solutions, and

relations. I have had the privilege of witnessing how

the butterfly effect and the internet can connect

people and ideas across the globe, creating a ripple

effect that is both surprising and empowering.

My lived experience of global citizenship has been

impactful, to say the least. I recall working on local

research projects, focusing on Indigenous children

and climate learning techniques, discovering that our

strategies were applicable in other parts of the world.

Reviewing with experts from diverse countries on

educational projects and engaging in exchange

dialogues through leadership programs has been a

game-changer. Incredibly, I discovered that in every

action I took, such as hosting clean-ups or driving

green governance, I was playing my part as a global

citizen. As a young Nigerian girl in an interconnected

world, I have found that cross-cultural solutions and

relations can spark change and amplify local actions

in ways I never thought possible.

Imagine what over 8 billion people could achieve if

we all worked together, playing various roles in the

world at grassroots levels and on bigger scales.

Imagine what the world would be like if every

individual took ownership of their role in shaping the

future. Imagine how our communities would change if

we prioritized changemaking qualities or accepted

the reality of global citizenship. Imagine if previous

generations had been more collective in their actions

and recognition of our shared future. What can 8

billion people working together not conquer and

achieve?

Global citizenship is beyond a choice; it is a call to

action, an alarm, a notice that 2030 is around the

corner. But it is not the end; the end only starts when

you fail to make a beginning for future generations.

Today, the United Nations has made it known that

global citizenship covers every sector of our

societies: social, political, economic, and

environmental concerns, as well as our actions to

address these concerns. Global citizenship aids the

achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development

Goals, recognizing our shared efforts and roles; we

are able to create the utopia we envision, ensuring an

improved rate of development and peace.

I believe global citizenship is easy to attain; all one

needs to do is realize that global citizenship is

something you are born with and should be proud of.

I am a global citizen, not because I love the title, but

because of the planet's future. With skills like

empathy, peace, tolerance, and individual efforts

such as advocacy and actions, it is not just "I" but

"we" — collective strengths, resources, and building

solidarity. Because, eventually, we will eliminate 17

global problems, build communal ownership, and

create the peaceful world we envisioned as kids and

for future generations.


61

MY VISION OF GLOBAL

CITIZENSHIP

Muhammad Zainulabdin

BKMF Your Future in


BSc Chemical Engineering

Student, NED University

Participant

For me, global citizenship means a group of people coming together

to create positive change; people who care not only about

themselves, but also about the planet and its people. A global

citizen is someone who works for the betterment of their country

while keeping the whole world in mind. It is about becoming a

changemaker: someone who believes that even small actions can

create a big difference.

Today, global citizenship is more important than ever. We are living

on a planet that is suffering: our land, water, deserts, and mountains

are all in danger. Climate change, pollution, and waste are

destroying our environment. There is no sustainable life on Earth if

we continue living like this. We must act as global citizens to protect

our shared home and create a sustainable future for everyone.

My journey as a changemaker began when I realized that many

people in rural areas of my country still do not have access to clean

water. I wanted to create a low-cost and natural solution, so I

worked on developing a water purifier made from coconut charcoal

and eggshells. This purifier removes impurities from water, making it

safer for people living in underserved areas. The project was

recognized during the Greenovation competition at Karachi

University, where I was honored as a runner-up

62

Currently, I am working on another sustainability

project: a bioplastic made from agricultural waste.

Through my learning with the Ban Ki-moon

Foundation, I gained deeper knowledge about

sustainability and the SDGs. This project aims to

replace harmful plastic with an eco-friendly

alternative that can help reduce plastic pollution. My

goal is to turn this idea into a low-cost solution that

supports both the environment and local

communities.

A few months ago, I also completed an internship

with WWF, where I led a group project based on the

3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle). We visited

schools and organized sessions for students,

teaching them about waste management and

sustainable habits. We even took them to parks for

hands-on activities so they could see how to apply

the 3Rs in daily life. Seeing young students take an

interest in their planet and promise to act responsibly

made me feel that change truly begins with

awareness.

Besides my projects, I am an active member of the

Future Path Organization, which works toward SDG 4

Quality Education by providing learning opportunities

to the younger generation. I am also part of the

Sustainability Society at my university, where I

participate in and organize various competitions

focused on environmental innovation. I continue to

build my knowledge and leadership skills through

different workshops and trainings, both online and in

person, hosted by well-known organizations.

Through all these experiences, I have learned that

global citizenship is not just a concept; it is a way of

living. It means understanding that every action we

take has an impact on others, no matter where they

live. Whether we are working on clean water, plastic

reduction, or environmental education, every step

contributes to the larger goal of sustainability.

Being part of the Ban Ki-moon Foundation

community has inspired me to continue working for a

greener and fairer world. It has shown me that real

change begins when we connect local action to

global vision. In the future, my goal is to see

everyone work for the betterment of the environment,

so we can create a planet where development and

sustainability go hand in hand for us and for

generations to come.


63

Ban Ki-moon Foundation programs

on empowering women in Africa,

Global Citizenship Education Forum

in Salzburg, Austria, SDG

DialogForum in Vienna, Austria, and

the Accelerator Fund, all tackling

various Sustainable Development

Goals (SDGs).

64

GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION FORUM

Ki-moon Foundation

Ban

0018 1037 Vienna, Austria

P.O.B.

www.bankimoon.org

office@bankimoon.org

THE MAKING OF

A GLOBAL CITIZEN

bankimoon.org/subscribe

@bankimoon_org

The Making of a Global Citizen

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