Within the overall context of the implementation of Expected Result 8 of the 37 C/5 Programme and Budget (2014-2017), the UNESCO Education Sector is seeking to enhance the quality, relevance and delivery of education by supporting Member States’ efforts to integrate Global Citizenship Education (GCED) into their education systems.

This involves ensuring that GCED principles and approaches are reflected in national education policies, contents, teaching practices, learning environments and monitoring and evaluation processes and frameworks. This work includes addressing, where relevant and appropriate, peace and human rights education and promoting intercultural and multilingual education.  

The rational for this proposal is also grounded in the growing need expressed by Member States to develop learners’ ability to assume active roles, both locally and globally, to face and resolve common challenges and become responsible contributors to a more just, peaceful, inclusive and sustainable world.

In a globalized and interconnected world with increasing manifestations of both solidarity and intolerance, it is becoming indeed critical that education systems equip learners with those values, knowledge and skills that are based on and instil respect for human rights, including gender equality, social justice and diversity, which give learners the competencies and opportunity to realize their rights and obligations to promote a better world and future for all. 

Furthermore, UNESCO’s work in this area seeks to support the UN Secretary-General’s Global Education First Initiative (GEFI) that was launched in 2012 and focuses on “fostering global citizenship” as one of its three priority areas.

Having held several international technical consultations on the conceptual underpinnings of GCED and the measurement of the learning outcomes of GCED, as well as having developed guidance on GCED teaching and learning objectives, specific by age, UNESCO is now organizing a series of regional workshops with the aim to accelerate the implementation of GCED at the country/regional levels. For the Latin American and Caribbean region, the workshop is scheduled to take place from 1 to 3 September 2015 in Santiago, Chile.