How can we educate global citizens? While the question is crucial in an interconnected world, the answers are complex, as they require rethinking the traditional organization of school and university pathways. Here are some pointers.

“Entering Spain, I don’t feel like I’m arriving, but like I’m returning […] Our classics are the classics of Spain, our first and last names almost all come from there, our dreams of justice, and even some of our anger of blood and fanaticism, not to mention our old remnants of hidalgo honor, are a Spanish heritage.”

These words from Colombian Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García Márquez were addressed to Spanish President José María Aznar, at a time when he was considering imposing a visa on Latin American citizens wishing to enter his country . The man of letters, who had lived a life of wandering since the 1950s and depicted the Cold War, the complex North/South relations, and social inequalities, highlighted the universalist spirit, which embraces both the richness of roots and that of foreignness.

A quarter of a century later, the war between Russia and Ukraine, as well as conflicts in the Middle East, are rekindling tensions between nations and fueling xenophobic rhetoric. Donald Trump ‘s accession to the White House appears to mark a profound break with the world order established since the Second World War. Multilateralism, based on international cooperation, is being challenged; and his climate change denial, his ultraconservative radicalism, and his essentially mercantile outlook are hallmarks of his political actions.

However, in an increasingly interconnected world, where interdependencies are no longer limited to the economic and commercial spheres alone, it is becoming urgent to promote lifelong education in global citizenship.

This is precisely the task that UNESCO has been working on since 2011. Its guide Global Citizenship Education: Preparing Learners for the Challenges of the 21st Century defines this education as a sense of belonging to a common humanity, while establishing links between the local, the national and the global. To this end, it proposes three axes: a cognitive approach to study institutions and geopolitical issues; a socio-affective approach, aimed at strengthening values ​​such as human rights, solidarity and respect for diversity; and not forgetting a concrete commitment to social causes, peace and the defense of democratic values.

In its 2021 Futures of Education report , UNESCO highlights the need to strengthen global citizenship skills as well as socio-emotional skills, which are essential for civic and economic participation.

Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) and the OECD reveal the difficulties encountered by students in these areas, comparable to those observed in reading, mathematics, or science. In 2018, the OECD integrated an assessment of “global competence” into its PISA survey, aimed at measuring the achievements of 15-year-old students in intercultural and global learning.

Global citizenship: a complex concept

The Critical Dictionary of the Issues and Concepts of “Education for” notes that these emerged in the 1980s in response to new social, economic, and political challenges. They cover diverse areas, ranging from education for citizenship and solidarity, biodiversity, interculturality, peace, to media and information literacy, and even include sexual health education, among others.

But their emergence has attracted considerable criticism. On the one hand, they lack a structure of their own, as they are not based on a defined academic discipline; their main characteristic is to respond to current social issues; this requires the study of multiple fields of knowledge. On the other hand, their multidisciplinary content and their pedagogical dynamic, which favors small groups to encourage debate and practice rather than lectures, make their implementation more complex.

Finally, they can be taught by external speakers, which challenges the monopoly of formal education. These actors, linked to informal learning, are frequently found within non-governmental development organizations. As Laura Sullivan, vice-president of the European NGO Concord, shows in her dossier on global citizenship education in Europe, funding for projects related to global citizenship education in Europe is mainly provided by foreign ministries, rather than national education ministries.

Although the French Development Agency (AFD) is promoting several projects in this area, Concord’s dossier highlights the Ministry of National Education’s weak commitment to global citizenship education (ECM).

At the European level, given the breadth of the themes addressed, each country defines global citizenship differently, which also raises the need for a semantic debate. That said, generally speaking, most projects are linked to development education and solidarity.

Prospects in France

In connection with the new moral and civic education programs, an interministerial circular was issued in 2024 to guide the teaching of “education for global citizenship and international solidarity, education for sustainable development and education for global citizenship” .

As the brochure highlights, within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals, it is necessary to educate and instruct new generations who are committed and responsible in the face of numerous challenges: socio-economic inequalities, the fight against racism and xenophobia, the challenges of inclusive development in the South, and the protection of biodiversity.

At the Catholic Institute of Paris, we have created a Grand Course on global citizenship, in order to offer an in-depth reflection on the issues of this education in the face of contemporary challenges.

During the 2024 and 2025 sessions, this Grand Cours was offered to all faculties, and brought together 450 students from various undergraduate programs. Through theoretical approaches and the participation of experts in cosmopolitanism, such as philosophers Francis Wolff and Louis Lourme, former UNESCO director Federico Mayor Zaragoza, professor of urbanization through digital platforms Filippo Bignami, Claire Thoury, president of the Mouvement associatif, and Vincent Picard, vice-president in France of the Community of Sant’Egidio, the students explored the main concepts and initiatives related to this field.

Evaluations show that while some students perceive this approach as idealistic or utopian, all recognize its merits. They emphasize the value of an education based on responsibility, the common good, and understanding the world.

The crucial issues of today force us to rethink the education of new generations. It is time to build bridges between different partners, strengthen research in global citizenship education, and entrust the Ministry of National Education with a key role in training new teachers in a humanistic spirit committed to the world we call home.

Author Bio: Maria Fernanda Gonzalez Binetti is a Lecturer at the Catholic Institute of Paris (ICP)