News
Catch up on what’s happening in the world of global citizenship education.
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A Guide for Policymakers published to navigate integration of Global Citizenship Education to national education policies 2018-07-20 The Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (APCEIU) has published Global Citizenship Education: A Guide for Policymakers in order to assist UNESCO Member States to integrate and strengthen Global Citizenship Education (GCED) in their national education policies and further achieve Target 4.7 of Sustainable Development Goals. The Guide, which was developed in consultation with GCED experts, specialists from international education organizations and government officials from the countries’ ministries of education, suggests strategies in five priority action areas including policy review and development; curriculum review and development; capacity building; knowledge creation, sharing and dissemination; and monitoring and assessment. The strategies are designed to allow integration of GCED values and concepts into the countries’ current education system aligned with their priorities and contexts. While the Guide focuses on the formal education system, GCED principles and approaches it describes are equally relevant to non-formal education settings as well as projects and activities implemented by civil society organizations (CSOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The Guide was first released in English and Korean, and it will further be available in other languages including French and Arabic to be accessible for larger audience worldwide. APCEIU plans to introduce and disseminate the Guide through the GCED Global Network while at the same time organize related seminars at various venues on international education. Download link for PDF file: [English version] [Korean version] 
A Forum for GCED by Youth - The 4th Youth Leadership Workshop on GCED 2018-05-30 The 4th Youth Leadership Workshop on Global Citizenship Education (GCED) was held from 20 to 26 May 2018 in Seoul, Republic of Korea. In partnership with the GCED Youth Network and sponsored by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea, the Workshop was held in APCEIU and Seoul Women’s Plaza. For this Workshop, 48 youth leaders from 46 developing countries in Asia-Pacific, Africa, Europe, Arab States and Latin America and Caribbean, who are in age between 18 and 24 and actively participating GCED activities in their regions, gathered together to participate in this event. This Workshop became an opportunity to further promote GCED, mobilize exchanges among youth and solidify the GCED Youth Network. Representing the GCED Youth Network, five core members facilitated the Workshop sessions especially on youth advocacy and led discussions on the future plans of GCED Youth Network. The GCED Youth Network was composed of members from the former United Nations Secretary General’s Global Education First Initiatives (GEFI) Youth Advocacy Group (YAG), alumni of APCEIU’s previous Youth Leadership Workshops as well as participants from the regional workshops on GCED. Started with a keynote speech by Mr. Oh Joon, Former Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations, this Workshop composed with the lectures and workshop sessions including the roles of youth leader in the process of achieving SDGs 4.7, GCED from youth perspectives, introduction of Youth Advocacy Toolkit and APCEIU’s GCED initiatives, understanding local initiatives through study visits and GCED Youth Summit. Furthermore, by introducing regional initiatives of the core members from the GCED Youth Network, participants shared recommendations for youth activities for their future plans and increased their implementation capacities through identifying and discussing issues around GCED. Following the motto of GCED - “Think, Share and Act” - all participants shared their leadership activities and discussed about the priorities as well as key values of GCED, and then divided into five different regional groups of Asia-Pacific, Africa, Europe, Arab States and Latin America and Caribbean to establish future action plans on GCED. To continue their advocacy on GCED, the core members of GCED Youth Network will participate in the development of course materials for GCED Online Campus themed on Youth Advocacy and promote their GCED activities through offline as well as online. URL:A Forum for GCED by Youth - The 4th Youth Leadership Workshop on GCED > APCEIU News - APCEIU (unescoapceiu.org) 
Solidifying Regional Action for GCED: Asia-Pacific Regional Network Meeting in Jakarta 2018-05-22 With the theme “Solidifying Regional Action for GCED”, APCEIU, together with UNESCO Bangkok Office and UNESCO Jakarta Office, co-organized the 2018 Asia-Pacific Regional GCED Network Meeting on May 3-4, 2018 in Jakarta, Indonesia. There were 55 representatives from 40 organizations across the Asia-Pacific representing government and inter-governmental organizations, academic/research institutions, and civil society organizations. This regional meeting takes stock in the existing GCED initiatives of actors in the region, and aims to address implementation challenges by enhancing partnership through a regional network for GCED. The meeting concluded with the formation of an Asia-Pacific Regional GCED Network, an open network for relevant and interested institutions to share their activities and contribute to regional action for GCED, to be led a core group of selected institutions. The Asia-Pacific GCED Network Meeting follows various initiatives that has contributed to the movement to incorporate GCED framework and concepts within education systems, in line with the inclusion of GCED in the sustainable development goals as Target 4.7. While the importance and normative definition of GCED itself has been extensively discussed in many occasions, the status of its implementation has not been sufficiently addressed. Addressing the call to systematically address GCED implementation and to provide a mechanism to strategically promote GCED, the meeting focused on identifying the remaining gaps and identifying potential ways forward. The meeting was composed of panel discussions and working groups. The panel sessions showcased initiatives that address different needs in each stage of the educational process to allow transformation of the learner through GCED, under the framework of GCED “Inputs-Processes-Outcomes”. The panel discussions addressed priorities and developed action plans for the region. Opening the meeting, Professor Arief Rachman, Executive Chairman of the Indonesian National Commission for UNESCO, praised the efforts of UNESCO and APCEIU in sustainably supporting the transformation of education in the Asia-Pacific. Ms Maki Hayashikawa, Director ai of UNESCO Bangkok, the Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau for Education, mentioned the vibrant discussions in previous occasions for GCED, and the need to elaborate systemized action by building a GCED Network. Mr Utak Chung, highlighted the importance of partnership at this stage, 3 years after the inclusion of GCED in the global goals. He encouraged the participants to utilize the most of the meeting to build human and institutional networks for GCED in the region. Finally, Mr Ananto Kusama Seta, Senior Advisor at the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture, mentioned that the existence of several entry points for GCED in Asia-Pacific education systems signifies the readiness of the region to accept and internalize GCED. The Asia-Pacific Regional GCED Network Meeting included a panel session dedicated on GCED country reports of countries from Southeast Asia. The panelists, who are senior-level officials at their respective ministries of education, highlighted that existing education policies already strongly support GCED concepts, as well as that of Education for Sustainable Development. However, it was highlighted that support both at the policy level and the implementation level is needed. The 2-day meeting concluded with the adoption of a foundation document that will lay the steps in creating an Asia-Pacific Regional GCED Network. The network aims to ▲ promote systematized knowledge sharing among GCED partners in the region, ▲ develop evidence base for GCED and linking it with the UNESCO GCED Clearinghouse, and ▲ harmonize and synergize actions to further promote GCED in the region. Activities of the network will be identified by the core group who will be managing the activities of the network. Related Article:http://www.unesco.org/new/en/jakarta/about-this-office/single-view/news/2018_asia_pacific_regional_gced_network_meeting_solidifying/URL:Solidifying Regional Action for GCED: Asia-Pacific Regional Network Meeting in Jakarta > APCEIU News - APCEIU (unescoapceiu.org) 
Workshop for sharing of outcomes of 2017 GCED Courses 2018-03-23 An academic workshop to share the outcomes of 2017 GCED Courses was held at APCEIU on 28 February this year. For the past 2 years APCEIU has been supporting the GCED Courses Development of universities in Korea to raise awareness of GCED amongst the college students and boost research on GCED in Higher Education Institutions(HEIs) in the context of Korea. For this year’s workshop, not only the professors who had designed and implemented GCED courses throughout 2017 Autumn semester (July to December) but the professors who are in charge of the GCED courses during the 2018 Spring semester (March to June) attended to share the outcomes and experiences of GCED Courses in 2017 and introduce operational plans for GCED course in 2018.Throughout the workshop, the participants shared essential strategies for development of similar courses in the future and pedagogical skills while discussing develop a student assessment tools and GCED resource materials to meet the current demands of the universities in line with the project. Participating universities requested APCEIU’s continuous support and extension of the programme based on the results of evaluations separately conducted by six selected HEIs targeting approximately 477 course-attendees who have shown high satisfaction and interest for the GCED courses. URL:Workshop for sharing of outcomes of 2017 GCED Courses > APCEIU News - APCEIU (unescoapceiu.org) 
The 5th Meeting of UNESCO Category 2 Centres in Education held in Cairo 2018-03-08 The 5th Meeting of UNESCO Category 2 Centres in Education co-organized by the Arab States Fundamental Education Centre (ASFEC), Egyptian Ministry of Education and Technical Education, UNESCO Beirut Office and UNESCO Cairo Office was held from 20-22 February 2018 at Al Masah Hotel, Cairo, Egypt. Following the last meeting in Manila in 2015, this meeting served as an opportunity for the centres to share their programmes and plans, explore areas of possible collaboration, and increase the visibility of the centres’ active contribution to the realization of UNESCO’s objectives. Nine out of the eleven centres were represented during the meeting as follows: Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (APCEIU), Seoul, Republic of Korea International Centre for Higher Education Innovation (ICHEI), Shenzhen, China International Research and Training Centre for Rural Education (INRULED), Beijing, China Regional Centre for Adult Education (ASFEC), Sirs El-Layyan, Menoufia, Egypt Regional Centre for Early Childhood Care and Education in the Arab States (RCECCE), Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic Regional Centre for Educational Planning (RCEP), Sharjah, United Arab Emirates Regional Centre for Quality and Excellence in Education (RCQE), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia South Asian Centre for Teacher Development (SACTD), Meepe, Sri Lanka South East Asia Centre of Lifelong Learning for Sustainable Development (SEA CLLSD), Manila, Philippines From the last meeting in 2015, two new centres were included in the network of centres, including: the International Centre for Higher Education Innovation (ICHEI) based in Shenzhen, China and the International Mother Language Institute (IMLI) based in the Dhaka, Bangladesh. This growing number of centres provide more opportunities for partnership among the specialized centres in education under the auspices of UNESCO.Representatives from UNESCO Headquarters, UNESCO Beirut Office, UNESCO Cairo Office and the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, a UNESCO Category 1 Institute in Education participated in the said meeting, along with representatives from the Egyptian Ministry of Education and Technical Education and related organizations. As the first global meeting of the centres after the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the contribution of the centres to the SDGs, particularly for SDG4 (Quality Education) was the focal point of discussion.At the opening of the meeting, Mr Ghaith Faris, Director of UNESCO Cairo, highlighted the importance of the UNESCO Category 2 Centres in achieving the global goals, as an important extension arm of UNESCO in the field for the implementation its core programmes and objectives. Mr Utak Chung, Director of APCEIU, shared the continuous effort of APCEIU since 2015 to engage with, increase capacities of and provide tools and necessary resources to relevant stakeholders to contribute to SDG4, particularly to Target 4.7 focusing on Global Citizenship Education. URL:The 5th Meeting of UNESCO Category 2 Centres in Education held in Cairo > APCEIU News - APCEIU (unescoapceiu.org) 
Kick-off Meeting for the 3rd Phase of GCED Curriculum Development & Integration 2018-02-21 APCEIU convened a Kick-off Meeting for the 3rd Phase of GCED Curriculum Development & Integration on 12-13 February 2018 in Seoul, Republic of Korea. This project has entered to its final year of the three-year project which had started since 2016. In this final year, it is planned to roll out and disseminate the GCED-integrated curriculum/teaching and learning aids developed based on the contexts of and demands from the target countries. Furthermore, a sustainable mechanism which ensures the effective usage of the final output will be established. During the Meeting, the delegations who gathered from Cambodia, Colombia, Mongolia and Uganda along with UNESCO-IBE and APCEIU shared the outcomes of the last year and discussed specific action plans for this year.In particular, this Meeting included an intensive discussion on the impact of the final output to be disseminated nation-wide. While recognizing the different entry points of GCED by country, all participants highlighted that it is critical to consider the characteristics of the country when it comes to its successful utilization.This Meeting was able to reaffirm on-going effort of GCED advocacy in the participating countries and solidify the close cooperation for fruitful finale of the three-year project. URL:Kick-off Meeting for the 3rd Phase of GCED Curriculum Development & Integration > APCEIU News - APCEIU (unescoapceiu.org) 
Capacity-Building Training for the 4th Batch of the National GCED Lead Teachers 2018-02-05 The Ministry of Education (MOE) and APCEIU conducted ‘Training Workshop for National GCED Lead Teachers,’ from 15th to 19th of January, 2018 and awarded 67 teachers who successfully completed the programme with a letter of appointment. Those appointees composed of current primary, secondary school teachers represent nationwide cities and provinces, and will play a pivotal role in bringing about and spreading global citizenship education. GCED Lead Teachers programme in Korea has been jointly planned and operated by the MOE and APCEIU since 2015 to establish and expand GCED, the global education initiative adopted by UN and UNESCO in national school system. This year the training workshop used various workshop methods to improve understanding and practical skills of global citizenship education. On the first and second day, the workshop was mainly about concept and intensive understanding of GCED. The third day brought the teachers into action through dynamic activities that aimed for a better application of GCED into school. On the fourth day, teachers eagerly shared both their GCED practical cases and training methods, and on the last day, they announced and presented future planning and implementation of GCED. In particular, on the 4th day of workshop, the former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who led the global agenda for education via the Global Education First Initiative (GEFI), made a surprise visit to encourage the workshop participants and emphasize the importance of global citizenship education. In his speech, Mr. Ban said, "GCED can be essential to solve many of the problems associated with the global community, such as poverty, conflict, and violent extremism." and added, “I am expecting the National GCED Lead Teachers to play a key role in educating GCED for Korean students to become global leaders. The appointment ceremony was held after the end of the training attended by officials from the MOE and APCEIU, giving certificates and emphasizing the meaning and value of GCED Lead Teachers programme. Director Chung Utak said in the opening remark, "GCED should be intensified even from primary school to resolve many global issues that cannot be dealt with alone within national boundaries." Kim Hyeon-Joo, Director for International Education Cooperation offered words of encouragement to the appointees saying “The ministry’s plan on GCED cannot be realized without teachers.” URL:Capacity-Building Training for the 4th Batch of the National GCED Lead Teachers > APCEIU News - APCEIU (unescoapceiu.org) 
Partnerships with Suseong District and Chungnam National University 2017-12-24 APCEIU has entered an agreement with various stakeholders to promote and implement GCED at the local contexts. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed with Suseong District of Daegu Metropolitan City to promote GCED in the educational programmes of the local government. Another MOU was signed with Chungnam National University to expand academic research and collaborative programmes on GCED. APCEIU, on 14 December 2017, signed an agreement with Daegu Metropolitan City’s Suseong District to advance GCED for future generations. This is part of Suseong District’s dedication to provide quality educational opportunities for its young citizens. The two organizations have agreed to the following: ▲ Mutual consultation on GCED ▲ Co-operation on the development of GCED education materials and contents ▲ Other various matters on the development of lifelong learning opportunities for residents. Also, on 20 December 2017, an MOU was signed between Chungnam National University (CNU) and APCEIU focusing on academic research on GCED. Both parties agreed to work together in exchanging educational and cultural programmes including ▲ Fostering cooperation and linkages to provide educational programmes for university students ▲ Collaboration on GCED research ▲ Co-organization of international events, workshops, and seminars and cooperation on inviting overseas resource persons ▲ Sharing information and ideas, as well as facilities for mutual development and overall cooperation in the areas as agreed upon. APCEIU, in partnership with the above institutions, will contribute to the realization and contextualization of GCED in different fields. URL:Partnerships with Suseong District and Chungnam National University > APCEIU News - APCEIU (unescoapceiu.org)