Resources
Explore a wide range of valuable resources on GCED to deepen your understanding and enhance your research, advocacy, teaching, and learning.
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Global Citizenship Concepts in the Curricula of Four Countries Year of publication: 2017 Author: Natalie Browes Corporate author: UNESCO International Bureau of Education (IBE) | APCEIU This report details the presence of Global Citizenship Education (GCED) concepts in the education systems of four countries: Cambodia, Colombia, Mongolia and Uganda. It highlights the main findings of eight reports: four expert reports, which predominately analyse curriculum content, and four situational analysis reports, which take a broader view and detail some of the country-specific challenges and opportunities with regard to GCED. Findings reveal the presence of GCED concepts across the curricula of the four countries. In addition to cognitive content related to GCED, competency-based content is also found present within the curricula of these countries. However, the majority of this content can only be indirectly linked to GCED, and it is better interpreted as part of the more traditional civics or citizenship education approach. As such, it generally lacks a global perspective and does not engage with all key themes of GCED. Furthermore, this content is often concentrated at the lower and upper secondary levels, instead of being equally distributed across all grade levels. This is particularly true in the case of behaviour-based competencies. Findings also reveal challenges beyond the curriculum. These include lack of teacher training and lack of support to implement GCED, which are concerns expressed by stakeholders in all four countries. A lack of GCED content in textbooks and lack of supplementary materials were also found to be issues. The report concludes with recommendations regarding the effective implementation of GCED within curricula. Among others, the report suggests the transversal integration of GCED - across the curriculum at all grade levels, while at the same time, actors from all levels of the education system, ranging from central government to teachers, should be engaged to ensure the use of complementary learning materials, pedagogies and assessment techniques. 
Guidelines on Sustainability Science in Research and Education Year of publication: 2017 Corporate author: UNESCO “Guidelines on Sustainability Science in Research and Education” is the main output of the international UNESCO project “Broadening the Application of the Sustainability Science Approach” initiated in October 2015 with the support of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Japan/MEXT) to identify good practices and develop policy guidelines to help Member States harness the potential of sustainability science in their sustainable development strategies.This project aimed to help UNESCO Member States and other stakeholders introduce or reinforce a sustainability science approach into transdisciplinary research and education, to enable them to better respond to global challenges, through three symposia to foster dialogue and collaboration among experts and policy-makers. Based on the joint efforts of UNESCO’s Natural Sciences Sector, Social and Human Sciences Sector, Education Sector and Regional Science Bureau for Asia and the Pacific in Jakarta, the project benefited from the guidance of a multidisciplinary steering committee and a drafting sub-committee.For further information on Sustainability Science, please visit: https://en.unesco.org/sustainability-science 
Citizenship, Identity, and Education: Examining the Public Purposes of Schools in an Age of Globalization Year of publication: 2006 Author: Fernando Reimers Corporate author: UNESCO International Bureau of Education (IBE) One of the purposes of educational institutions is to develop citizenship. In the 21st century, citizenship includes global citizenship. Addressing the challenges of globalization will require making citizenship education and the development of global values an explicit objective of efforts to improve quality throughout the world, critically examining theories and evidence about the effectiveness of various approaches to developing citizenship and global citizenship and supporting activities aligned with this public purpose. In this article, the author does not argue for an exclusive effort to focus schools on civic education, but rather for a balanced effort to elevate educational quality making it more relevant to address global challenges and opportunities, of which civic education and global education are components, much neglected at present. The author also does not suggest making civic education the only purpose of the curriculum or making it a priority to the expense of science, math, arts or physical and health education, but he thinks that helping students develop a sense of purpose, situated within broader civic and global purposes, would also facilitate high level engagement with science, mathematical and artistic pursuits. 
CONFINTEA VI Mid-Term Review: Report of the Conference Year of publication: 2017 Author: Clinton Robinson Corporate author: UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) The Sixth International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VI), held in Brazil in 2009, closed with the adoption of the Belem Framework for Action (BFA), which recorded the commitments of Member States and presented a strategic guide for the global development of adult learning and education. The third Global Report on Adult Learning and Education (GRALE 3), published in 2016, drew on survey data to evaluate progress made by countries in fulfilling the commitments made in Brazil.The CONFINTEA VI Mid-Term Review, held in Suwon, Republic of Korea, in October 2017, took stock of progress made by Member States in the past eight years, looking ahead to GRALE 4 in 2019 and CONFINTEA VII in 2021.This report summarizes the discussions that animated the Mid-Term Review conference and gives readers a brief survey of the key issues concerning progress against the BFA, across all world regions. 
Meeting on Learning to Live Sustainably in Cities in Latin America and the Caribbean, Villa María, Argentina (26-28 April 2017): Meeting Report Year of publication: 2017 Corporate author: UNESCO Villa Maríia, the first Argentinian city to join the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC), co-hosted the first GNLC meeting in the region, titled ‘Learning to live sustainably in cities in Latin America and the Caribbean’. This three-day event was a joint effort of the City of Villa Maríia, the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL), UNESCO Headquarters, and the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (OREALC/UNESCO Santiago). Participants explored new ways to implement sustainable solutions at the local level, as well as increase awareness and training related to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). More than 170 city representatives from over 40 cities and 20 countries (including mayors and deputy mayors, experts, authorities and practitioners) were welcomed by the host city. The first day of the meeting was composed of plenary sessions; the second day consisted of two parallel workshop sessions: (1) a regional workshop on the Global Action Programme (GAP) on ESD and Cities, and (2) a regional workshop on learning cities. 
Europe and North America Regional Workshop on the Global Action Programme on Education for Sustainable Development and Cities Year of publication: 2017 Corporate author: UNESCO UNESCO promotes Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) through the Global Action Programme (GAP), the official follow-up to the UN Decade of ESD. The Europe and North America region was the first to officially adopt a regional strategy for the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD, 2005-2014), which seeks to promote a better quality of life for populations and human settlements. Learning to live in a sustainable way and securing people’s involvement and participation in community and urban life are key factors in ensuring sustainable economic, social and environmental development. It is in this context that UNESCO, the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities, with its secretariat in the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) in Hamburg, and the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, organized the regional workshop for Europe and North America on the role of cities in accelerating sustainable solutions at local level through education. More than 50 experts and city representatives from Europe and North America participated in the regional workshop in Hamburg, Germany, from 12 to 14 December 2016. The workshop examined how education and learning beyond the formal system can be used to support the implementation of the five Ps (Planet, People, Peace, Prosperity and Partnership) of the 2030 Agenda to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Experts shared their views on ESD, with cities providing insight into their good practices and enriching discussions on the challenges of promoting the various SDGs through education and lifelong learning at city level. These discussions helped to promote awareness on integrating ESD in their cities’ development and education agendas. 
Accountability in Education: Meeting Our Commitments: Global Education Monitoring Report, 2017/8 Year of publication: 2017 Corporate author: UNESCO The second edition of the Global Education Monitoring Report (GEM Report) presents the latest evidence on global progress towards the education targets of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.With hundreds of millions of people still not going to school, and many not achieving minimum skills at school, it is clear education systems are off track to achieve global goals. The marginalized currently bear the most consequences but also stand to benefit the most if policy-makers pay sufficient attention to their needs. Faced with these challenges, along with tight budgets and increased emphasis on results-oriented value for money, countries are searching for solutions. Increased accountability often tops the list.The 2017/8 GEM Report shows the entire array of approaches to accountability in education. It ranges from countries unused to the concept, where violations of the right to education go unchallenged, to countries where accountability has become an end in itself instead of a means to inclusive, equitable and high-quality education and lifelong learning for all.The report emphasizes that education is a shared responsibility. While governments have primary responsibility, all actors – schools, teachers, parents, students, international organizations, private sector providers, civil society and the media – have a role in improving education systems.The report emphasizes the importance of transparency and availability of information but urges caution in how data are used. It makes the case for avoiding accountability systems with a disproportionate focus on narrowly defined results and punitive sanctions. In an era of multiple accountability tools, the report provides clear evidence on those that are working and those that are not. 
Global Education Monitoring Report, 2016: Planet: Education for Environmental Sustainability and Green Growth Year of publication: 2016 Corporate author: UNESCO PLANET: Education for environmental sustainability and green growth, a publication taken from the full 2016 Global Education Monitoring Report, explores the knowledge and skills needed for sustainable and inclusive economic growth that does not damage our planet.This publication demonstrates how education can help people understand and respond to environmental issues and climate change. Environmental education can increase green knowledge and build sustainability practices. The publication warns that while education contributes to economic growth, education systems must be careful not to encourage unsustainable lifestyles and all learners must acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development.It also argues that we must continue to learn throughout our lives in order to make production and consumption sustainable, and to provide green skills for green industries. Creating green industries relies on high-skill workers with specific training, yet by 2020 there could be 40 million too few workers with tertiary education relative to demand. Higher education and research should also be oriented towards green innovation and growth; innovation depends on cooperation in higher education and investment in research and development to transform production in vast swaths of the economy.It also recognises that education must change in order to keep up with the changing face of work. Green and transferable skills should be taught in both school and the workplace. The greening of industries requires not only the production of more high-skill workers, but the continued training and education for low and medium skill workers, often on the job. “To ensure the Sustainable Development Goals are implemented, everyone involved needs to think, to work, to organise, to communicate and to report in ways that are completely different from what has been done up till now. Education truly is key to a wide appreciation not just of the SDGs but the new ways of thinking and working that are going to be necessary to fulfil them. So the challenge to all of us is to re-learn, and that does not just apply to educators, but it applies to all of us.” 
Climate Change and Sustainability in Science and Social Science Secondary School Curricula Year of publication: 2024 Author: Marcia McKenzie | Aaron Benavot Corporate author: UNESCO There is an urgent need to transform the way climate change and sustainability are taught in classrooms and at schools. Learners must grasp the environmental impacts of climate change, how climate change relates to their own context and what actions can be undertaken and contribute to making societies more sustainable, equitable, just and climate-resilient. The findings presented in this publication indicate that accelerated efforts are needed. In a study of over 530 Grade 9 science and social science curricula from 85 countries worldwide, we found that 69 per cent of curricula contained no references to climate change, while 66 per cent had no references to sustainability. Furthermore, while 69 per cent of surveyed teachers from eight of the countries studied reported that environment, sustainability and climate change topics were included in the science and social science curricula in their schools only 50 per cent included them in their teaching. While there is a notable inclusion of environment, sustainability and climate change in science and social science curricula across countries, the depth of focus of this inclusion varies widely. Cognitive learning prevails over social and emotional or action-oriented learning. Climate change and sustainability in school practices must be strengthened, with teachers playing a key role in enhancing integration through teaching methods and materials. 
[Summary] Accountability in Education: Meeting Our Commitments: Global Education Monitoring Report Summary, 2017/8 Year of publication: 2017 Corporate author: UNESCO This summary of the 2017/8 GEM Report shows the entire array of approaches to accountability in education. It ranges from countries unused to the concept, where violations of the right to education go unchallenged, to countries where accountability has become an end in itself instead of a means to inclusive, equitable and high-quality education and lifelong learning for all.The report emphasizes that education is a shared responsibility. While governments have primary responsibility, all actors – schools, teachers, parents, students, international organizations, private sector providers, civil society and the media – have a role in improving education systems. The report emphasizes the importance of transparency and availability of information but urges caution in how data are used. It makes the case for avoiding accountability systems with a disproportionate focus on narrowly defined results and punitive sanctions. In an era of multiple accountability tools, the report provides clear evidence on those that are working and those that are not.