GFDD Attends UN Seminar Promoting the Importance of Education for a Successful Post 2015 Development Agenda

GFDD was present at United Nations Headquarters on Friday March 6 2015, for a dual event organized by UNESCO and the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations. The event included two parts: a morning briefing  on the upcoming World Education Forum (the Forum) to be held in Incheon, Republic of Korea on 19-22 May 2015 and an afternoon seminar focused on UNESCO’s Global Citizenship Education initiative.

The morning
session included introductory remarks by H.E Mr. Oh Joon, Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nation, as well as Opening Remarks by H.E. Mr. Ban Ki-moon Secretary General of the United Nations and main remarks by Ms. Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO who stressed the importance of education as being the bedrock of the United Nations’ development agenda.

Ms. Bokova reemphasized the importance of Global Citizenship Education (GCED) as one of the strategic areas of work
for UNESCO’s Education Programme (2014-2017) and one of the three priorities of the UN Secretary-General’s Global Education First Initiative (GEFI) launched in September 2011. The two other pillars of the GEFI are to put every child in school and improve the quality of learning.

Mr. Kim, Secretary General of the World Education Forum Secretariat, explained that the forum would be an “opportunity to take stock of the progress made in the GEFI
initiative”. As a collaboration of over 7 UN Agencies, including UN HCR and UN Women, and with the confirmation of attendance from over 64 foreign government ministers, Mr. Kim stressed that this would be a “good opportunity for delegates reach agreement on the education goals contained in goal 4 of the draft Sustainable Development Goals” (due to be adopted at the UN General Assembly’s 70 session in New York in September 2015. SDGs) and adopt a
framework for action for the future agenda.

During the afternoon seminar on Global Citizenship Education, the Deputy Permanent Representative for the Republic of Korea, Mr. Hahn Choong-Hee,  stated that “Global Citizenship Education could be a fundamental solution on questions of violence and extremism by promoting tolerance and respect”. Mr. Castle, policy expert from UNESCO concurred with Mr. Hahn Choong-Hee, concluding that Global Citizenship
Education “must help learners of all ages to become active citizens contributing to the development of society”.

About the Global Citizenship Education initiative:
Global Citizenship Education equips learners of all ages with those values, knowledge and skills that are based on and instil respect for human rights, social justice, diversity, gender equality and environmental sustainability and that empower learners to be
responsible global citizens. GCED gives learners the competencies and opportunity to realise their rights and obligations to promote a better world and future for all.  UNESCO’s work on GCED is guided by a three-pronged approach:

• policy dialogue in connection with the post-2015 education agenda
• providing technical guidance on GCED and promoting transformative pedagogies
• Clearing-house
  function.

Related links:
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/World-Education-Forum-2015/
http://www.globaleducationfirst.org/289.htm
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/global-citizenship-education