POSITIVE CORNER #33: Growing reach for global citizen knowledge
The Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (APCEIU) in South Korea has played a key role in the global promotion, coordination, and implementation of Global Citizenship Education (GCED) since 2000. APCEIU is therefore not merely a regional actor, but, on behalf of UNESCO, a globally active center of expertise and implementation that translates the UN's efforts toward Global Citizenship Education into concrete strategies and educational practice. With its work, APCEIU is explicitly dedicated to UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4.7, which promotes global citizenship through education, and whose pioneer and key supporter is considered to be former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon.
It may therefore come as no surprise that a close strategic partnership has existed since 2019 with the Ban Ki-Moon Foundation (BKMF), formerly the Ban Ki-Moon Centre for Global Citizens, which also operates globally. Both organizations pursue the goal of advancing global citizenship education.
Among other things, the significantly increased global reach of GCED activities in recent years is played by...
the flagship certificate course “Becoming Global Citizens for a Sustainable Society”, jointly developed by APCEIU and BKMF and bookable via the GCED Online Campus, as well as
the numerous offers and resources via the GCED Clearing House operated by the APCEIU.
According to APCEIU, the initial driver for this development was the global COVID-19 pandemic around 2020, which triggered a massive shift in offerings to online formats. A further, more recent surge in the reach of these offerings has happened in 2025. The relevant annual reports from APCEIU clearly illustrate this development with figures.
Year | Participants reached | UNESCO Member States reached |
2020 | 4,800+ | 130+ |
2021 | 64,000+ | 140+ |
... | ||
2024 | 90,000+ | 140+ |
2025 | 450,000+ | 190+ |
This development demonstrates how knowledge related to our global interconnectedness can gain in reach and significance. Reach is an important prerequisite. However, a global citizenship consciousness only arises where knowledge translates into attitude, the ability to engage in dialogue, and responsible action.
This requires thinking and acting in the ω-dimension of leadership. Leadership in this sense does not merely create efficient structures. It opens up spaces in which people learn to embrace diversity, think in terms of universality, and collaborate effectively from this perspective. It enables the conscious recognition of our shared humanity and our responsibility for this ONE world.
Comments