BKMC CEO Monika Froehler meets with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi

February 20, 2020
On February 18th, BKMC CEO Monika Froehler made an official visit to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters in Vienna and met with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ During this meeting, CEO Monika Froehler and Program Officer Julia Zimmerman briefed IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi and his team on the works of BKMC and discussed potential avenues of cooperation, particularly related to education and the empowerment of women. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ © Dean Calma / IAEA

BKMC attends the UNESCO Conference on ESD and GCED

July 8, 2019
At the UNESCO Forum on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and Global Citizenship Education (GCED) held on July 2-3, 2019 in Hanoi, Vietnam, BKMC CEO Monika Froehler said:
“In today´s world too many leaders are just focused on their country first. Global citizenship is the opposite. It is putting collaboration before confrontation,” featuring as a speaker on a panel discussion.
With the theme “Learning and Teaching for Peaceful and Sustainable Societies: from early childhood to primary and secondary education,” concerned stakeholders coming from all regions met to learn about and debate on the latest information on the trends, issues and data related to GCED and ESD. ESD and GCED are part of the 2030 Agenda and were built into the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 on education. Target 4.7 prioritizes ESD and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and the appreciation of cultural diversity.
“Set commitments and targets for global citizenship and sustainable development education. Update curricula!”
said H.E. Prof. Dr. Phung Xuan Nha, Minister of Education and Training of Vietnam, who attended the forum.
Froehler pointed out that “the data on GCED and ESD is missing” and that “we need to work together to establish meaningful indicators,”
agreeing to what UNESCO sees as essential to advance a value-based and holistic approach to learning that is truly transformational in taking ESD and GCED forward (UNESCO 2015). For effective teaching and learning, UNESCO stresses that all three learning dimensions need to be developed:
  • Cognitive: To acquire knowledge, understanding and critical thinking about global, regional, national and local issues, the inter-connectedness and inter-dependency of different countries and populations, as well as social, economic and environmental aspects of sustainable development;
  • Social and Emotional: To have a sense of belonging to a common humanity, sharing values and responsibilities, empathy, solidarity and respect for differences and diversity, as well as fell and assume sense of responsibility for the future;
  • Behavioral: To act effectively and responsibly at local, national and global levels for a more peaceful and sustainable world.
Froehler concluded that
“Global Citizenship – no matter which definition you are looking at – always has a component of ‘ACTION’ in it.”
© APCEIU

Ban Ki-moon Centre promotes the SDG 4 in partnership with the GEMS

May 22, 2019
On May 22nd, 2019, the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens signed an MOU with the GEMS Education in Berlin, Germany. Our collaboration with the pioneering education company will specifically focus on the promotion of SG4, quality education and GCED. BKMC Co-chair Ban Ki-moon also accepted the ambassadorship for the Model United Nations (MUN) at GEMS World Academy schools, including GEMS World Academy – Dubai. The former Secretary General will hold this position for 3 years, where he will share his knowledge and expertise with students form all around the world. Co-chair Ban and CEO Monika Fröhler were happy about the outcome of the fruitful meeting and meeting with representatives from the GEMS: Chairman Sunny Varkey, Head of Mergers & Acquisitions, Asad Zafar and Shanta Retnasingam, Special Advisor of the Chairman. Chairman Varkey is also the founder of the Varkey Foundation and the Global Teacher Prize. We’d like to take this opportunity to express our sincere appreciation to the Varkey Foundation that announced to make annual voluntary contributions to the Centre. Learn more: http://www.gemseducation.com/      

Lisbon hosts international conference and workshops on GCED

November 26, 2018
Last week, two events were held on the topic of Global Citizenship Education (GCED) in Lisbon, Portugal. The Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens’ partner UNESCO APCEIU hosted a two-day “2018 Europe and North America Regional Global Citizenship Education Network Meeting” in cooperation with UNESCO and GENE (Global Education Network in Europe) from November 21st to 22nd. On the following day, GENE organized an international conference on “Building a World of Justice and Solidarity: Global Education in the School System” in cooperation with the Portuguese government and UNESCO. The two events gathered educators and researchers from universities and academic institutions, representatives from the ministries of education, stakeholders from inter-governmental organizations and NGOs, and others from different sectors. An interactive platform was provided for the participants to actively share their ideas and expertise on GCED for the successive days. On behalf of the Centre, Associate Minji Kwag presented its work and advocacy for the subject, including its launch of the Global Citizenship Initiatives Portal, an online course on the SDGs and the notion of global citizenship as well as other upcoming courses, the annual Global Engagement and Empowerment Forum that the Centre hosts, and its number of engagements in other meetings and workshops on GCED.
These regional meetings and networking opportunities let the stakeholders seek for the betterment of the education system not only within the region of Europe and North America but across the world, pointing out the need of overall development of the global education system and cooperation between academic, governmental and international actors. The outcomes of the discussions held during the two-day workshop hosted by UNESCO APCEIU will be publicized as a report. The report will show suggestions on how to advance GCED specifically in Europe and North America and how to implement and develop the education into working solutions for global challenges that the world faces. The Final Report – EUNA GCED Network Meeting – Lisbon 2018 is now available. Learn more about UNESCO APCEIU & GENE: – www.unescoapceiu.org/en – www.gene.eu
Photo by: Gustavo Lopes Pereira

Co-chair Ban Ki-moon lectures at Harvard University

October 25, 2018
On November 24th, which is also the United Nations Day, Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens’ Co-chair Ban Ki-moon was invited as a guest lecturer to Professor Fernando Reimers’ International Education Policy class. The week was also the Worldwide Week during which Harvard schools, research centers, student organizations, and departments host academic and cultural events with global themes to showcase the school’s global engagement. As a graduate of Harvard himself, Ban delivered a special lecture on how the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN have been developed and how the international community has faced challenges in achieving the goals. The students discussed how to effectively advance the goals through the education on global citizenship at a time of rising nationalism and intolerance. Professor Reimers is a prominent professor on global citizenship education at Harvard Graduate School of Education. Professor Reimers has taught teachers how to educate global citizens and is the author of multiple books that provide guide for educators to prepare students to know how to reach the SDGs and to be empowered as global citizens. His books can be accessed at: Empowering Global Citizens: https://www.amazon.com/Empowering-Global-Citizens-World-Course-ebook/dp/B01JADAACU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1509291095&sr=8-2&keywords=fernando+reimers Empowering Students to Improve the World: https://www.amazon.com/Empowering-Students-Improve-Lessons-Version/dp/1546456775/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1509291095&sr=8-1&keywords=fernando+reimers  

The Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens partners with UNESCO APCEIU to collaborate on GCED

October 23, 2018
Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens and UNESCO APCEIU (Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding under the auspices of UNESCO) signed an MOU on October 19th, 2018. Both Centres aim to promote global citizenship through education to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The APCEIU organizes annual international conference on Global Citizenship Education (GCED) and provides online courses, workshops, and various other platforms to share their expertise and knowledge on GCED. Last month, the Ban Ki-moon Centre participated in the APCEIU’s 3rd International Conference on GCED; Co-chair Ban Ki-moon delivered congratulatory remarks and CEO Monika Froehler moderated a session on “GCED Talks.” The conference provided “an active platform to promote dialogue and share up-to-date issues and good practices of global citizenship education,” said APCEIU Director Utak Chung. As Co-chair Ban emphasized that “nothing can be done without good education,” both institutions will cooperate to provide quality education on global citizenship. Scholarships, fellowships, workshops, and other academic programs will be jointly initiated to spread the notion of global citizenship with a focus on empowering women and youth across the world. Photo: UNESCO APCEIU

Global Citizenship Initiatives (GCI) Portal is finally launched!

October 3, 2018
The Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens finally launched the Global Citizenship Initiatives (GCI) Portal on its website today! The portal lists fellowships, academic programs, and on-going initiatives for global citizenship world-wide. The portal is for anyone interested in getting to know about global citizenship by taking academic courses and/or by getting involved in the existing initiatives. The users can search for initiatives in different countries and discover how to engage as global citizens. After selecting a country of choice or an online course, one can sort out the programs that fit his or her age group or profession. As the GCI Portal is an active platform to which the users can add other existing initiatives in the world by submitting a feedback form which button is located on the bottom of the portal page. When suggesting an initiative to be included on the portal, the users should fill out the name of the entity, the program name, the location (country), and the website address of the initiative as well as the email address of the contact person or the program’s executive office. With the contributions of global citizens from all over the world, the GCI Portal will grow bigger and bigger and will lead aspiring all the global citizens out there to be more active in achieving the Global Goals and be responsible for making the world better for all. Discover the GCI Portal here: https://bankimooncentre.org/projects/gci-portal

CEO Monika Froehler moderated a plenary session at the GCED conference

September 9, 2018
During the two-day International Conference on GCED held in Seoul, Korea on September 5-6th, 2018, the BKM Centre’s CEO Monika Froehler moderated a plenary session to facilitate and present experts’ talks on global citizenship education. The session invited socially influential people to the stage one by one, who shared their ideas and views on achieving global citizenship. The speakers shared genuine stories about the power of the education on global citizenship that transforms lives. The speakers featured on the plenary session were: Photo: UNESCO APCEIU

Co-chair Ban Ki-moon delivered congratulatory address at the 3rd International Conference on GCED

September 9, 2018
The Centre’s Co-chair Ban Ki-moon delivered congratulatory address at the opening session of the 3rd International Conference on GCED co-organized by UNESCO APCEIU, Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Korea. The conference was on the topic of “Platform on Pedagogy and Practice” with focus on local-contextualization of Global Citizenship Education (GCED).
“As Former Secretary-General (of the UN), I will continue to forge a bright future for next generation. I greatly look forward to future collaboration between my Centre and APCEIU,” said Ban.
Ban emphasized on education on global citizenship in the efforts of achieving the SDGs, concerning 60 million children who are left out of school throughout the world. APCEIU Director Chung Utak also welcomed the conference participants, and Vice Minister Park Chun-ran of the Korean Ministry of Education delivered opening address. The two-day conference consists of panel discussions, various sessions, and workshops with global citizens from all over the world. Photo: UNESCO APCEIU