Empowering Global Citizens - Addressing Challenges of AI and Climate Change for Sustainable Development

The International Forum on Global Citizenship Education (GCED) is a collaborative initiative aimed at advancing global citizenship and sustainable development. It emphasizes the urgent need for transformative education, particularly Global Citizenship Education, to address pressing challenges such as climate change and advancements in Artificial Intelligence. The forum aligns with Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), emphasizing the importance of education in promoting social inclusion, peace, cooperation, and awareness of critical issues like emerging diseases, climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.

SDG 4.7 specifically calls for ensuring that, by 2030, all learners acquire knowledge and skills to promote sustainable development, including global citizenship. The Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens, in collaboration with various partners like governments, UNESCO, the OECD, universities, and other influential entities, organizes this international forum to bring together key decision-makers to address these challenges and promote a just world through education.

This year, 45 students form the Nonprofit, Social, and Health Care Management program had the possibility to attend the International Forum on Global Citizenship Education (GCED) in Salzburg hosted by the Ban Ki-Moon Centre, the Salzburg Global Seminar and the Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations in Vienna. The overall topic of this year’s convention was about GCED in the age of artificial intelligence and climate change. Students were able to follow input from Ban Ki-Moon, the eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations (UNSG) from January 2007 to December 2016, Heinz Fischer, the11^th President of the Republic of Austria (2004 – 2016) and a variety of other international speakers with different backgrounds sharing their thoughts and experiences on future GCED in challenging times.

The study program Nonprofit, Social & Health Care Management tries to implement different aspects of GCED in teaching, research and community engagement, always letting students taking part. The aim is to educate global citizens who contribute to a sustainable future.