Global citizenship facts for kids
Global citizenship is the idea that everyone is a member of the world. It means that all people have duties and rights, no matter what country they come from. This doesn't mean you give up your own country's identity. Instead, it means you also see yourself as part of a bigger, global community. This idea makes us think about how the world works in a time of globalization.
Often, "global citizenship" means the same as "world citizen" or cosmopolitan. But it also has special meanings in different areas. Groups like the World Service Authority have supported the idea of global citizenship.
Contents
How Global Citizenship is Used
In Education
In schools, global citizenship often means a way of looking at the world or a set of values that education tries to teach. For example, the United Nations' Global Education First Initiative focuses on this. The term "global society" sometimes refers to learning goals in global studies. These goals help students get ready for global citizenship.
Teaching Global Citizenship
In schools, the idea of global citizenship education (GCED) is becoming very important. It includes ideas from multicultural education, peace education, human rights education, Education for Sustainable Development, and international education. Teachers are seen as people who can help bring about social change. Audrey Osler, from the University of Leeds, says that "Education for living together in an interdependent world is not an optional extra, but an essential foundation."
As GCED grows, experts are studying it and creating different ideas. Here are some common ways of looking at it:
- Being Active and Making Change. Being a citizen means having rights and duties. So, GCED should encourage students to be active. It can teach students to think critically and to make changes. This means students should think, feel, and act. Teachers can present social issues in a fair way. Students can then understand, deal with, and act on these issues.
- Thinking Globally. Graham Pike and David Selby see GCED as having two parts. The first part, "Worldmindedness," means understanding the world as one system. It means thinking about the planet's needs along with individual countries' interests. The second part, Child-centeredness, is a teaching method. It lets students explore and discover on their own. It also treats each student as a unique person with their own beliefs and talents.
- Understanding the Whole World. Merry Merryfield created this idea. It focuses on understanding yourself in relation to the global community. This way of teaching includes human values, global systems, world issues, history, cross-cultural understandings, and developing analytical and evaluative skills.
In Philosophy
Sometimes, global citizenship refers to a way of thinking about ethics or politics. It suggests that today's big social, political, economic, and environmental problems should be solved globally. This means individuals, groups, communities, and countries should all work together. It's a broad view that sees everything as connected. Political borders become less important. Solutions to problems are seen as bigger than just one country's interests.
People who support this idea often point to Diogenes of Sinope (around 412 B.C.). He reportedly said, "I am a citizen of the world (κοσμοπολίτης, cosmopolites)." This was his answer when asked where he was from. A Tamil saying, Yadhum oore yaavarum kelir, means "the world is one family." This saying is not just about peace. It's about the truth that the whole world must live together like a family.
Psychological Studies
Researchers have studied how people feel about global citizenship. Since 2005, the World Values Survey (WVS) has asked people in nearly 100 countries, "I see myself as a world citizen." In a survey from 2010 to 2014, about 29.5% "strongly agreed" and 41% "agreed" with this. But there were big differences between countries. For example, 71% in Qatar strongly agreed, but only 21% in the U.S. and 11% in Palestine did. It's hard to understand these differences fully, as survey methods and the meaning of "world citizen" can change in different languages.
For smaller studies, several ways to measure global citizenship have been made. These include scales by Sam McFarland, Anna Malsch and Alan Omoto, Gerhard Reese, and Stephen Reysen and Katzarska-Miller. These measures are similar but not exactly the same.
Studies on the psychological roots of global citizenship found that people who feel more like global citizens are also more open to new experiences and more agreeable. They also show more empathy and caring. On the other hand, people who are more authoritarian or socially dominant tend to identify less with all humanity. Some of these traits are influenced by genes and early life. These influences likely affect how open people are to identifying with all humans.
Research shows that people who strongly identify with all humanity are less prejudiced. They care more about international human rights, global inequality, poverty, and suffering. They pay more attention to global issues. They value all human lives equally. They also give more time and money to help people around the world. They tend to be more politically liberal on both national and international issues. They want their countries to do more to ease global suffering.
Researchers Reysen and Katzarska-Miller created a model. It shows what leads to global citizenship identification and what comes from it. Your environment (culture, people, things that promote seeing yourself as a global citizen) and global awareness (feeling knowledgeable and connected to others) predict how much you identify as a global citizen. This identification then leads to six types of helpful behaviors and values. These include: empathy for other groups, valuing diversity, social justice, environmental sustainability, helping other groups, and feeling a responsibility to act. Later research looked at other things that influence this model, like college courses, professors' attitudes, and social media use.
In 2019, a review of all studies on the psychology of global human identification and citizenship was published.
Different Sides of Global Citizenship
Geography, Countries, and Citizenship
As globalization makes nation-states less important, the idea of global citizenship might change how we connect civic action and geography. Face-to-face meetings are being replaced by online "town halls" that aren't limited by space or time. Voting from another country is now common. The internet could take this even further. Some experts also think that citizenship itself is changing. Even if it's still tied to national borders, if the meaning of "national" changes, then being a citizen of that nation also changes.
Human Rights
Because there isn't one world government, global citizens themselves might need to create rights and duties. Rights and duties that came with the creation of countries (like the right to vote or duty to serve in war) are now expanding. New ideas about "human rights" that appeared in the 20th century are now becoming universal across nations. This is due to many things. These include the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations in 1948. It also includes the aftermath of World War II and the Holocaust. There's also a growing feeling that marginalized people should have their rights recognized. When we add our growing awareness of our impact on the environment, there's a rising feeling that citizen rights should include the right to dignity and self-determination. If national citizenship doesn't support these new rights, then global citizenship might seem more fitting.
UN General Assembly and Human Rights
On December 10, 1948, the UN General Assembly passed Resolution 217A (III). This is also known as "The Universal Declaration of Human Rights".
- Article 1 says: "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood."
- Article 2 says: "Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinions, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty."
- Article 13(2) says: "Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country."
Today, events like the Trial of Saddam Hussein show what British lawyer A. V. Dicey said in 1885. He made the phrase "rule of law" popular. Dicey stressed three parts of the rule of law:
- No one can be punished unless they break a law that is proven in a normal court.
- No one is above the law. Everyone is equal before the law, no matter their social, economic, or political status.
- The rule of law includes the results of court decisions that determine people's rights.
US Declaration of Independence
The start of the United States Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776, says:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed;
Former U.S. President Barack Obama used the term "Global citizenship in the United States" in a 2008 speech in Berlin.
Social Movements
World Citizen
A world citizen is someone who puts global citizenship above their national or local identities. An early example is Diogenes of Sinope (around 412 B.C.), a philosopher in Ancient Greece. When asked where he was from, he said: "I am a citizen of the world (kosmopolitês)." This was a new idea. At that time, social identity in Greece was usually tied to a city-state or to Greeks as a group. The Tamil poet Kaniyan Poongundran wrote, "To us all towns are one, all men our kin." Later, political thinker Thomas Paine said, "my country is the world, and my religion is to do good." Today, as globalization increases, a "world citizen" social movement has formed. It aims for a proposed world government. In a non-political sense, a world citizen can help society by using knowledge gained from different cultures. Many people also feel like world citizens because they feel at home wherever they go.
Albert Einstein called himself a world citizen. He supported the idea throughout his life. He famously said, "Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind." Many famous people have promoted world citizenship. This includes Garry Davis, who lived for 60 years as a citizen of the world, not of any nation. Davis started the World Service Authority in Washington, DC. It sells World Passports, which are like a fantasy passport for world citizens. In 1956, Hugh J. Schonfield founded the Commonwealth of World Citizens. It was later known by its Esperanto name "Mondcivitana Respubliko." It also issued a world passport but became less active after the 1980s.
The Baháʼí Faith promotes this idea. Its founder said in the late 19th century, "The Earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens." The Baháʼí International Community defined world citizenship in a paper in 1993. It said: "World citizenship begins with accepting that all humans are one family. It also means seeing the nations of 'the earth, our home' as connected. While it encourages a healthy love for one's country, it also insists on a wider loyalty, a love for all humanity. However, it does not mean giving up loyalties, stopping cultural diversity, ending national independence, or forcing everyone to be the same. Its main idea is 'unity in diversity.' World citizenship includes fairness for all people and nations. It also includes making decisions together, equality for men and women, harmony among races, ethnic groups, nations, and religions. It means being willing to sacrifice for the common good. Other parts of world citizenship—like promoting human honor, understanding, friendship, cooperation, trustworthiness, compassion, and wanting to serve—come from these ideas."
Mundialization
Philosophically, mundialization (French, mondialisation) is seen as a way to respond to globalization. It aims to prevent globalization from making things less human. An early use of mondialisation was when a city or local government declared itself a "world citizen" city. This was done by voting for a charter that showed awareness of global problems and a shared sense of responsibility. Garry Davis, a self-declared World Citizen, promoted this idea in 1949. He saw it as a logical step from individuals declaring themselves world citizens. Robert Sarrazac, a former leader of the French Resistance, also promoted it. He created the Human Front of World Citizens in 1945.
The first city to officially become "mundialised" was Cahors, a small French city, on July 20, 1949. Hundreds of cities became mundialised over a few years, mostly in France. Then it spread internationally to many German cities, and to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In less than a year, ten General Councils (elected councils in French "Départements") and hundreds of French cities covering 3.4 million people voted for mundialisation charters. One goal was to elect one delegate per million people to a People's World Constitutional Convention. This was because the United Nations had not yet created a global group that could negotiate lasting world peace. Today, over 1,000 cities and towns have declared themselves World cities. These include Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Philadelphia, Toronto, Hiroshima, Tokyo, Nivelles, and Königswinter.
As a social movement, mundialization shows the unity of people around the world. It aims to create supranational laws and organizations with a federative structure. This would respect different cultures and peoples. The movement supports a new political system for all humanity. This would involve giving some parts of national sovereignty to a Federal World Authority, Federal World Government, and Federal World Court. Supporters hope that this system, based on the will of the people, could find the best solutions from all humanity. It could solve major global problems like hunger, access to water, war, peace-keeping, pollution, and energy. The mundialization movement includes declaring a specific area – like a city, town, or state – as world territory. This comes with responsibilities and rights on a world scale. Currently, the system of nation-states and the United Nations do not allow people to vote for world officials or take part in governing our world. International treaties are binding globally, but they are not always automatically enforced by every country's laws. Mundialization tries to fix this. It offers a way to build a system of true World Law, one city at a time. This law would be based on the power of the whole world.
Earth Anthem
Author and politician Shashi Tharoor believes that an Earth Anthem sung worldwide can inspire planetary consciousness and global citizenship.
Criticisms
Not everyone sees global citizenship in a positive light. For example, Bhikhu Chotalal Parekh supports what he calls globally oriented citizenship. He says, "If global citizenship means being a citizen of the world, it is neither practical nor desirable." He argues that global citizenship, if it means being a member of a worldwide government, is not practical. He also says it would be "remote, bureaucratic, oppressive, and culturally bland." Parekh offers his own idea: "Since the conditions of life of our fellow human beings in distant parts of the world should concern us deeply, our citizenship has a global side. We should aim to become what I might call a globally oriented citizen." Parekh's idea means identifying with and strengthening your local community. At the same time, you recognize and act on your duties towards others around the world.
Michael Byers, a professor at the University of British Columbia, questions if there is only one meaning for global citizenship. He asks, "What, if anything, does it really mean? Is global citizenship just the latest buzzword?" Byers points out that stateless persons should be prime candidates for global citizenship. Yet, they still live without basic freedoms and citizenship rights. Byers does not oppose global citizenship. However, he criticizes how the term might be used. For example, it could support a "ruthlessly capitalist economic system." Byers says global citizenship is a "powerful term" because "people that use it do so to cause and justify action." He encourages people to use it for a positive purpose, based on good values.
These criticisms of global citizenship are not new. Gouverneur Morris, a delegate to the Constitutional Convention (United States), criticized "citizens of the world" on August 9, 1787:
As to those philosophical gentlemen, those Citizens of the World as they call themselves, He owned he did not wish to see any of them in our public Councils. He would not trust them. The men who can shake off their attachments to their own Country can never love any other. These attachments are the wholesome prejudices which uphold all Governments, Admit a Frenchman into your Senate, and he will study to increase the commerce of France: an Englishman, and he will feel an equal bias in favor of that of England.
See also
In Spanish: Ciudadano del mundo para niños
