With design features from © 2013, U.S. Fund for UNICEF.

with design features from

© 2013, U.S. Fund for UNICEF

GLOBAL CITIZEN

I heard that I could be I heard that I could be a global citizen. You a global citizen. You

talk about that stuff a talk about that stuff a lot, so can I ask you lot, so can I ask you

some questions about some questions about it?it?

Sure, like Sure, like what?what?

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Why should Why should I care about I care about

being a being a global global

citizen?citizen?

You have globally-You have globally-recognized recognized rightsrights

that become that become stronger when you stronger when you

use them.use them.

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To live peacefully To live peacefully in an in an

interconnected interconnected world, you have a world, you have a responsibilityresponsibility to to

care about others care about others and treat them and treat them

with dignity.with dignity.

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And your And your participationparticipation as a as a

global citizen global citizen benefits everyone benefits everyone and makes your and makes your world a better world a better

place.place.

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But I don’t But I don’t have a have a

passport passport that says that says “Global “Global Citizen!”Citizen!”

Citizenship’s Citizenship’s more than that. more than that.

It’s a state of It’s a state of mind and a way mind and a way

of treating of treating people, whether people, whether

they’re right next they’re right next door or across door or across

the world.the world.

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OK, then OK, then what’s it what’s it

based on?based on?

Many things, Many things, actually. People like actually. People like

you and me have you and me have been global citizens been global citizens

ever since they ever since they started interacting started interacting with others in other with others in other

countries!countries!

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And there’s a whole And there’s a whole history of laws and history of laws and

documents that documents that spell out the spell out the

concept (but we’ll concept (but we’ll get into those get into those

later).later).

I can wait.I can wait.How does How does

global global citizenship citizenship

relate to relate to realreal life, to my life?life, to my life?

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Well, real life Well, real life involves real involves real

challenges that challenges that affect us all and affect us all and

are too big for any are too big for any one country to one country to tackle alone. It tackle alone. It

always has.always has.

Take peace: Take peace: No single No single

country can country can achieve achieve

international international peace by peace by itself. Not itself. Not

then, not now, then, not now, not ever.not ever.Then there’s Then there’s

poverty, poverty, discrimination, discrimination,

health, education … health, education … the list goes on and the list goes on and

on.on.

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As long as these have As long as these have been recognized as been recognized as challenges, global challenges, global

citizens have acted to citizens have acted to solve them. They’ve solve them. They’ve

acted to protect acted to protect everyone’s rights.everyone’s rights.

And they And they still do.still do.

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I can join a I can join a long and long and

proud proud tradition, tradition,

then!then!

Yes, and it’s more Yes, and it’s more important now—in important now—in the 21st century—the 21st century—than ever before. than ever before. And you can be a And you can be a

more effective more effective global citizen now global citizen now than at any other than at any other time in history.time in history.

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That’s because of That’s because of three things: the three things: the United Nations; United Nations;

international human international human rights law; and some rights law; and some recent developments recent developments

in our world.in our world.

What’s What’s important to important to

know about the know about the United United

Nations?Nations?

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That it was That it was founded in founded in

reaction to the reaction to the failure of the failure of the

League of League of Nations to Nations to

prevent World prevent World War II?War II?Yes.Yes.

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Yes.Yes.

That it promotes That it promotes peace, human peace, human dignity, and dignity, and

agreement on agreement on matters of matters of

common concern?common concern?

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Yes, in the Yes, in the UN Charter.UN Charter.

That it was agreed That it was agreed to by to by

representatives of representatives of the UN’s member the UN’s member

states—that is, states—that is, the world’s the world’s

countries—in countries—in 1945?1945?

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Does the UN Does the UN Charter talk Charter talk about global about global citizenship?citizenship?

Not directly. The Not directly. The UN Charter is the UN Charter is the agreement signed agreement signed by the original 51 by the original 51 member states member states outlining their outlining their

duties as duties as participants in a participants in a

world community.world community.

The ones doing The ones doing the creating the creating

are the people, are the people, not the not the

countries. countries.

Look at the opening Look at the opening words: “We thewords: “We thepeoples of the peoples of the

United Nations …” United Nations …” Why do you think Why do you think that phrasing is that phrasing is

significant?significant? Sounds like Sounds like they are they are global global

citizens!citizens!

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What about What about international international law? What’s law? What’s

that?that?

Simply put, it’s Simply put, it’s a set of rules a set of rules that countries that countries

follow in follow in dealing with dealing with each other.each other.

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Is it written Is it written by the UN, by the UN,

and can the and can the UN force UN force

nations to nations to obey?obey?

No, and no. It’s often No, and no. It’s often coordinated by the coordinated by the UN, but it’s written UN, but it’s written and agreed to by and agreed to by

countries that see it countries that see it in their interest to in their interest to

comply.comply.The UN can’t The UN can’t force them to force them to do much of do much of anything.anything.

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So how does So how does international international

human human rights law rights law advance advance global global

citizenship?citizenship?

Let’s look at an Let’s look at an example:example:

The Universal The Universal Declaration ofDeclaration ofHuman Rights.Human Rights.

And at another And at another example:example:

The Convention The Convention on the Rightson the Rightsof the Child.of the Child.

What’s the What’s the Universal Universal

Declaration Declaration of Human of Human

Rights Rights (UDHR)?(UDHR)?

GLOBAL CITIZEN

The first global The first global expression, in expression, in 1948, of the 1948, of the

rights to which all rights to which all human beings human beings are entitled,are entitled,

such as …such as …Equality before Equality before

the law.the law.

Protection Protection against being against being

enslaved.enslaved.The rights to an The rights to an edu-cation & edu-cation & healthcare.healthcare.

What’s the What’s the Convention Convention

on the on the Rights of Rights of the Child the Child (CRC)?(CRC)?

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A document A document adopted by the adopted by the UN in 1989 that UN in 1989 that

set out the set out the special rights of special rights of children, such as children, such as

……The right to live with a The right to live with a family who cares for family who cares for

you.you.Protection Protection against the against the

effects of war.effects of war.The right to The right to

play and rest.play and rest.

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The CRC is the The CRC is the most widely most widely

accepted human accepted human rights treaty in rights treaty in

the world. It was the world. It was ratified by 193 of ratified by 193 of

196 member 196 member states.states.

Click here for discussio

n prompt!

GLOBAL CITIZEN

So how does So how does international international human rights human rights law advance law advance

global global citizenship?citizenship?

Citizenship Citizenship means means

membership in membership in a community a community

with rights and with rights and responsibilities.responsibilities.

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With a With a responsibility to responsibility to

defend the defend the rights of rights of citizens, citizens, globally!globally!

With the UDHR With the UDHR and CRC setting and CRC setting

out rights for out rights for the global the global

community, community, members of that members of that

community community must be global must be global

citizens.citizens.

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What about What about those “recent those “recent developments developments in our world”?in our world”?

Right, let’s talk Right, let’s talk first about first about economic economic

developments.developments.……

OK, so I’ve OK, so I’ve heard about heard about

“globalization.“globalization.” What’s that?” What’s that?

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Think of it this Think of it this way: The way: The

countries of the countries of the world exported world exported 245 times as 245 times as

much in 2010 as much in 2010 as they did in 1950.they did in 1950.

A big reason A big reason for that is for that is because because

tariffs—taxes tariffs—taxes on imports—on imports—have been have been drastically drastically reduced reduced

during that during that time.time.

That’s just one way That’s just one way the economy has the economy has

become become “globalized.”“globalized.”

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Global Global citizens, citizens,

economy … economy … what’s the what’s the

connection?connection?

As global citizens, we As global citizens, we expect the global expect the global

economy to benefit us economy to benefit us all.all.But if it did, But if it did,

wouldn’t wouldn’t poverty be poverty be

eliminated? That eliminated? That sure hasn’t sure hasn’t

happened yet.happened yet.Click here for real world documents about this!

GLOBAL CITIZEN

We have an interest We have an interest and responsibility in and responsibility in acting to make the acting to make the

global economy global economy benefit everyone benefit everyone

fairly … that’s fairly … that’s global citizenship!global citizenship!

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Got it.Got it.What other What other

developments developments make global make global citizenship citizenship

more more important important

today?today?

Let’s start with Let’s start with technology. technology. How’s the How’s the

world different world different technologically technologically

now than in now than in 1950?1950?

GLOBAL CITIZEN

Well, we have Well, we have digital digital

technology, technology, like computers like computers

and mobile and mobile phones.phones.

We also have We also have much-improved much-improved communicationcommunication

s, due to s, due to satellites, wi-fi, satellites, wi-fi,

and the and the Internet.…Internet.…

And transportation And transportation is faster and is faster and

cheaper than ever, cheaper than ever, too!too!

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OK, technology OK, technology has improved. has improved.

What’s the What’s the connection?connection?

This This technological technological revolution has revolution has caused us to caused us to

be more be more interconnected interconnected

and and empowered empowered than ever than ever before.before.

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We can easily We can easily communicate with communicate with

people almost people almost anywhere on the anywhere on the

planet.planet.

We learn We learn about news about news half a world half a world away in an away in an

instant.instant.Faster Faster

communication communication allows us to learn allows us to learn more easily about more easily about injustice, which we injustice, which we can then challenge can then challenge

more readily.more readily.

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STUDENTS: How STUDENTS: How can you use can you use

technology to be technology to be a global citizen?a global citizen?

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What about What about environmental environmental developments? developments?

How do they How do they relate to global relate to global

citizenship?citizenship?

With greater With greater economic economic

development, development, the the

environment environment we all share is we all share is increasingly increasingly threatened.threatened.

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The great majority of The great majority of scientists agree that scientists agree that

global climate change is global climate change is influenced by human influenced by human

industrial activity. This industrial activity. This results in the spreading results in the spreading of desert regions and of desert regions and

rising sea levels.rising sea levels.

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And air and sea And air and sea currents move currents move

pollution from one pollution from one place all around the place all around the

globe.globe.So there’s more So there’s more

reason than ever to reason than ever to be an active global be an active global

citizen and have a say citizen and have a say in how we protect our in how we protect our

environment!environment!

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Being a global Being a global citizen citizen is is

important.important.And it’s more And it’s more essential now essential now

than ever than ever before!before!

Absolutely!Absolutely!It benefits you It benefits you and the world. and the world. Keep learning Keep learning more about it, more about it, and you’ll see!and you’ll see!