DEFINING THE ROLE OF A GLOBAL CITIZEN

Global Citizenship

Objectives: At the end of the lesson, the students are expected to

1. Articulate a personal definition of global citizenship

2. Appreciate the ethical obligations of global
citizenship Activity: Personal concept map of
global
3. citizenship

Students will engage in a free association exercise of ideas

they associate with “global citizenship.” Based on this, they
will synthesize a personal definition of the concept.
Afterwards, they will list the obligations of a global citizen.

Reading Materials

Carter, April. 2001. “Global Civil Society: Acting as Global Citizens” in The
Political Theory of Global Citizenship. London: Routledge, pp. 147-176.

Introduction

According to the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan people,

today, more than ever before, life must be characterized by a sense of
universal responsibility, not only nation to nation and human to human,
but also human to other forms of life.
 The concept of global citizenship first emerged among the Greek
Cynics in the 4th Century BCE, who coined the term
“cosmopolitan” – meaning citizen of the world. The Stoics later
elaborated on the concept.
 Diogenes of Sinope (412 B.C.) - Diogenes of Sinope, a Cynic philosopher in Ancient
Greece once said: "Asked where he came from, he answered: 'I am a citizen of the world
(kosmopolitês)".
 Kaniyan Poongundran - Kaniyan Poongundran, Tamil poet wrote in Purananuru, "To us
all towns are one, all men our kin."
 Thomas Paine, political philosopher would declare, "my country is the world, and my
religion is to do good.”
 Albert Einstein - described himself as a world citizen and supported the idea throughout
his life,
[47]
famously saying "Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind."
  Garry Davis - lived for 60 years as a citizen of no nation, only the world. Davis founded
the World Service Authority in Washington, DC, which sells World Passports, a fantasy
passport to world citizens.
 Hugh J. Schonfield - In 1956 founded the Commonwealth of World Citizens, later
known by its Esperanto name "Mondcivitana Respubliko", which issued a world
passport.
 Bahá'í Faith – This is a world religion based on the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh who taught
that there is one God and one human family. It promotes the concept that the Earth is but
one country, and mankind its citizens. In 1993, they shared their concept paper during
the 1st session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, New
York, U.S.A.

DEFINING GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP

What is global citizenship?

Global citizenship, also known as world citizenship, refers to the idea that all people have rights
and civic responsibilities because he or she is being a member of the world and not just a citizen
of a particular nation or place. Thus it is his duty to participate in decisions concerning their
lives, including the political, economic, social, cultural and environmental conditions in which
they live.

Global citizenship is all about encouraging young people to develop the knowledge, skills and
values they need to engage with the world equipped with the belief that they can all make a
difference. (Oxfam)

How is global citizenship expressed?

Global citizenship is expressed through engagement in the various communities of which the
individual is a part, at the local, national and global level. It includes the right to challenge
authority and existing power structures, to think, argue and act with the intent of changing the
world. (Michael Byers)

Who is a Global Citizen?

A global citizen is someone who

1. understands interconnectedness, respects and values diversity, has the ability to
challenge injustice, and takes action in personally meaningful ways. (U.S. Fund for
UNICEF)
2. is aware of and understands the wider world - and their place in it. They take an active
role in their community, and work with others to make our planet more equal, fair and
sustainable.
3. take an active part in the emerging world community, and are committed to helping build
this community's values and practices.

Importance of Global Citizenship

1. It encourages individuals to think deeply and critically about what is equitable and
just, and what will minimize harm to our planet.
2. Help people grow more confident in standing up for their beliefs, and more
 skilled in evaluating the ethics and impact of their decisions.
3. It makes us aware of our interconnectedness with people and environments
around the globe and their contribution to a global society and economy.
 4. To learn to respect key universal values such as peace, sustainability and
upholding the rights and dignity of all people.
5. To develop our knowledge, skills, attitudes, values and competencies.
6. It deepen our understanding of the world and their place in it because it gives
real life intercultural experiences to an individual.

Global citizenship helps young people to:

1. Build their own understanding of world events.
2. Think about their values and what's important to them.
3. Take learning into the real world.
4. Challenge ignorance and intolerance.
5. Get involved in their local, national and global communities.
6. Develop an argument and voice their opinions.
7. See that they have power to act and influence the world around them.
8. What's more, global citizenship inspires and informs teachers and parents, too. But above
all, it shows young people that they have a voice. The world may be changing fast, but
they can make a positive difference - and help build a fairer, safer and more secure world
for everyone.

GLOBAL GOALS FOR GLOBAL CITIZENS

Source: https://sustainabilityadvantage.com/2019/07/30/7-ways-companies-can-
contribute-to-the-sdgs/

The global goals which all global citizens are six (6) environmental goals and 11 social and
economic goals. All plans, programs and activities by an individual should be geared towards
realization of these global
Philosophy behind Global Citizenship.

ELS OF CITIZENSHIP

A “citizen” as a member of a community who has rights and

responsibilities. It is possible to be a member of different
communities at the same time, hence, there are different levels
of citizenship. For example, one is a member of local
communities (school, town, city, state), a national community
(country), and an international community (the world) all at
once.

The Circle Map of Citizenship

The difference between a citizen (of the Philippines for example) and a global citizen is that
citizenship is often granted by a government, whereas global citizenship is not. Instead, one can
become a global citizen simply by demonstrating certain characteristics, or habits of mind, body,
and spirit—anyone can become a global citizen.

WORLD CITIZEN

A world citizen is a person who places global citizenship above any nationalistic or local
identities and relationships.

History

Aspects of World Citizenship

1. acceptance of the oneness of the human family

2. equality of the sexes
3. interconnectedness of the nations of 'the earth, our home.'
 4. love of humanity as a whole.
5. promotion of human honor and dignity
6. racial, ethnic, national and religious harmony
7. the desire to serve
8. unity in diversity
9. willingness to sacrifice for the common good.

PERSONALITY TRAITS OF GLOBAL CITIZEN

Studies shows that persons high in global citizenship are also high on the personality traits of
openness to experience and agreeableness from the Big Five Personality Traits which are
openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. They also have a
high in empathy and caring. They care more about international human rights, worldwide
inequality, global poverty and human suffering. They attend more actively to global concerns,
value the lives of all human beings more equally, and give more in time and money to
international humanitarian causes. They tend to be more politically liberal on both domestic and
international issues. They want their countries to do more to alleviate global suffering.

On the other hand, persons low in global citizenship has authoritarian personality, the social
dominance orientation and psychopathy

THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY

"Think globally, act locally" urges people to consider the health of the
entire planet and to take action in their own communities and cities.
Because we are all interconnected, the range of people to whom we have
responsibilities is global in scope.

Patrick Geddes, a Scottish town planner and social activist, biologist,

sociologist, philanthropist coined the original phrase "Think global, act
local". He introduced the concept of region to architecture and planning
and is also known to have coined the term conurbation (merging with the
suburbs of one or more cities). He
believed that people should be working
with the environment, versus working
against it.
Thus, the idea of "think globally, act
locally" is usually attributed to wise
town planning or urban management
making high regards to the health of the
surrounding environment. Thus, he
urged that rural and urban expansion or
businesses when there is a necessity for
expansion to new locations should be
also aware of global communities.
ETHICAL OBLIGATIONS OF GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP

A global citizen is imbued with moral or ethical obligations because we have responsibilities to
others which flow from our interconnectedness. The following are the ethical obligations a global
citizen should possess:

1. A global citizen takes personal responsibility for their decisions, actions and belief.
2. A global citizen obeys rules and laws.
3. A global citizen sets a good example to others.
4. A global citizen helps when the rights of others are violated, no matter where in the
world they live.
5. A global citizen helps build his community's values and practices.
6. A global citizen acts in a principled and honorable way.
7. A global citizen should be knowledgeable about public affairs.
8. A global citizen votes in elections.
9. A global citizen should be involved in their community’s affairs.
10. A global citizen should seek to understand and embrace the world as it is while
working diligently and joyfully to make it better.

Global Citizenship versus Culture

 1. A global citizen cannot be a culture advocate. This refers to the right for an
individual to act in a certain way depending on the society to which he belongs.
Example: Is it right in Somalia to practice female genital mutilation (FGM)
because in Canada it is considered anathema (abhorrent, hateful, repugnant) and
illegal?
2. A global citizen have obligations to people in other parts of the world. This
refers to the nature and extent of his ethical obligations to the world in general or
to people beyond our borders. Further, this means that if one can prevent
something bad from happening at the cost of something less bad, one ought to do
it. Example: If I am walking past a beach and see a child drowning, I ought to
wade in and pull the child out. But this will mean getting my clothes wet, but this
is insignificant compared to the death of the child. But one may act and admit that
there are limits of his ethical obligations to the world such as:
a. The primary responsibility for meeting basic human needs of one’s country
itself before others.
b. The need do only her or his fair share and asking why only his fair share, and
what in any event does "fair share" mean
c. Highest duties to those to whom we are closest compared to those who are far
away which means that that our ethical obligations to other people who are far
away should not trump our concerns for our family, friends, country.

Role of a global citizen

A responsible global citizenship should make best efforts to understand global issues, to act with
sensitivity about them, and to change ourselves and our world for the better. He or she believes
that one should know the world, change the world, so it will change us. Example of roles of a
global citizen:
1. Cultivating awareness of global issues to inform and sensitize one’s thoughts and
choices. Example: She does her best to understand the world through reading,
documentaries, and travel, as she wants to be a responsible global citizen.
2. Considering one’s actions and their consequences in a global
context. Example: As green social entrepreneurs, they incorporated the principles of
responsible global citizenship into their business plan.
3. Putting informed compassion into action in ways that benefit another part of the world
or a cause that serves everyone.
Example: They spent six months volunteering abroad as a practice of responsible global
citizenship, and then planted trees to offset the carbon footprint of their flights.

Three Aspects of Responsible Global Citizenship

In an age of globalization people has the responsibility to do the best in all three of these areas of
global citizenship. These are:
1. Global Awareness. This refers to understanding our world and our impacts within it by
paying attention to help us develop understanding. We must make it a practice to look
around, to open our eyes to both the beauty and the pain that fills our world. We must
understand the most important global issues of our times: ecological, social, cultural,
political, economic, and so on.
2. Global Sensitivity. This refers to opening ourselves to the experiences of other by
feeling more empathy for other people and other creatures and feeling more connected
with all of life.
3. Compassionate Action. This means navigating life with attention and caring by
conducting all those activities with the awareness and sensitivity that awakens the natural
force of compassion.
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