More about UNESCO's forthcoming GCE Decade

I wrote the other day about UNESCO's latest enthusiasm: Global Citizenship Education [ GCE ].  I've read the report: tedious stuff, mostly; full of long lists of things like:

1. Key Learner Attributes

Informed and critically literate

• Know about local, national and global issues, governance systems and structures
• Understand the interdependence and connections of global and local concerns
• Develop skills for critical inquiry and analysis

Socially connected and respectful of diversity

• Cultivate and manage identities, relationships and feeling of belongingness
• Share values and responsibilities based on human rights
• Develop attitudes to appreciate and respect differences and diversity

Ethically responsible and engaged

• Enact appropriate skills, values, beliefs and attitudes
• Demonstrate personal and social responsibility for a peaceful and sustainable world
• Develop motivation and willingness to care for the common good

2. Key learning outcomes

Cognitive

• Learners acquire knowledge and understanding of local, national and global issues and the interconnectedness and interdependency of different countries and populations
• Learners develop skills for critical thinking and analysis

Socio-Emotional

• Learners experience a sense of belonging to a common humanity, sharing values and responsibilities, based on human rights
• Learners develop attitudes of empathy, solidarity and respect for differences and diversity

Behavioural

• Learners act effectively and responsibly at local, national and global levels for a more peaceful and sustainable world
• Learners develop motivation and willingness to take necessary actions

3. Aims

GCE aims to enable learners to:

• develop an understanding of global governance structures, rights and responsibilities, global issues and connections between global, national and local systems and processes;
• recognise and appreciate difference and multiple identities, e.g. culture, language, religion, gender and our common humanity, and develop skills for living in an increasingly diverse world;
• develop and apply critical skills for civic literacy, e.g. critical inquiry, information technology, media literacy, critical thinking, decision-making, problem solving, negotiation, peace building and personal and social responsibility;
• recognise and examine beliefs and values and how they influence political and social decision-making, perceptions about social justice and civic engagement;
• develop attitudes of care and empathy for others and the environment and respect for diversity;
• develop values of fairness and social justice, and skills to critically analyse inequalities based on gender, socio-economic status, culture, religion, age and other issues;
• participate in, and contribute to, contemporary global issues at local, national and global levels as informed, engaged, responsible and responsive global citizens.

4. Learning Objectives

As you will find these (in small print) across 10 pages (31 to 40 if you're interested), I'll not trouble to add them here, save to mention the page of 'key words':

"This table presents an indicative list of key words that can be used as a basis for discussion and activities related to the learning objectives outlined above. They are thematically organized in an indicative manner.  Many of these issues are interconnected and relate to more than one of the topics and learning objectives presented earlier. Other global issues and issues relevant to specific contexts can also be added to the list as necessary."

I'm afraid that it goes on and on and on like this.  No doubt much time was spend in hotels working all these out, many AirMiles were squirrelled away, and solidarity was cemented, but really to what end?