Cootehill native Ruairí McKiernan, CEO of the Irish Development Education Association (IDEA), has just returned from Seoul, South Korea, where he was the only Irish speaker at a major international conference on peace, democracy, and education.
The event brought together over 350 delegates from 51 countries, including educators, peacebuilders, government representatives, and NGOs.
Global Citizenship Education is about preparing people, especially young people, to understand their place in the wider world, to see how global issues are interconnected, and to learn how to take action to effect positive change.
In Ireland, this work is delivered through schools, higher education, youth and community groups, and civil society organisations.
In his speech in Seoul, McKiernan shared his own perspective of growing up near the border during the Troubles: "We are living in turbulent times, with democracy under threat and autocracy on the rise. Around the world, wars are raging, and too often militarism is being chosen over dialogue and cooperation. Our democracies are far from perfect and need to improve radically, but we cannot take them for granted - nor the hard-won peace on this island that others fought so hard to secure. Across the globe, anger and division are growing, fuelled in part by deep inequality and by the algorithms of social media.
"That is why we must keep working for peace, for community, for dialogue, for social cohesion, and for a more compassionate society. Education has a vital role to play in this - shaping critical thinking, creating space for discussion and debate, and helping people work together for a fairer future, regardless of background, belief, or tradition."
