About

Nominations are open for the UNESCO Prize for Global Citizenship Education to promote the visibility and recognition of projects and initiatives in the field of GCED from around the world.

Global citizenship education (GCED) has a critical role to play in transforming education to help address these issues and the root causes of violence, and create more just, healthy, and peaceful societies. If achieved on a broad scale, GCED has the potential to impact future generations’ attitudes, skills, and priorities in a way that contributes to peace. 

To help address inequalities and inequities and constructively work together to contribute to solutions, GCED builds cognitive, behavioural, and social and emotional skills to foster competencies for people to understand the connections between global, national and local developments. Applying GCED means bringing multiple stakeholders together from various levels and types of education, formal and informal, to help ensure that every learner can receive an education that: 

• is embedded with principles of respect for human rights

• fosters agency to redress inequities and injustice

• promotes inclusivity and reconciliation

• prevents violence, bullying, hate speech and discrimination

• fosters critical thinking, and

• promotes working together across groups and disciplines to find common solutions to local, national and global challenges. 

Categories

• The prize will be awarded every two years and recognizes outstanding efforts in promoting and advancing GCED through two categories: 

  • Youth-led organisations

  • Other: individuals, institutions, non-governmental organisations and other entities. 

Prize Information

• An international jury will select two best projects, one per category. Each prize winner will be awarded 50,000 USD. 

Selection Criteria

• Collaboration: The design and delivery of the initiative effectively engages relevant community members and relevant stakeholder groups, and partner organizations.

• Application of GCED: The initiative makes efforts to embed as many of the following principles in its approach, methodology, and activities:

  • Human-rights based,

  • Promoting non-discrimination,

  • Increasing access to education of good quality,

  • Instilling an ethic of care, compassion, and solidarity,

  • Advancing gender equality,

  • Promoting education that is equitable, inclusive, and respectful of diversity and knowledge of history, traditions, language, and culture.

• Evidence of progress: The programme/project shows proof of progress and impact.

• Innovation: The project demonstrates an innovative approach to GCED. Innovative features are concerned with new/original ideas, solutions, approaches, methods, devices and perspectives, or new ways of adapting traditional ones which can add value and make a concrete impact.

Eligibility

• To apply for the category “Youth-led organization”: The applicant must be:

  • An organization that is led by individual(s) aged between 18-30 years old

• To apply for the “Other” category: The applicant can be either an:

  • Individual,

  • Institution,

  • Non-governmental organization, or

  • other entity.

• The initiative must be: 

  • Relevant to GCED

  • The initiative should have been implemented for at least 1 year with evidence of concrete activities

  • The project and its organization should not be affiliated with, or receive any funding from, UNESCO

  • Be nominated by either a UNESCO National Commission or an NGO in official relation with UNESCO.

Post Date: June 25, 2025