Fernando M. Reimers et a1.

Why Is Global Citizenship Important in the Twenty-
First Century?

In addition to the long roots underlying the desire to help students devel—
op cosmopolitanism discussed earlier, there are new and emerging motiva—
tions. This section expands upon the familiar reasons for global education
introduced in the preceding section, the promotion of peace and sustain—
ability, the sustenance of global compacts, and the generation of oppor—
tunities for individuals and nations, which range from the opportunity
to access humankind’s cultural heritage to the opportunity to prepare to
obtain jobs in a highly globalized economy. A subsequent section will ex~

amine new rationales.

GLOBAL CITIZENS MITIGATE GLOBAL RISK

In the aftermath of World War II, after more than fifty million lives had
been lost, after the first and only instances of nuclear warfare, and after the
victors, rather than forging even closer bonds, began carving up the world
on either side of the Iron Curtain, a group of individuals~representatives
from over fifty countries~——came together to imagine a series of institutions
that would help ensure that another war of this devastating scope never took
place again (UN, 2012). The United Nations (UN) was born out of a hope
to sow seeds of peace and cooperation among the countries of the world and
to unite humanity in a common cause. Those who led its creation expressed
a desire for a new kind of citizen—a global citizen—who would balance
his personal and state’s interests with the needs and practicalities of a glob—
al world order. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) crystalized, in the preamble to its constitution,
the idea that peace and stability are ensured not only by treaties and military
clout but also—and primarily—by the attitudes and beliefs of individuals:
“since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the
defences of peace must be constructed” (UNESCO, 2012).

The need for global citizens who are the defenders of peace has not
diminished in the intervening decades. Today’s wars are neither easily

xxxiv