Putting Peace and Young People at the Heart of Education Beyond 2030

The 4th Intl. Forum on Global Citizenship Education in Salzburg explored how GCED fosters peace, strengthens partnerships, and shapes education beyond 2030.

SALZBURG, AUSTRIA, November 5, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- With the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals fast approaching, global attention is turning to the future of education beyond 2030. More than 100 participants from politics, formal and non-formal education, youth and civil society gathered at Schloss Leopoldskron, Salzburg, Austria, on 4 November 2026 for the International Forum on Global Citizenship Education, Peace and Partnerships.

Against the backdrop that education is one of the first sectors disrupted by conflict and crisis and 273 million children and young people are out of school worldwide, including 127 million in crisis-affected countries, the Forum explored how Global Citizenship Education (SDG 4.7) can respond to growing fragmentation, polarization, and declining trust, while strengthening social cohesion and dialogue across diverse contexts. Organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, the Ban Ki-moon Foundation, and Salzburg Global, the Forum’s insights and recommendations aim to contribute to global consultation processes on the future of education, including those led by UNESCO.

Opening remarks were delivered by H.E. Ambassador Lee Kyung-ah, Deputy Head of Mission of the Republic of Korea to the International Organizations in Vienna; Benjamin Glahn, Deputy CEO and Managing Director of Programs, at Salzburg Global; H.E. Ban Ki-moon, 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations and Co-chair of the Ban Ki-moon Foundation (video message); Martina von Künsberg Sarre, Member of the Austrian Parliament (NEOS) and H.E. Christoph Wiederkehr, Federal Minister for Education of the Republic of Austria, (video message). The Forum was moderated by Isabella Glady, Design Strategist, International Development and Systems Transformation.

H.E. Ambassador Lee Kyung-ah, Deputy Head of Mission of the Republic of Korea to the International Organizations in Vienna, opened the forum: “Peace is more than the absence of conflict. It requires the ability to listen across differences to understand perspectives beyond our own, and to work together even when we do not agree on everything.”

H.E. Ban Ki-moon, 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations and Co-chair of the Ban Ki-moon Foundation, emphasized Global Citizenship Education's role beyond classrooms in fostering understanding and overcoming divisions. “…Global Citizenship Education has a vital role to play. By fostering empathy, mutual respect, critical thinking and a sense of common humanity, it can help people navigate differences, resist division and contribute to peaceful, inclusive societies.”

The fishbowl discussion “Intergenerational Perspectives on the Future of Education Beyond 2030“, looked at how collaboration across generations can help shape education systems that respond to the challenges facing societies today and in the future. Dr. Heinz Fischer, 11th President of Austria and Co-chair of the Ban Ki-moon Foundation, joined Jakob Mohl, Youth Representative of the Austrian Commission for UNESCO, and Gheida Abdala Omar, Founder of Girls I Save Africa (GiSave), on stage and said: "Throughout my life, I have sought to advance peace through dialogue and cooperation across political and cultural differences. Each generation brings different experiences to this task, but our common goal is to build lasting peace and make equal rights and human dignity a reality for everyone."

Gheida Abdala Omar, Founder, Girls I Save Africa (GiSave) stressed the need to empower young people as active agents of change in education: "Let us create the change we want to see in education using it as a tool to not only prepare young people to succeed in life but also empower young people to question systems.”

Drawing attention to the climate and biodiversity crises, Jakob Mohl, Youth Representative of the Austrian Commission for UNESCO, emphasized the interconnectedness of people, nature and the economy, and the critical role of education in fostering the awareness needed to leave no one behind:
“Humans and nature are not separate systems. Our economy is a way of organizing our relationship with the rest of life, and our well-being depends on making this relationship sustainable. Only when education builds this awareness can we solve the climate and biodiversity crises.” The discussion underscored the importance of listening to young people’s perspectives and ensuring they have a meaningful role in decisions that affect their lives. Too often, young people's needs and priorities are overlooked, particularly in budgetary decisions.

Following the fishbowl discussion, Rina Malagayo Alluri, Assistant Professor and UNESCO Chairholder for Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck, provided participants with input on how fragility, conflict, and violence are reshaping education. She argued that peace education exists beyond conflict-affected contexts and is fundamental to transforming education for a peaceful future. She introduced five pillars to guide the integration of peace education into the Post-2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Recognize Peace Education, Protect Education, Invest in Educators, Make Education Plural and Decolonial, and Sustain Partnerships, ensuring that education serves as a foundation for building peaceful societies.

The afternoon's interactive Shift & Share sessions, during which participants rotated between discussion stations to exchange ideas, share experiences and develop practical recommendations for advancing Global Citizenship Education (GCED) from four different perspectives: Navigating the Age of AI with Rilli Lappalainen, CEO of Bridge 47, Expanding Partnerships for GCED in a Fragmented World with Atsufumi Yokoi, UNESCO Chairholder in Research and Education for Sustainable Development, Okayama University, Engaging Youth-led Initiatives on GCED and Peacebuilding with Lia Holla, Consultant and Former Executive Director International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War Canada, and Leveraging Media for GCED and Peacebuilding with Jade Bowler, “UnJaded Jade” Education Content Creator. The key insights and outcomes of these sessions will be published in a forthcoming outcome paper.

The message emerging from the Forum was clear: education must do more than impart knowledge. It must also equip people to understand their place in an interconnected world, engage constructively across differences and work together towards shared solutions. By placing Global Citizenship Education at the intersection of peace, partnerships and sustainable development, the Forum contributed to the ongoing global conversation about how education can help build a more peaceful future by overcoming fragmentation.

Katharina Choe
Ban Ki-moon Foundation
+43 664 9163287
katharina.choe@bankimoon.org
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