In the open and connected world of today in which areas are highly interdependent and in which we are kept up to date daily by the media about what is happening elsewhere, global involvement is virtually inevitable. Shielding oneself from information about international developments is more likely to lead to reflexes of fear and distrust. But how do you flesh out this global involvement? What possibilities for action are there for global citizens?

The United Nations is not a global government but it does form a context within which countries, social organizations and sometimes also large companies work together to steer international development in the right direction. As citizens of our own country, we can critically monitor the position our government takes in international cooperation. We can also support organizations committed to development, the environment or human rights on a global scale. In addition, we can try to be aware of our daily choices in the sphere of consumption and lifestyle (for instance the possibility of buying fair trade products or reducing energy consumption).

Education for global citizenship must also cover the way in which everyone deals with the effects of global involvement in their own lives. How do we access information and is this information unbiased? What examples are there of local or international groups campaigning for development, human rights or sustainability and in what ways do they achieve success? How do we cope with feelings of guilt and how do we create for ourselves meaningful ways of involvement? Discussing such questions is very important because it enables one to make a balanced assessment of one’s own position and ambitions as a global citizen.

Three aspects have been selected to illustrate the theme of global citizenship:

• The international political community and the activities it undertakes to address issues of development, security, sustainability and human rights. Window chosen: the United Nations.
• The possibilities as a global citizen to make a personal contribution, by means of consumption and lifestyle, towards fighting poverty, a cleaner environment or better compliance with human rights. Window chosen: the Max Havelaar Fairtrade Certification Mark.
• The role of the modern media, in particular television and the internet, as windows on the world enabling citizens to form a well-founded opinion about international developments, while at the same time being alert to the cultural and political bias of the image presented by these media. Window chosen: Al Jazeera.