Sri Lanka UN Mission co-hosts event on ‘STEAM Education for Global Citizenship to Achieve the SDGs’

The Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in New York along with the Permanent Missions of the Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, and Qatar recently co-hosted an event entitled “STEAM Education for Global Citizenship to achieve the SDGs”.

The event, which was organised in partnership with IVECA International Virtual School, the Permanent Missions of the Republic of Korea, Tunisia, Brazil and China to the United Nations, as well as the UNESCO New York Office, was set up with the goal of promoting the local and global impacts of STEAM Education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) for Global Citizenship, by facilitating intercultural collaborative learning among school students around the world.

The event included presentations of STEAM solutions for SDG’s developed by students, as well panel discussions with multi-stakeholders from public and private sectors.

Delivering the keynote address at the event, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations, Dr. Rohan Perera emphasised that in a world that is witnessing rapid technological advancement and is more interconnected than ever before, the concept of global citizenship education, which nurtures respect for all and builds a sense of belonging to a common humanity, is the education of the future.

In this regard, he noted Sri Lanka’s commitment to initiatives which aim to instil values of inclusion and harmony among children, through programs such as Think Equal.

On a parallel vein, he emphasised the importance of enhancing youth skills, in order to harness the positives of technological advancement while avoiding the trap of technological unemployment, which could lead to exclusion and social disintegration.

Finally, commending the work of programs such as IVECA International Virtual Schooling, which combine the innovative use of technology and global citizenship education, he noted that progress on education and especially innovative, value-based education, brings progress on all the Sustainable Development Goals.

The event saw participation from UN Missions, UN agencies and NGO’s working on education, global citizenship and sustainable development, school districts, educators, high school and university students, and academia.