Global Citizenship in an Era of Shared Responsibility

By: Brynn Hopper

The year 2020, although grim, has been remarkable for exposing just how interconnected global populations really are. The symptomatic wildfires of the climate crisis, the ongoing deadly pandemic and the tragic death of George Floyd that sparked major protests are issues that transcend international borders. However, the climate crisis, a pandemic, and human rights violations are not isolated issues burdening one nation’s citizens but instead should be viewed as a shared responsibility in a globalized world.

It is undeniable that humanity is interconnected. Our lived experiences from birth to death, from struggle to triumph, and from meeting our own basic physiological needs to self-actualization narrate an overwhelming universal commonality based solely on being human. To identify as a global citizen, one would understand that we are bound first to our membership to humanity before our nationality. This idea of being able to identify with our own “human-ness” as the basis for empathy and action is crucial to combatting these collective action issues that we are confronted with in this era. Which then begs the question of what does it mean to be a global citizen?

The definition of community, for the global citizen, is not only confined to relationships based on common identity or within the place in which one lives. Although these ideas are the basis for defining a community, the global citizen is able to recognize that there exists a much larger global dimension to their own sense of identity and belonging. Through the avenues of technology, commerce, communication, and transportation, the global population has become increasingly integrated and interdependent. From the products we purchase at the supermarket to the international humanitarian crises that we deeply empathize with, daily life is reflective of our own ties to the world abroad.

Education is a fundamental aspect of becoming conscious of one’s own responsibility within global citizenship. The ideal global citizen works to educate themself on their nation’s foreign policy, the role of international governing bodies and how the two interact. They are able to grasp how their vote not only impacts lives on a domestic level, but plays a critical role in shaping their nation’s commitments to solving collective action problems on the international stage. In educating themselves, the global citizen openly explores other perspectives and cultures that may challenge their long-standing belief systems. In the process, unconscious biases are broken down in order to build bridges across ideologies.

The lens of the global citizen is coloured by universality; meaning that their mindset reflects an acknowledgment of a shared involvement of all peoples in overcoming global challenges. Their actions are catalyzed by a sense of responsibility and concern for the well being of others. They believe in the goodness of human nature; acknowledging that we are inherently progressive beings capable of ensuring fundamental human rights for every person regardless of those geographic borders that may separate us. They seek to understand and involve themselves in the work of nongovernmental organizations that promote the emergence of a universal community; whether that be through dedication to human rights, healthcare, environmental protection, or economic empowerment.

A global citizen is an agent of change. Their activism and advocacy efforts follow a pattern of sustainability. Concern for the world around them surpasses surface level patterns of short-term thinking and strictly performative social media engagement. Instead, the global citizen channels their energy into lasting and viable efforts, capable of undergoing adaptations in an ever-evolving journey towards global equity. They reach out to changemakers within and beyond their own borders, striving to improve the way in which the world’s population operates politically, economically, culturally, and socially. Truly effective global citizenship requires a lifelong commitment.

The global citizen works locally but thinks globally. Their efforts begin at the grassroots level, but are conscious of the need for institutional cooperation that would evoke widespread meaningful change. In their own municipalities and provinces, they sign petitions, attend peaceful protests, volunteer with nonprofits, contribute donations, use the power of journalism to advocate for what they believe in, reevaluate how their lifestyle can contribute to sustainable development goals and most importantly mobilize and inspire others to do the same. The global citizen holds an unwavering confidence in cooperation between regional communities. This idea speaks to an understanding of how an individual’s dedication to a cause has the capacity to begin in one area, spread to surrounding areas and eventually evoke change across geographic regions, setting off a domino effect.

This is not an isolated responsibility. It takes all levels of international society from world leaders, policymakers, scientists, corporate executives and everyday citizens to take up a concern for how their actions serve to improve the quality of life for others and avert suffering. Even more critical to the success of global citizenship is group compliance in the act. Human accomplishment that challenges the status quo requires the conscious efforts of an array of individuals. This isn’t to suggest we all quit our day jobs to create a utopian society. However, if a larger number of people implement a few chosen aspects of global citizenship in their daily lives, this imperfection is far more valuable than existing wilfully blind.

Despite the differing ways in which we identify, the languages we speak, the places we live or the generational gaps that may separate us in age, there remains a compelling call at this moment in time, to think, act and cooperate in an era occupied by shared global issues. We are after all, in the end, all human.