Pic: APCIEU logo
1 April 2026
Exciting news from Bridge 47!
We’re proud to share that our CEO Rilli Lappalainen has contributed to a new publication by the UNESCO Asia‑Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (APCEIU). We’re grateful for the opportunity to take part in this important work advancing global citizenship and transformative learning.
Here are a few key reflections:
Globalization: Progress in motion and a call for transformation
Globalization influences everything from our food and culture to the way we work, travel and connect. It has helped reduce poverty and increased global interconnectedness — yet it has also deepened inequalities, strained ecosystems and revealed major gaps in global governance.
Research such as Oxfam’s inequality reports continues to highlight the widening wealth divide, while the climate crisis, pollution and resource depletion show how urgently we need more sustainable systems.
The iceberg model reminds us that meaningful change requires looking beneath surface-level events to the values, beliefs and structures that drive human behaviour. Studies show that shared values, family, community, belonging, financial security, shape people’s actions across countries and cultures.
Education matters more than ever.
Global Citizenship Education (GCED) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) are essential for shaping these values and empowering societies to respond to global challenges. With no SDG currently on track, quality education is emerging as one of the most powerful levers for positive transformation.
Global cooperation must evolve.
Ongoing UN reforms aim to better address today’s interconnected challenges from inequality to technological disruption.
The philosophy of Ubuntu — “I am because we are” — reminds us that our well‑being is deeply interconnected. Empathy, shared responsibility and collective action can turn globalization into a force that benefits everyone.
Humanity created today’s systems — and humanity can transform them. A more just, sustainable and peaceful future is possible when we rethink our values and responsibilities together.