Namrata Sharma, Faculty, Consultant, UN Expert Earth Charter, education for sustainability and global citizenship, Sustainability and Global Citizenship

Education for Sustainability and Global Citizenship: Panel Sessions at ECER 2026 and ANGEL 2026

Panel sessions on education for sustainability and global citizenship were held at two major international education conferences in Europe in 2026: the European Conference on Educational Research (ECER) in Tampere, Finland; and the Academic Network on Global Education and Learning (ANGEL) conference in Bologna, Italy.

ECER 2026 — Tampere, Finland

ECER, the annual meeting of the European Educational Research Association (EERA), took place from 18 to 21 August 2026 at Tampere University. Around 3,800 academics and educators from more than 80 countries and regions attended.

The panel drew on the Japanese educator, Daisaku Ikeda’s value-creating educational philosophy to explore the social responsibility of education and its contribution to peace. It was the third such session at ECER, following panels in 2023 and 2024.

The session was featured in the Seikyo Shimbun (in Japanese).

ANGEL 2026 — Bologna, Italy

The sixth international ANGEL conference was held on 10–11 September 2026 at the University of Bologna, bringing together more than 200 researchers, practitioners and policymakers from 37 countries across five continents. It was organised in partnership with the University of Bologna, the Global Education Network Europe (GENE) and the UCL Institute of Education.

A parallel symposium presented findings from the volume Education for Sustainable Futures: Global Citizenship and the Earth Charter (Bourn, Sharma and Vilela, 2025), which examines the Earth Charter and the Sustainable Development Goals as global ethical frameworks. All panelists are contributors to the book and drew on its section on Value-Creating (Soka) Education.

The session was featured in the Seikyo Shimbun (in Japanese) and on the Earth Charter International website.

Further reading

Readers interested in these themes can explore the books: Education for Sustainability and Global Citizenship (Open Access), and Education for Sustainable Futures: Global Citizenship and the Earth Charter, which brings together perspectives on global citizenship, the Earth Charter and value-creating education.

Namrata Sharma, Faculty, Consultant, UN Expert Earth Charter, education for sustainability and global citizenship, Sustainability and Global Citizenship

Video: Book launch, “Education for Sustainable Futures: Global Citizenship and the Earth Charter”

Watch a recording of the recent launch of “Education for Sustainable Futures: Global Citizenship and the Earth Charter“, an important new Emerald collection. The event features a brief outline of the work, and discussion with contributors on the themes that it covers. Watch it here.

Links available for further details of the launch, and the book website.

Namrata Sharma, Faculty, Consultant, UN Expert education for sustainability and global citizenship, Sustainability and Global Citizenship

Blog Post: Advancing Global Education and Democracy through the Practice of Value-Creating Education

This blog post is an outcome of a panel discussion held at the Academic Network on Global Education and Learning (ANGEL) Conference 2025 in Berlin, Germany between 4-6 June. It discusses the need for political education, sustained critical reflection, and an emphasis on human development as essential for advancing the aims of global education.

Republished as:

Sharma, N., Ito, T., Watanabe, T., and Kukita, S. (2026). Advancing global education and democracy through the practice of value-creating education. Soka Education Journal, 19, 317-321. https://wwwstorage.soka.ac.jp/4117/7737/0273/18_Advancing_Global_Education_and_Democracy_through_the_Practice_of_Value-Creating_Education.pdf

Namrata Sharma, Faculty, Consultant, UN Expert Earth Charter

Panel Session held on Education for Sustainability and Global Citizenship

ECER-EERA – European Educational Research Association Conference, 27-30 August 2024, Nicosia, Cyprus

It was a delight to organize and chair the first panel session held at a major education conference centered on the philosophy of the Soka progenitor Daisaku Ikeda, and his influence on curriculum development and sustainability practices within selected higher education institutions worldwide.

In this session scholars explored the theory and practice of global citizenship education, with a special focus on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda for sustainability. The objective of the session was to introduce new paradigms, perspectives and practices in higher education in the field of global citizenship education.

The presentations purposefully addressed educational institutions and curriculum development from across different countries which share a common ethical perspective. Soka or value-creating education is an approach to curriculum developed in twentieth century Japan.

The panel explored key terms and definitions being used by faculty in classrooms in relation to teaching for global citizenship and sustainability at Soka institutions and Soka-informed curriculum, including terms such as happiness, peace, sustainability, hope, and service.

Article published on the front page of the Japanese newspaper, Seikyo Shimbun.

Namrata Sharma, Faculty, Consultant, UN Expert Earth Charter

Earth Charter International 2024 Conference

Reimagining Education for Ecological Civilizations, Florida, 12-14 April 2024.

The three-day conference built on four previous Earth Charter International (ECI) Conferences focused on education for sustainability and global citizenship, and for planetary well-being. 

The recent conference truly reflected the spirit of the Earth Charter embodied by colleagues at ECI, the conference hosts, and participants.

Further, the presentations, keynotes, and discussions suggest growing evidence-based research and practice in the field of education for sustainability and global citizenship, and the use of the Earth Charter as a global ethical framework, and an educational approach.

Read Conference Report.

Namrata Sharma, Faculty, Consultant, UN Expert Earth Charter

The North-South Centre of the Council of Europe 2024 Thematic Seminar

The benefits of an intercultural and holistic approach to education for sustainable development: a North-South perspective. University of Malta. 19 April 2024.

The Global Education thematic seminar is part of iLEGEND III: Intercultural Learning Exchange through Global Education, Networking and Dialogue (2023-2026), a Joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe: co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe. 

The seminar was attended by policymakers, practitioners, and speakers, including members of the Academic Network on Global Education & Learning (ANGEL).

More information can be found via this link.

Namrata Sharma, Faculty, Consultant, UN Expert Earth Charter

Symposium panel at the ECER 2023 conference in Glasgow covered in the Seikyo newspaper in Japan

On 24th August 2023 a symposium titled “Global Citizenship as a Pedagogy of Hope” was held at a conference organized by the European Educational Research Association (EERA) on themes related to #interculturaleducation #socialjustice #sokaeducation #globalcitizenshipeducation and #sustainability

Access the Seikyo newspaper article published on 2nd September 2023 via this link, also copied below.

Namrata Sharma, Faculty, Consultant, UN Expert Earth Charter

Symposium at ANGEL-UNESCO conference covered in the Seikyo newspaper in Japan

On 20th June 2023 a symposium titled “Global Citizenship Education and Sustainability: Engaging the Earth Charter and Value-Creating Perspectives” was held at a conference organized by the Academic Network on Global Education and Learning (ANGEL) held at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

Conference materials can be found here. Symposium covered by the Seikyo newspaper in Japan – full article below.