30th June 2022
Dear partners, friends and colleagues,
In the face of growing impunity, wilful greed, the distortion of values-driven communities, unquantifiable ignorance, the quest for raw power occasioning wars and tragedies for people, great damage affecting people’s lives and global society continues to be done. We are compelled to sound the alarm on these terrifying threats posed by ideologies and “-isms” that distort our shared visions for a better, more just and more values-driven world. If these negative tendencies are not stopped, what comes next? While in the recent past, globalization has survived major disruptions (pandemics, climate change issues, global financial crisis, populism), the war in Ukraine has revived a debate about “the end of globalization” and a new acceleration and shift towards “regionalism, nationalism and reminiscences of the cold war era”.
Globethics.net exists to share global and ethical values beyond boundaries through education. We inspire our networks to greater collaboration for the building of both knowledge and ethical societies, for morality is the health of society. This is our vision and mission and it is more crucial than ever in times like these when manifold fragmentations of our world are happening just before our very eyes. Such is the impact of integrating ethics in higher education that allows for diversity, respect, responsibility, human dignity, environmental care, inclusion, sustainable societies and the opening up of space for the capability of humankind towards a better world for everybody. George Orwell put it rightly thus: “at a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act”.
Building new bridges with our networks of youth, students, teachers, professionals and institutions engaged in promoting ethics and values is an opportunity and a challenge. Globethics.net is organizing an International Conference in Geneva from 17 to 19 October 2022 and you are invited to explore with others how you can add positive value to this event, which builds on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 on Quality Education that focuses on “ensuring inclusive and equitable education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all”.
Discovering the fragility of our economic, social, technological, governance and educational systems and confronting these challenges in difficult times by doing better is worth every effort. Quality education involves both “techne” (skills) and “episteme” (knowledge). The October conference shall offer a three-dimensional ethical perspective of how to learn to live in a world for everybody – through “being in community”; “being in relation” and “being in dialogue”.
Participants shall gain insight into current debates around ethics and quality education; be informed on the strategic and programmatic directions of Globethiscs.net; deepen relationships in existing constituency groups and beyond and gain in-depth knowledge on contextual approaches to ethics and values at the heart of quality education. You would not be left out of this conversation. Ethical leadership for nation-building is called for. Welcome to the 2022 Globethics.net Conference on Ethics and Values at the heart of Quality Education and participate either online or on-site.
Obiora Ike
Globethics.net Executive Director
