Ethics education is about more than teaching moral rules or instilling character traits. It asks how education can cultivate the ethical sensitivities, relational capacities, and sense of agency that young people need to live well together in a diverse and complex world. The Global Humanity for Peace Institute has contributed to this field by developing its intellectual foundations, building international partnerships, and supporting programme design and evaluation in formal public education systems.
An Ecology of Human Development
GHFP’s approach places human relationships and well-being at the centre of ethics education, rather than the transmission of values or moral character training. This framing is set out in Ethical Education: Towards an Ecology of Human Development (Cambridge University Press), which draws on philosophy, education, sociology, psychology, religious studies and spirituality to propose a relational alternative to dominant moralistic traditions in the field.
Three Pedagogical Pillars
GHFP’s ethics education framework rests on three interrelated pillars that together form the ethical foundation for learning and well-being:
- Ethical Sensitivity and Ethical Reflection
- Ethical Relations and Dialogue
- Child Agency, Participation and Transformative Action
Working with Partners
GHFP works with Arigatou International, the KAICIID International Dialogue Centre, the Muslim Council of Elders, and UNESCO to co-design ethics education programmes and build educator capacity in public school systems. This has included pilots in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Kenya, Mauritius, Nepal and Seychelles, supported by the national UNESCO commissions of participating countries.
Research and resources are published through
Ethics Education Articles
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Ethics Education Fellowship Enters Second Phase
The Ethics Education Fellowship concluded its first phase marked by an international event – the Convening of Champions meeting held in April 2024 in Abu Dhabi. The event gathered senior representatives from Ministries of Education, UNESCO offices, partner organizations, religious leaders and international experts. During the event, international participants and Ethics Education fellows reflected on…
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Ethics Education Fellowship 2023/2024 Report
The Ethics Education Fellowship Programme (EEFP) concludes its first phase with strong country commitments. Held on 23-25 April 2024, the ‘Convening of Champions’ meeting marked a significant milestone in the Ethics Education Fellowship Programme collaboration. The gathering was attended by 70 participants from 17 countries, including senior representatives from Ministries of Education, UNESCO offices, and…
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International Day of Education
Today we join hands with millions of students, teachers and many others in celebrating the International Day of Education! We are reminded of the critical role of ethics education in contributing to the holistic well-being of children, global citizenship and building peaceful and inclusive societies. Ethics education promotes intercultural and interreligious learning, dialogue and collaboration and affirms…
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Ethics Education Fellowship
The GHFP, co-launched an Ethics Education Fellowship Programme, in partnership with Arigatou International, KAICIID, the Muslim Council of Elders, Global Humanity for Peace Institute, and UNESCO. The GHFP’s contributions include articulating a conceptual framework on ethics education, and developing collaborative approaches to programme monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL). While ‘Ethics Education’ is a relatively new term, many…
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Ethics Education Fellowship Capacity-Building, Indonesia
1st Capacity-Building Session, 2022 In November 2022, the GHFP and other partners, including Arigatou International and Kaiciid co-convened the Ethics Education Fellowship Programme’s first capacity-building session in Yogyakarta, hosted by Indonesian Ministry of Education. More than 30 Fellows from the Ministries of Education of Bangladesh, Indonesia, Kenya, Mauritius, Nepal and Seychelles participated in the capacity-building,…
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Ethics Education Report: Transforming Education
The global symposium Transforming Education: Ethics Education for Learning to Live Together gathered more than 900 educators, children and young people, policymakers, religious leaders, faith-based and civil society organizations, academic researchers, and multilateral agencies. The Symposium provided a platform for various stakeholders to share experiences on ethics education programs and their contribution to peacebuilding and…
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Ethics Education for Learning to Live Together, 2021
We live in an increasingly globalised world where children have many spaces for learning and collaboration, but also a world of increasing distrust and fear of the other. Today, more than ever, we need to recognize the role of education in building safer, equitable, and inclusive societies. Education needs to support children’s sound and holistic…
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Ethical education
Discusss the scope and potential of ethical education and ethical relationships in our schools.