3. Global Citizenship Education Hub ZAF Hamburg 2026

Agency and Earth System Governance as Subjects of Global Citizenship Education
Not least, COP30 in Belém at the end of 2025 showed that the political struggle over planetary
boundaries will increasingly take place outside the structures of the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in the future. While the need for action remains
clearly defined by planetary boundaries, new alliances of states are forming that either
accelerate or slow down progress. New centers of power are emerging around the so-called
global swing states such as India. At the same time, the agency of non-state actors from local
civil society continues to be visible worldwide in a wide variety of forms. How should this be
addressed in the context of global education for sustainable development?

To this end, the Zentrum für Aus- und Fortbildung Hamburg, in cooperation with the Hamburg
Sustainability Conference, invites you to the 3rd Global Citizenship Education Hub on May 26,
2026, in Hamburg. Once again, scientists, civil society actors, and teachers interested in global
and legally-oriented education for sustainable development will come together with learners.

Under this year’s theme of Agency and Earth System Governance, educational formats for
Global Citizenship Education (GCE) will be discussed from a scientific and interdisciplinary
perspective. In addition, students will test prototypes of learning opportunities related to the
theme in workshops at the Hub.

Topics for contributions to the 2026 thematic focus from an interdisciplinary perspective
could include:

• Multi- and plurilateralism
• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
• Earth System Law
• Global partnerships between cities and regions
• Global swing states
• Legal concepts of “co-sovereignty”
• Just Energy Transition Partnerships
• Indigenous agency
• Agency and international climate litigation
• Global commons
• Global leadership roles and international law
• Deterritorialization and planetary boundaries
• Agency and local legal systems
• Civil law options for agency
• Federalism and agency
• (…)

Interdisciplinary exchange
The hub is aimed at education scientists and legal scholars, but also at scientists in fields such
as sociology, human geography, economics, and cultural studies, insofar as they conduct
research in the context of socio-ecological transformation. Civil society actors also contribute
their experiential knowledge and perspectives on the topic to the hub. Teachers provide
impetus for implementation in concrete ESD learning opportunities.

Together with all participating target groups, the question of how the local is linked to the global
when Global Citizenship Education (GCE) programs address law and the rule of law will be
explored.

Scientific and participatory
A special feature of the hub is that it combines scientific exchange with the concrete
implementation of educational opportunities for learners. The hub is participatory with regard
to learners. Accordingly, there will also be thematically appropriate workshops as learning
opportunities in which learners can actively participate. The workshops will be conducted and
supervised by learners for other learners as part of a peer teaching approach.

Venue
The event will take place in person in Hamburg. Unfortunately, the ZAF cannot cover any costs
associated with participation (especially travel expenses). Participation itself is free of charge.
Interested in participating?

We would be delighted if you would enrich our hub with your participation! If you are interested
in participating, please send us a short email with the following information:

• Name
• Institution
• Current position/role
• Topic suggestion (panel contribution, approx. 15 min)

If you have any questions, please use the contact details below. Please send your proposal
by email to jan-phillip.steinfeld@zaf.hamburg.de by Wednesday, April 8, 2026.

After April 8, 2026, we will notify you by email whether you have been accepted to participate
in the hub. You will then receive further information about the hub’s schedule.

Contact:
Zentrum fü r Aus- und Fortbildung Hamburg
Dr. Jan-Phillip Steinfeld
jan-phillip.steinfeld@zaf.hamburg.de