Global Citizenship Education in national policy frameworks.
This webinar, co-developed with the Global Education Time (GET) project, is the first in the new ANGEL Research to Policy Webinar Series
Conference
Tuesday, 26 May, 2026 - 22:45
ANGEL Conference 2026: Our sixth major international gathering.
The Academic Network for Global Education & Learning (ANGEL), in partnership with The University of Bologna, and with the cooperation of Global Education Network Europe and the UCL Institute of Education, will host our sixth international conference on 10 & 11th September 2026, at The University of Bologna, Italy.
Offering a mixture of plenary sessions, workshops, symposia, paper presentations, and networking, the event aims to bring together academics, researchers, policy-makers, and practitioner-researchers from around the world for two exciting face-to-face days of sessions covering research, projects and discussion relevant to the transformative approaches associated with Global Education and Learning, including Development Education, Global Citizenship Education, Human Rights Education, Education for Sustainable Development, Education for Peace, and Intercultural Education.
Registration will open on the 28th May.
Concept
At a time of profound uncertainty, global education and learning stands at a critical crossroads. Across research, policy, and practice, there is an urgent need to recognise, document, research, re-invigorate and continue to reimagine the role of global education as a force for peace, justice, and collective action in the face of war, environmental crises, deepening inequalities, and the rise of nationalism and authoritarianism.
This conference responds to this moment by centring questions of power, voice, and purpose: whose knowledge is valued, whose futures are imagined, and how can global learning move beyond rhetoric towards meaningful and transformative practice? The conference will be a space for ANGEL members to share and critically discuss relevant research, as well as recent policy developments and initiatives - fostering exchange across contexts and disciplines, and strengthening the collective impact of research on global education theory, policy, and practice. It will be guided by the conceptual framework and commitments of the 'Dublin Declaration', formally known as The European Declaration on Global Education to 2050.
Building on discussions at ANGEL's Berlin conference 2025, a set of key themes for a future ANGEL conference has emerged, and the Bologna conference is framed around these priorities. Recurring across these debates is the call to break down disciplinary silos and to strengthen partnerships between research, policy, practice, and communities. ANGEL members emphasise the importance of decolonial, feminist, indigenous, and Global South perspectives, alongside critical examinations of neoliberalism, colonial legacies, and contemporary geopolitical dynamics for research in global education. Equally prominent is the challenge of translating research and evidence into educational action — through innovative methodologies, robust evaluation, storytelling, and pedagogies that embrace hope, discomfort, and disruption.
At the same time, rapid technological change, including digitalisation and artificial intelligence, raises pressing ethical, pedagogical, and political questions for global education. Understanding how these developments intersect with global justice, environmental sustainability, and equitable futures represents a defining challenge for the field.
This conference invites researchers, educators, practitioners, and policymakers to participate actively in the conference in a way that critically and rigorously engages with these themes. By foregrounding sound research and critical scholarship, the conference aims to reassert global education and learning as a vital site for dialogue, critical inquiry, dissent, and solidarity, and an essential approach for all educators interested in shaping just, peaceful, and sustainable global futures.
Event goals
- Promote dialogue between policymakers, researchers, and practitioners, encouraging reflection on the value of research for policymaking
- Explore international policy frameworks and their effects on Global Education
- Provide researchers with a platform to present their current work and engage in meaningful dialogue with experts and peers
- Support and nurture Early Career Researchers
Fees & Registration
The 2026 conference carries a registration fee. Registration will open on the 28th May, and be accessible via this webpage. The early bird costs, available until the 30 June, will be as below. If you are interested in joining as a member before you register, you are very welcome to. Payment is taken via the same portal as the registration fees (UCL Online Shop). Find out about ANGEL membership here. The fees after that date will be £55 higher.
- ANGEL Member: £240
- Non member: £300
- Early Career Researcher* / Based in Lower or Middle Income Country: £180
*ANGEL define an Early Career Researcher as a current PhD student or completed in the last 6 years.
Participation
In early 2026, ANGEL launched a call for proposals, from academics, policymakers, and practitioners, which demonstrated a connection or relevance to the conference concept, as listed above, and / or a connection with global education and learning, as defined in the ‘Dublin Declaration’. The call closed on 27 April, and we were delighted to receive more than 180 proposals, the vast majority of which were within scope. From this starting point, we have been able to construct a really exciting agenda that will include keynote addresses, roundtables and panels held in plenary, and then 35 parallel sessions (5 sessions with 7 strands each), of research presentations, symposia, and workshops. The conference language is primarily English.
Speakers
The conference's plenary session speakers represent the breadth of the Global Education community. With a carefully balanced mixture of sessions, we aim to bring our audience insightful analysis of the research landscape, and provide provocations and live discussion, as well as opportunities to actively participate in activities that aim to galvanise and energise the community.
Keynotes
- Felisa Tibbits (Utrecht University)
- Masashi Urabe (Hiroshima City University)
Oher speakers and panelists
- Emma Pike (Lex International Fund)
- Greg Misiaszek (Tohoku University)
- Alexis Stones (UCL Institute of Education)
- Ruba Salih (University of Bologna)
- Cecilia Barbieri (UNESCO Global Citizenship Education Section)
- Joe O’Hara (WERA President and current President EASSH)
- Rilli Lappalainen (CONCORD Europe)
- Liam Wegimont (GENE)
- Massimiliano Tarozzi (University of Bologna)
Travel and accommodation
The team of the UNESCO Chair in Global Citizenship Education at the University of Bologna will be our guides to arriving and staying within this beautiful city, home to the world's oldest university. Click here to download a document that offers a few accommodation suggestions for the duration of the conference - focusing on neighborhoods within easy reach of the venue - as well as travel tips.
Help spread the word
We are calling on members to help us spread the word about this important event for the ANGEL project. Please find below links to resources that you can use to promote the event and the call for submissions.
- Promotional image
- Promotional image (Square)
- Social media hashtag: #ANGELConference2026
Questions?
Any enquiries should be sent to: info@angel-network.net
Background
The involvement of DERC and GENE in this event, along with the other activities of the ANGEL network, is co-funded by the European Union. The establishment of this network and website has been made possible with funding support from the European Commission. The activities and publications of the network are the responsibilities of the organisers, the Development Education Research Centre, and can in no way be seen as reflecting the views of the European Commission.
All photos: ANGEL Conference 2025: Concept Photography Berlin.
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