The promotion of global citizenship is part of the 17 sustainability goals of the UN:
“By 2030, the UN wants to ensure that all learners acquire the skills required to promote sustainable development. In particular, universities have the responsibility to promote world citizenship by teaching their students that they are members of a large global community and can use their skills and education to contribute to this community.” 186
Global citizenship describes a political identity as a global citizen. Since there is still no real world government, there can be no world citizenship without a world state yet to be realised. In the first step, world citizenship is to be understood merely as a political attitude: global citizens recognise that their political responsibility is not limited by national borders. Global citizenship stands in conflict with patriotism (see Nationalism). Within critical pedagogy, global citizenship plays an important role: it is intended to enable people “to act for the benefit of all societies, not just their own”.187 The UN wants to transform the world according to its visionary ideas of sustainability. With the Agenda 2030, global problems such as climate change, poverty, and social inequality are to be combated (see Utopia).188 Under UN guidance, global citizens are to create a more sustainable world through global cooperation. Global citizens are distinguished above all by their political commitment to climate justice and diversity.189