In his speech, Prof. GU firstly introduced a newly published report by UNESCO, Rethinking Education towards a Global Common Good, and he expressed his support of the report’s idea that education should be viewed from more perspectives than utilitarianism. While recognizing the importance of economic development and the significance of human capital, Prof. GU argued that the aim of education ought to involve not only attaining certain skills for survival and employment, but also caring for life and human dignity. For that reason, he argued that humanism should serve as a foundation for all types of education in today’s multi-cultural contexts. 

Prof. GU emphasized that as a global common good, education bears the responsibility of creating opportunities for every human to tap into her/his potential, and for achieving sustainable development.