Education for Global Responsibility – Finnish Perspectives is the first outcome of the three-year project Education for Global Responsibility launched in spring 2007. The publication consists of articles by researchers from different scientific fields probing the central themes of global education. In addition, it contains addresses that reflect and in part sum up the themes covered in the more formally written articles. The publication is illustrated with artwork by Lily Maria Ehnborg, a Swedish artist.

In the first chapter under the title Prologue Professor Martin Scheinin, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights while Countering Terrorism, shares his thoughts on global education in the light of globalisation and human rights. In her address the leader of the project Monica Melén-Paaso considers the dialogue between science and art and their roles in deepening our understanding about global issues.

The following article is written by Professor Rauni Räsänen. She introduces and discusses various definitions of and approaches to intercultural education, and looks at theories of intercultural and multicultural learning. The essential role of human rights education in global education is pointed out by Dr Reetta Toivanen. She discusses the global efforts undertaken by the United Nations and analyses how the objectives of the Decade for Human Rights Education (1995–2004) have been put into action in Finland.

According to researcher Unto Vesa, peace education as a concept is relatively new, but the contents of the term have a long history. Definitions in international declarations and statements can vary from broad umbrella definitions to case sensitive explications. Professor Liisa Laakso continues by calling for citizen opportunities to learn skills for interacting and cooperating that would help them to contribute to and monitor the discussion on development and development cooperation.

Intercultural competence is needed for successful intercultural interactions in multicultural societies both locally and globally, but what is it really? This is what Professor Liisa Salo-Lee explores in her article entitled Towards Cultural Literacy. The objectives of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in 2005–2014 are currently put into action in all educational sectors in Finland. Director Paula Lindroos and Project Coordinator Mikko Cantell sum up the recent discussion on education for sustainability, mostly from the point of view of educational policies.

The last article is written by Lars Rydén, former professor at Uppsala University, Sweden. He explores the essential values underpinning the agenda for global education and citizenship from the view point of international cooperation and competence requirements. The publication ends with a reflective Epilogue by the editors Taina Kaivola and Monica Melén-Paaso. The themes presented by the authors, key concepts and how they relate to each other are clarified in a concept map, which will serve as a starting point for the next phase of the project.