High quality adult learning and education within a full lifelong learning philosophy are essential to attain the Sustainable Development Goals.  Being active individually and organizationally in education for sustainable development and global citizenship is an obligation for political, professional and personal reasons.

Continuing this engagement lifelong is an endless challenge – and privilege. This article uses a biographical lens to review a few of many interventions in professional life, individually or in partnership. This shows that such work as CONFINTEA, Education for All (EFA), the Sustainable Development Goals and others, insofar as they are led by Governments and Intergovernmental Organisations, must be undertaken jointly with civil society and professional associations. Only thus can change be deeply grounded in communities and embedded in people’s interest and needs. Global processes are otherwise seen as bureaucratic irrelevances to their life, and have limited impact on development.