Re-Envisioning Ethics for a New Age: Insights from Global Ethics Day 2025

To mark the 12th annual Global Ethics Day on October 15, 2025, individuals, universities, governments, businesses, and nonprofit organizations from 60 countries joined Carnegie Council to reimagine the role of ethics in the workspace, international relations, and everyday life.

This year’s keynote event at the Council titled, “Re-envisioning Humanitarianism for a Changing World,” convened an expert panel to explore questions around power, accountability, and inclusivity in the design and delivery of humanitarian aid today and in the future. In conjunction, the editors of Ethics & International Affairs journal invited brief essays grappling with moral complexity, ethics in the classroom, immigration, war, and the history of global ethical thought.

In addition to the keynote convening and online exclusive roundtable, Carnegie Council’s community of experts hosted several events in the lead-up to Global Ethics Day examining how to re-envision ethics in various sectors of international affairs:

• Carnegie Ethics Fellow Joshua Acosta, non-resident fellow at the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University, moderated a panel discussion about the state of democracy in the U.S. and beyond.

• The Geostrata, an India-based think tank founded by Carnegie Ethics Fellow Harsh Suri, hosted an event examining increasing nuclear risks and militarization in today’s turbulent geopolitical landscape. They also launched an essay competition with over 500 submissions.

• In a talk hosted by Carnegie Ethics Fellow Nicholas Bayer and Next-Gen Leadership Initiative Board Advisor Juris Pupcenoks at Marist University, Bernard Wiseman from Doctors Without Borders spoke about the ethical dilemmas facing humanitarian workers in their day-to-day work.

Around the world, participants organized various activities:

• In the U.S. the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) updated their Code of Ethics for Early Childhood Educators to reaffirm the organization’s collective commitment to the shared values that shape ethical decision-making for early childhood professionals.

• Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand launched the inaugural edition of the Quarterly Ethics Digest, a newsletter designed to keep members informed about key ethical issues impacting the profession and hosted a webinar exploring the relationship between ethics and trust.

• The City of Johannesburg, South Africa organized a city-wide event bringing together elected officials, civil society, youth, and community leaders to engage in ethical practices in civic and public life.

• From interviews to video recordings to company activities designed to promote ethical thinking and participation, the Bank of Valletta in Malta organized a full-day celebration to encourage employees to reflect on how ethics shapes digital platforms.

• World Ethics Organization President Richard Messing was joined by philosopher and author Tim Dean for a virtual discussion about how to build ethical frameworks for today and the future.

• As part of their annual series, the University of Tirana in Albania organized a scientific symposium focusing on how to re-envision ethics in educational institutions.

Global Ethics Day will be returning for its 13th year on October 21, 2026. Subscribe to the Carnegie Ethics Newsletter to receive updates about the initiative straight to your inbox.