The Initiative was started by a group of several philosophers of education, and the first discussions of this idea happened in the fall of 2017 in Bangalore at Azim Premji University. 
By the spring of 2018, several people had written a brief idea for the project, including colleagues from India, Brazil, Finland and Russia. The idea was aimed at international discussion for a critical rethinking of educational policy in the light of universal values and internal human values within the framework of the conference and the development of a collegial document of solidarity. In spring of 2018 a project idea was presented to the Dalai Lama who had participated in educational projects for last decades, and received his support.
Later, when discussions of the ideas of the initiative took place in Indian universities and with many other colleagues in correspondence, as a result, the group of colleagues from India, Brazil, Finland and Russia was joined by a number of other scientists, teachers and organizations from other countries.
Thus, an initiative group was created consisting of participants from 20 countries. 
In 2019, the initiating Round Table Conference was held in Dharamsala, which was attended by scholars from 10 countries and 5 continents (Keynote speakers of the Round Table Conference). Its result was an agreed memorandum - a collective document outlining the main positions and ideas, as well as a collection of conference materials, including texts from several scholars who wanted to take part in it, but were unable to visit India. 
Subsequently, on the one hand, a collective monograph grew from these ideas and materials (Humanizing education in the 3rd millennium. Eds. Scott R.S., Airaksinen T., Batra P., Kozhevnikova M. Springer, 2022). Оn the other hand, the foundation for the future Declaration was laid. 
A plan was adopted to hold a World forum in 2020 in India to discuss ideas for the Declaration - the Steering Committee 2020 (chaired by R. Lingard) was elected, and negotiations were underway with universities in India, Australia, Brazil, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, and Russia regarding their participation in the organization of the forum. However, this event was postponed due to the pandemic.
But discussions on the ideas of the draft Declaration started in 2020, and for this purpose the Drafting Committee (the 1st team) was created, to which colleagues from different countries and continents were invited. In 2021, the Declaration draft appeared as a result of the work of the 1st team of the Drafting Committee.
From autumn 2021 to June 2023, online Regional Round Tables were held on all inhabited continents and also in Oceania, discussing the draft Declaration and developing Conclusions in regional working groups.
The 2nd team of the Drafting Committee was selected from all regions and from July 2023 to February 2024, based on the Conclusions of the regional working groups, a team of 10 people worked on the text of the Declaration.
In December 2023, when the work on editing the Declaration was almost completed, it was decided to organize a Global Forum dedicated to the Declaration. In January 2024, the International Organizing Group was formed, which began preparations for the Forum, as well as work on translation into different languages, dissemination, and popularization of the Declaration.
