Global Unity Alliance
The Global Unity Alliance (GUA) is an international youth-led civic society organization dedicated to promoting educational equity and intercultural understanding across the world. Originally established as a committee under the Seo-Gu Youth Center in Incheon Metropolitan City, South Korea, GUA has since grown into an independent, government-recognized civic society organization operating across multiple countries, including the Philippines and Cambodia.
History
Formation as Committee for Global Unity (2024)
The organization traces its roots to July 2024, when it was established as the Committee for Global Unity (CGU) under the Seo-Gu Youth Center, a division of the Incheon Metropolitan City’s Seo-Gu Management Corporation. The initiative was spearheaded by members of the Seo-Gu Youth Committee, with support and approval from Supervisor Jo Kuk To, who encouraged the committee’s formation to enhance cultural diversity within youth programs in Incheon.
After its formation, the committee entered into a partnership with Youth Uprising and Grow School Philippines, led by Robyn Camile Mijares. Through this collaboration, CGU began supporting underserved youth in Batangas, Philippines, by donating educational supplies, including used LEGO bricks, books, and other materials.
(Executive Director Robyn Camile Mijares reads a children’s book provided by the Global Unity Alliance to the students of Grow School Philippines)
Transition to Independence
On January 25, 2025, the committee was formally dissolved under the Seo-Gu Youth Center structure. Shortly after, it was re-established as an independent organization under the name Global Unity Alliance (GUA) in February 2025, while continuing to maintain working relations with its founding partner, the Seo-Gu Youth Center.
Government Endorsement and Expansion
In April 2025, the Global Unity Alliance received an endorsement from the Beijing Association of Port-of-Entry (BAOP), a comprehensive municipal-level organization under the guidance of key government agencies such as Beijing Customs and the Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau. As a major platform coordinating over 200 public and private sector members across aviation, logistics, and international trade, BAOP recognized GUA’s contribution to youth civic engagement and cross-border cooperation.
On May 12, 2025, GUA was formally recognized through an agreement with the Seo-Gu Youth Center, and it remains the first and only independent youth-led organization to sign an official agreement as of this day. The agreement was also made possible by the support of:
Yeseong Lee, President of the Seo-Gu Committee Federation
Jihoon Choi, Vice President of the Seo-Gu Committee Federation
Sungwoong “Ethan” Kang, Interim Leader of the International Affairs Committee
(Executive Director Leopold Kory Song and Director of the Seo-Gu Youth Center 이유미 hold the Memorandum of Understanding in the above photograph)
The partnership and Beijing’s prior endorsement established GUA as a government-recognized civic society organization.
Activities and Outreach
Since its independence, the Global Unity Alliance has continued to expand its reach. The organization is active in underserved communities across the Philippines and Cambodia (through the support of the Cambodian English Education Initiative), where it facilitates educational support, donates resources, and builds youth-led development projects.
GUA has announced future plans to scale its efforts to other countries in Southeast Asia, with the objective of providing quality education and community support to disadvantaged populations.