World Civility Index – Improve Youth’s Soft Skills, with Standardized Credentialing as Proof
Description
The World Civility Index (WCI), developed by the non-profit organization IITTI, offers a globally recognized, open-standard, open-source credentialing system for human capital development by quantifying individual efforts in soft skills development—such as social etiquette, empathy, and intercultural awareness. Through partnerships with universities, governments, and corporations worldwide, WCI empowers students, job seekers, and employees to earn verifiable civility points via micro-credentialing programs, fostering both personal growth and measurable progress in social sustainability.
This project aims to provide a standardized soft skills training and measurement platform between young job-seekers aged 16-24 and employers in 19 countries that IITTI already is in, but particularly in S. E. Asian, English-speaking countries of the Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand via a mobile, digital solution.
The focus started from basic soft skills of professional appearance, international business etiquette, empathy, and intercultural awareness.
It started in 2019 and reached 10,000 youths by 2021.
A new, second plan of this project starts in June 2022 to June 2025 aims for 200,000 youths in earning 'World Civility Index' credential as proof so that they can show to future employers.
In late 2023, IITTI was invited by the MIT Presencing Institute to participate in their U-Lab platform aimed at solving global societal challenges. Through this collaboration with international teams in co-sensing and co-creating processes, IITTI developed the Personal Health Index (PHI)—a wellness measurement standard designed to track an individual's effort in physical and mental well-being. As a sub-index of World Civility Index, IITTI will gradually introduce curated content into this on-going UN project.
The second plan to reach 200,000 youths has been achieved by March 2025, a few months ahead of schedule.
In July 2025, a third new initiative of another three years from 2025-2028 is in place to create a "micro-credentialing" program with 30 micro-lessons aiming to have 10,000 employees/students in completing it.
World peace through better people skills. The key, it turns out, is to have a universal measurement. A surprisingly simple solution!
Here is the logic: The way to bring about world peace is by citizens feeling content and respected at the office, in school, and at home. (Think about it, people who are content are unlikely to start revolutions or wars!)
So how do we bring about contentment and feeling of being respected (aka civility)?
Answer: people need to be educated, long-term, to have social etiquette, empathy, and intercultural awareness.
Great! So how do we know if such training is progressing well or not? In other words, how do we measure it?
That's where the World Civility Index comes in. It allows an universal, standardized way of measurement of such soft skills. People can earn points for their personal World Civility Index to show for it. When a community has this kind of training, and measurement, people are more content, respecting each other, more civil.
Peace ensues.
A series of seminars for company executives and university students to make aware of the IITTI World Civility Index global measurement standard for soft skills in areas such as business etiquette, empathy and intercultural awareness, and how this standard can be used by job-seekers to get training and by HRs to find job-applicants with the best soft skills.
Initial capacity in 2011 was funded and developed by Greenwood Multimedia Corporation Canada. After the first IITTI exam was launched in 2014, we used the exam fees to further increase capacity from strictly a traditional, written exam at a testing centre to add an online IITTI Cellphone Learning (which evolved to be called IITTI Reading Program & Activities) where subscribers can earn points towards their personal World Civility Index credentialing system.
As the subject matter of this project is about soft skills, the transfer of skills needs to be in a fashion suitable for soft skills training, namely, a strategy of:
long term (years)
low intensity (5 minutes per session)
frequent (once a day)
That is, students given a “mini lesson” (a 5-minute lesson) every day as the model of delivery yields the best results.
Every job-applicant says he is a good team player on his CVs, but it is difficult for human resource managers (HRs) to judge. That is until now where there is an emerging global standard on soft skills measurement so that job-seekers and HRs can be “on the same page”. This standard has been implemented by the IITTI NGO (International Soft Skills Standards & Testing) of Canada as an open-standard, open-source document for trainers and companies free-of-charge. There are also a reading program, activities (seminars, events, field trips), and written exams for job-seekers.
The software behind this certification platform has been contributed by Greenwood Multimedia Corporation Canada.
Since 2018, a process for ensuring quality training has also been established via an independent NGO called ISSTA (International Soft Skills Trainers Accreditation) of Canada.
A social enterprise has also been set up in 2018 called Orange Consortium so that trainers around the world can band together based on the IITTI Standard to build a soft skills article/video pool. (All articles are free except if a reader wants to earn points to show future employers.)
The ‘IITTI Standard’ is measured using a single, composite number called the ‘World Civility Index’, or 'Índice Mundial de Civilidad' in Spanish and '世界文明指数' in Chinese Simplified, '世界文明指數' in Chinese Traditional. Every person starts at zero and can gradually accumulate points by completing certain soft skills training programs, such as reading selected articles, watching certain videos, participating in certain socializing activities, or sitting for the IITTI exams.
This movement started in 2011 and hundreds of thousands of people have written one form of the IITTI exam or another in 19 countries, such as Peru, Chile, in South America and Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand in South East Asia. In China, IITTI is known as '仪题'.
We evaluate impact in two areas: 1.) by the number of companies that have been made aware of the World Civility Index and 2.) the increase in hiring rate of youths with IITTI credentials vs. those who don’t.
We measure the success by
1.) counting the number of companies that have been made aware of the IITTI World Civility Index. Ferrari, Maserati, Cros Shoes, AIA Insurance are some of the companies that have been introduced to the IITTI World Civility Index concept for measuring soft skills between 2018-2019, as examples.
2.) Evaluation in 2019 indicated a 20% increase in hiring rate for those with the basic, written IITTI exam for Business ‘Level 1’ certification.
Evaluation at the end of the second, 3-year initiative in 2025 confirmed the same.
3.) For the third initiative starting Jul 2025 (micro-credentialing), we will collect the number of participants who actually finished the 30-lesson program by the end of this 3-year period.
ISSTA (International Soft Skills Trainer Accreditation), Orange Consortium, Greenwood Multimedia Corporation Canada
Second new 3-year initiative from June 2022 onward is to aim for 200,000 young people in earning 'World Civility Index' credential as proof so that they can show to future employers. (Completed 2025.)
Current new 3-year initiative from July 2025 - July 2028 is to aim for a focused 10,000 employees/students in earning 'World Civility Index' points as part of a micro-credentialing program as proof to show school admissions, employers.
SDGS & Targets
Goal 4
Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
4.1
By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes
4.1.1
Proportion of children and young people (a) in grades 2/3; (b) at the end of primary; and (c) at the end of lower secondary achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in (i) reading and (ii) mathematics, by sex
4.1.2
Completion rate (primary education, lower secondary education, upper secondary education)
4.2
By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education
4.2.1
Proportion of children aged 24–59 months who are developmentally on track in health, learning and psychosocial well-being, by sex
4.2.2
Participation rate in organized learning (one year before the official primary entry age), by sex
4.3
By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university
4.3.1
Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, by sex
4.4
By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship
4.4.1
Proportion of youth and adults with information and communications technology (ICT) skills, by type of skill
4.5
4.5.1
Parity indices (female/male, rural/urban, bottom/top wealth quintile and others such as disability status, indigenous peoples and conflict-affected, as data become available) for all education indicators on this list that can be disaggregated
4.6
By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy
4.6.1
Youth/adult literacy rate
4.7
By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development
4.7.1
Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education and (d) student assessment
4.a
Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all
4.a.1
Proportion of schools offering basic services, by type of service
4.b
4.b.1
Volume of official development assistance flows for scholarships
4.c
By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing States
4.c.1
Proportion of teachers with the minimum required qualifications, by education level
Goal 8
Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
8.1
8.1.1
Annual growth rate of real GDP per capita
8.2
Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and labour-intensive sectors
8.2.1
Annual growth rate of real GDP per employed person
8.3
Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services
8.3.1
Proportion of informal employment in total employment, by sector and sex
8.4
Improve progressively, through 2030, global resource efficiency in consumption and production and endeavour to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, in accordance with the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production, with developed countries taking the lead
8.4.1
Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP
8.4.2
Domestic material consumption, domestic material consumption per capita, and domestic material consumption per GDP
8.5
8.5.1
Average hourly earnings of female and male employees, by occupation, age and persons with disabilities
8.5.2
Unemployment rate, by sex, age and persons with disabilities
8.6
8.6.1
Proportion of youth (aged 15-24 years) not in education, employment or training
8.7
Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms
8.7.1
Proportion and number of children aged 5‑17 years engaged in child labour, by sex and age
8.8
Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment
8.8.1
Fatal and non-fatal occupational injuries per 100,000 workers, by sex and migrant status
8.8.2
Level of national compliance with labour rights (freedom of association and collective bargaining) based on International Labour Organization (ILO) textual sources and national legislation, by sex and migrant status
8.9
By 2030, devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products
8.9.1
Tourism direct GDP as a proportion of total GDP and in growth rate
8.10
Strengthen the capacity of domestic financial institutions to encourage and expand access to banking, insurance and financial services for all
8.10.1
(a) Number of commercial bank branches per 100,000 adults and (b) number of automated teller machines (ATMs) per 100,000 adults
8.10.2
Proportion of adults (15 years and older) with an account at a bank or other financial institution or with a mobile-money-service provider
8.a
8.a.1
Aid for Trade commitments and disbursements
8.b
By 2020, develop and operationalize a global strategy for youth employment and implement the Global Jobs Pact of the International Labour Organization
8.b.1
Existence of a developed and operationalized national strategy for youth employment, as a distinct strategy or as part of a national employment strategy
Goal 5
Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
5.1
End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere
5.1.1
Whether or not legal frameworks are in place to promote, enforce and monitor equality and non‑discrimination on the basis of sex
5.2
5.2.1
Proportion of ever-partnered women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to physical, sexual or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner in the previous 12 months, by form of violence and by age
5.2.2
Proportion of women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to sexual violence by persons other than an intimate partner in the previous 12 months, by age and place of occurrence
5.3
5.3.1
Proportion of women aged 20-24 years who were married or in a union before age 15 and before age 18
5.3.2
Proportion of girls and women aged 15-49 years who have undergone female genital mutilation/cutting, by age
5.4
Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate
5.4.1
Proportion of time spent on unpaid domestic and care work, by sex, age and location
5.5
Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life
5.5.1
Proportion of seats held by women in (a) national parliaments and (b) local governments
5.5.2
Proportion of women in managerial positions
5.6
Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences
5.6.1
Proportion of women aged 15-49 years who make their own informed decisions regarding sexual relations, contraceptive use and reproductive health care
5.6.2
Number of countries with laws and regulations that guarantee full and equal access to women and men aged 15 years and older to sexual and reproductive health care, information and education
5.a
Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws
5.a.1
(a) Proportion of total agricultural population with ownership or secure rights over agricultural land, by sex; and (b) share of women among owners or rights-bearers of agricultural land, by type of tenure
5.a.2
Proportion of countries where the legal framework (including customary law) guarantees women’s equal rights to land ownership and/or control
5.b
5.b.1
Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex
5.c
Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels
5.c.1
Proportion of countries with systems to track and make public allocations for gender equality and women’s empowerment
Goal 16
Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
16.1
Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere
16.1.1
16.1.2
16.1.3
Proportion of population subjected to (a) physical violence, (b) psychological violence and/or (c) sexual violence in the previous 12 months
16.1.4
Proportion of population that feel safe walking alone around the area they live after dark
16.2
End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children
16.2.1
Proportion of children aged 1–17 years who experienced any physical punishment and/or psychological aggression by caregivers in the past month
16.2.2
16.2.3
Proportion of young women and men aged 18–29 years who experienced sexual violence by age 18
16.3
Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all
16.3.1
Proportion of victims of (a) physical, (b) psychological and/or (c) sexual violence in the previous 12 months who reported their victimization to competent authorities or other officially recognized conflict resolution mechanisms
16.3.2
16.3.3
Proportion of the population who have experienced a dispute in the past two years and who accessed a formal or informal dispute resolution mechanism, by type of mechanism
16.4
By 2030, significantly reduce illicit financial and arms flows, strengthen the recovery and return of stolen assets and combat all forms of organized crime
16.4.1
16.4.2
16.5
Substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms
16.5.1
16.5.2
16.6
Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels
16.6.1
16.6.2
Proportion of population satisfied with their last experience of public services
16.7
Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels
16.7.1
Proportions of positions in national and local institutions, including (a) the legislatures; (b) the public service; and (c) the judiciary, compared to national distributions, by sex, age, persons with disabilities and population groups
16.7.2
16.8
Broaden and strengthen the participation of developing countries in the institutions of global governance
16.8.1
Proportion of members and voting rights of developing countries in international organizations
16.9
By 2030, provide legal identity for all, including birth registration
16.9.1
16.10
Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements
16.10.1
16.10.2
16.a
Strengthen relevant national institutions, including through international cooperation, for building capacity at all levels, in particular in developing countries, to prevent violence and combat terrorism and crime
16.a.1
16.b
Promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development
16.b.1
Goal 3
Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
3.1
3.1.1
Maternal mortality ratio
3.1.2
Proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel
3.2
3.2.1
Under-five mortality rate
3.2.2
Neonatal mortality rate
3.3
By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases
3.3.1
Number of new HIV infections per 1,000 uninfected population, by sex, age and key populations
3.3.2
Tuberculosis incidence per 100,000 population
3.3.3
Malaria incidence per 1,000 population
3.3.4
Hepatitis B incidence per 100,000 population
3.3.5
Number of people requiring interventions against neglected tropical diseases
3.4
3.4.1
Mortality rate attributed to cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes or chronic respiratory disease
3.4.2
Suicide mortality rate
3.5
Strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol
3.5.1
Coverage of treatment interventions (pharmacological, psychosocial and rehabilitation and aftercare services) for substance use disorders
3.5.2
Alcohol per capita consumption (aged 15 years and older) within a calendar year in litres of pure alcohol
3.6
3.6.1
Death rate due to road traffic injuries
3.7
By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes
3.7.1
Proportion of women of reproductive age (aged 15-49 years) who have their need for family planning satisfied with modern methods
3.7.2
Adolescent birth rate (aged 10-14 years; aged 15-19 years) per 1,000 women in that age group
3.8
Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all
3.8.1
Coverage of essential health services
3.8.2
Proportion of population with large household expenditures on health as a share of total household expenditure or income
3.9
3.9.1
Mortality rate attributed to household and ambient air pollution
3.9.2
Mortality rate attributed to unsafe water, unsafe sanitation and lack of hygiene (exposure to unsafe Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for All (WASH) services)
3.9.3
Mortality rate attributed to unintentional poisoning
3.a
3.a.1
Age-standardized prevalence of current tobacco use among persons aged 15 years and older
3.b
Support the research and development of vaccines and medicines for the communicable and non-communicable diseases that primarily affect developing countries, provide access to affordable essential medicines and vaccines, in accordance with the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health, which affirms the right of developing countries to use to the full the provisions in the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights regarding flexibilities to protect public health, and, in particular, provide access to medicines for all
3.b.1
Proportion of the target population covered by all vaccines included in their national programme
3.b.2
3.b.3
Health product access index
3.c
3.c.1
Health worker density and distribution
3.d
Strengthen the capacity of all countries, in particular developing countries, for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks
3.d.1
International Health Regulations (IHR) capacity and health emergency preparedness
3.d.2
Percentage of bloodstream infections due to selected antimicrobial-resistant organisms
SDG 14 targets covered
| Name | Description |
|---|
Deliverables & Timeline
10,000 young people in countries currently using the IITTI Standard have benefited from the IITTI Reading Program & Activities. Specifically, they have earned at least 1 point on their personal ‘World Civility Index’ that they can show to future employers.
(Completed 2021.)
Second 3-year initiative from June 2022 onward is to aim for 200,000 young people in earning 'World Civility Index' credential as proof so that they can show to future employers.
(Completed Jun,2025.)
Current new 3-year initiative from July 2025 - July 2028 is to aim for a focused 10,000 employees/students in earning 'World Civility Index' points as part of a micro-credentialing program as proof to show school admissions, employers.
Resources mobilized
Partnership Progress
| Title | Progress Status | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| Partnership Progress 2025-07-30 | On track | |
| Partnership Progress 2020-12-23 | Completed | |
| Partnership Progress 2020-08-15 | Completed | |
| Partnership Progress 2020-07-30 | Completed |
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Timeline
Entity
Geographical coverage
Other beneficiaries
The IITTI World Civility Index (WCI) and its sub-index, the Personal Health Index (PHI), serve a wide range of beneficiaries across society. These include students, who gain internationally recognized micro-credentials to strengthen their school and job applications; employers, who benefit from a standardized, verifiable way to assess soft skills and wellness efforts; and educational institutions, which can integrate character development into measurable learning outcomes. Governments and NGOs also benefit by using the Index as a tool for scalable human capital development, policy planning, and UBI (universal basic income) pilot projects tied to effort-based incentives. In total, this initiative empowers individuals, institutions, and systems to align with UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal #8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, by promoting civility, wellness, and employability at scale.
More information
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Contact Information
Patrick Chun, Executive Director