How did we develop the new Declaration on
Global Education to 2050?

On 14 June 2021, GENE launched a process to develop the new Declaration. The purpose of the process was to create a long-term vision and to build broader and deeper political support and commitment to Global Education.

The process was led by policymakers from Ministries and Agencies across Europe in consultation with the European Commission, youth and civil society organisations, local and regional governments, international organisations, academia and global critical friends.

Engagement and Consultation

The engagement processes from June 2021 to November 2022 included bilateral and multilateral meetings with policymakers, international institutions and other key stakeholders. Each of these processes has been tailor-made and developed in partnership, to ensure that specific views, needs and possibilities of each stakeholder are considered.

Background

This process came 20 years after the Maastricht Congress and Declaration brought together actors from different strands and traditions of education for social change, breaking down silos and enabling synergies between development education, human rights education, education for sustainable development, global citizenship education, peace education, etc.

Since then, Global Education policy and practice have evolved, as have political, social and educational contexts in Europe and globally. New international frameworks have emerged, not least the SDGs. Agenda 2030 comes to an end in eight years, prompting questions around what is needed now and beyond 2030 to ensure Global Education for all people in Europe, in solidarity with peoples globally. The process towards a new Declaration identified the vision and the necessary commitments to achieve this.

To learn more about the Declaration, please read the Concept Note.

Political processes

Stakeholder processes

Timeline

The launch of the process

The process was launched with a high-level political event on 14 June 2021, opened by EU Commissioner for International Partnerships, Ms. Jutta Urpilainen. Ministers of Education, Foreign Affairs and International Development from across Europe engaged in a dialogue on the importance of Global Education to education policy, foreign policy and international cooperation.

 

Short video of the EU Commissioner for EU International Partnerships, Ms. Jutta Urpilainen, opening the launch event.

“Global justice, human rights and sustainability can be achieved - if we act in solidarity globally. The crucial key is education that opens people’s eyes to the causes of injustice - local and global - and encourages us to get involved to learn how to change things – that is Global Education!”

— Prof. Annette Scheunpflug, GENE Chair

Want to know more? Contact the GENE Secretariat.

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