Networking Ministries and Agencies in Global Education.

Global Education Network Europe (GENE) is the European network of Ministries and Agencies with national responsibility for policymaking, funding and support in the field of Global Education.

Started in 2001 with 6 national structures from 6 countries, GENE now has grown to include over 50 Ministries, Agencies and other national bodies, from over 25 countries.

European Declaration on Global Education in Europe to 2050

Adopted at the Dublin Congress on 3-4 November 2022 | Dublin Castle, Ireland

The declaration was drafted in consultation with Ministries and Agencies, of Foreign Affairs and Education, from across Europe, with youth organisations, civil society organisations, local governments and international organisations, along with researchers in the field, as well as global critical friends from Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Americas, to ensure a strong and visionary document.

The Dublin Congress was hosted by the Government of Ireland, co-chaired by the Government of Luxembourg, and convened by GENE.

The Dublin Congress brought together over 300 participants, including representatives from the ministries and agencies that make up the GENE network, youth organisations, civil society, local and regional governments, academia, international organisations and colleagues from other regions. The Congress ended with the adoption of the new GE2050 Declaration, making commitments regarding the role of education in contributing to international solidarity, human rights, global social justice, sustainability and peace.

Latest News

  • Global Education in the Asia-Pacific region

    At the invitation of the Asia-Pacific network on global citizenship education, we had the opportunity to discuss the purpose, process, and content of the Dublin Declaration. We considered the pivotal role of policymakers and other stakeholders in this process and explored how insights from our work with policymakers towards the agreement of the Declaration could benefit advocates and national policymakers in global citizenship education in the Asia-Pacific region. GENE Executive Director, Liam Wegimont, commented: The Dublin Declaration has been an impetus and inspiration for advancing Global Education in European countries. Inspired by our process, our Global Critical Friends from the Asia-Pacific region are considering the initiation of a similar, but different, process to develop a regional initiative. Our contexts are different, but we share similar aspirations regarding Global Education. With the agreement of the 2023 UNESCO Recommendation, there is a great opportunity for alignment between regional initiatives to enhance Global Education. Read more.

  • GENE at UNESCO's World Conference on Culture and Arts Education

    At the UNESCO World Conference on Culture and Arts Education, GENE's Executive Director, Liam Wegimont, chaired an inter-ministerial panel focusing on equitable access to culture and arts in education. The panel brought together Ministers of Education, Arts, and Culture from various countries and regional intergovernmental organisations to explore the vital role of arts and culture in shaping inclusive education systems. The discussions emphasised the transformative power of arts, culture, creativity, and imagination in contributing to global justice, peace, human rights, and sustainability, aligning with the UNESCO 2023 Recommendation and the European Declaration on Global Education to 2050. This underscores the essential role of Global Education in enabling critical reflection, imagination, and contributions to social and climate justice, peace, solidarity, and international understanding. Watch the panel here.

  • Swedish Policy and Strategy in Global Education

    On 14 and 15 February 2024, we had the privilege of engaging in detailed conversation with Skolverket, the Swedish agency for education and Sida, the Swedish development cooperation agency in Stockholm regarding Swedish policy and strategy in Global Education and Learning for Sustainability. At the seminar in Stockholm, we explored the Swedish, European and international contexts for Global Education and looked at further possibilities for partnership and joint learning. On the second day, we were joined by professors Karen Pashby (Manchester Metropolitan University) and Louise Sund (Mälardalen University), who shared insights from their research in the field, reminding us of the benefits of linking policy and research conversations in Global Education.

  • Exciting Update on Global Education Policy

    On 12-13 March, GENE facilitated the inter-ministerial dialogue "Global Education Policy in Central Europe" – a regional event, hosted by the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs. One year after the Dublin Declaration, this event offered a unique opportunity to revisit national commitments to Global Education and to create an environment conducive to sharing insights, navigating challenges, and exploring opportunities in Central Europe. This inter-ministerial dialogue served as a catalyst for partnership development and strengthening, shaping the trajectory of education policy in the region. We are looking forward to this collective pursuit of enhancing Global Education policies in Central Europe.

  • The Dublin Declaration in Bilbao

    We had the privilege of attending the European Declaration on Global Education to 2050 conference in Bilbao, where Ms. Ditta Trindade, GENE's Head of Support and Innovation, delivered an insightful presentation on the process, contents, and implementation of the Declaration. She also identified exciting opportunities for cooperation at the regional and local levels. The conference featured a thought-provoking one-day Seminar on the Implementation of the Dublin Declaration in the Basque country, emphasising the urgent need for a transformative shift in education. It's time to embrace the intricacies of our interconnected world and equip our learners with the skills they need to thrive.

  • Latest books on Global Education

    Delighted to share the launch of two groundbreaking books on global education and sustainable development that took place on 30 November. The books were presented by Prof. Douglas Bourn, Professor of Development Education at University College London (UCL) and Director of the Development Education Research Centre (DERC). The hybrid launch featured a brief introduction to each book, and a series of short presentations from the authors of key chapters from both collections. Read more.

  • GENE at Ambrela Development Day

    Exciting discussions at Ambrela Development Day Deep Talks on Global Education on 8 November! GENE Director Liam Wegimont joined esteemed panelists to address challenges in liberal democracies in Central and Eastern Europe. We explored the role of Global Education in countering fake news and misinformation, fostering critical thinking and media literacy. Looking forward to finalising their new strategy by Spring and gaining government approval by Summer. Read more.

  • The Dublin Declaration 1st Anniversary

    On 4 November, we marked the first anniversary of the Dublin Congress and Declaration. We would like to take a moment to celebrate the many achievements in follow-up to the Declaration, made together with everyone who has been involved in this process. Since the adoption of the European Declaration on Global Education to 2050, there has been incredible progress. To get a glimpse of the highlights, please take a look at this one-pager.

  • GENE Roundtables in-person again

    After a few virtual roundtables, we met again in-person in Athens for GENE Roundtable 49. On 19 and 20 October we brought together over 50 Policymakers from Ministries and Agencies, of Foreign Affairs and Education, from across Europe to meet and share reports on national situations, identify cross-cutting issues, and learn together through policy networking for more and better Global Education. Read more about GENE's Roundtables here.

Recent Publications

Quality and Good Practice in Global Education across Europe

This publication presents GENE’s Global Education Award 2020/21, focused on quality and good practice in Global Education across Europe.

READ THE PUBLICATION

Quality and Impact in Global Education

What can be considered as “impact” in Global Education and how this impact can be analysed? Both questions are dealt with within the scope of the research project.

READ THE PUBLICATION

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Policy Learning in Global Education

This paper arises from a peer exchange between policymakers with responsibilities in Global Education in Slovakia and Portugal, facilitated by GENE.

READ THE PUBLICATION

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Global Education and Climate Change

A policy briefing that addresses the question of how Global Education can contribute to the discourses and practices around education for climate change.

READ THE PUBLICATION

Recent Articles

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Education, democracy and global solidarity:
learning to understand the other

In November 2016, thanks to colleagues from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, France, Edgar Morin honoured GENE by his presence in addressing and giving the keynote closing lecture to the GENE Paris Conference. To celebrate his 100th birthday, GENE published his keynote speech. Morin reminds us of the crucial centrality of history, memory, understanding what it means to be human and solidarity. In his address, he summed it up simply: the current education system is obsolete. The response: recognising the growing complexity, we need to put global solidarity at the heart of education in an age of uncertainty.

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Global Education: What Education Systems Need in a Time of Crises

Education that helps open people’s eyes and encourages them to act in solidarity with others is not something new. Indeed, as long as people have thought about learning; there has been a question at the heart of the conversation: how to ensure that people learn not just how to fit into the way things are, but also learn how to change things. Given the current political context in Europe and globally – the challenges to democracy, the rule of law, multilateralism, human rights, solidarity, justice and truth; and given the ongoing pandemic - this kind of education (that is: Global Education) is just what the world needs, and what education systems need, right now.

Webinars

Listen for free a series of webinars (in German) on different topics related to evidence-based global learning. Access the webinars here.

“The challenges of the 21st century - be it pandemics or climate change or other issues of justice, local and global - can only be responded to together and in cooperation. That is why multilateral cooperation is so important, and why as GENE we work together at a European level to increase and improve Global Education for all.”

– Prof. Annette Scheunpflug, GENE Chair

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This website was created and maintained with the financial support of the European Union and the Ministries and Agencies that support GENE. Its contents are the sole responsibility of GENE and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.