News

The Belgian presidency of the Council of the European Union takes advantage of the launch of the new strategy paper on Global Citizenship Education (GCED) to reiterate the importance of the levers to be used at the European level to move forward the agenda for the defence of human rights, the environment and the reduction of inequalities in the world.

This 22 April is marked by the launch of the Belgian strategy paper on Global Citizenship Education (GCED). The Belgian presidency of the Council of the EU attaches great importance to education and international cooperation. It is in this context that education for global citizenship comes into play, as it lies at the intersection of the two. It also has a direct link with policy coherence on development, culture, youth and lifelong learning. The aim of the event organised today is therefore to highlight the importance of education for global citizenship within international cooperation.

"This new strategy paper confirms the central role that education plays in strengthening support for international solidarity. Global citizenship education enables us to see the world from a different perspective. It allows us to empathise with situations and people from very different backgrounds or environments, or whom we do not fully understand. And this is necessary. After all, today's big challenges transcend our borders: the climate crisis, human rights coming under pressure, the threat of war and violence, inequality, migration.... Now that fake news is rampant on social media, and extremists are out to divide and undermine solidarity between people, it is all the more important that citizens - and young people in particular - have access to knowledge and information that enables them to develop an open mind, a critical eye AND avenues for solutions in international solidarity", presented the Belgian Minister for Development Cooperation.

Testimonies illustrated the impact of global citizenship education, and Belgian and European players in the sector commented on the importance of this note. Experts in international relations, economics, inclusion and global citizenship will also debate the limits of current paradigms and the possible and necessary alternatives for a just and sustainable world.

The event is co-organised with the Global Education Network Europe (GENE), which has been proactively involved in drafting the new strategic note and which is made up of representatives of European ministries and agencies responsible at national level for policy development, funding and support in the field of global education.

Global Citizenship Education

According to the European Declaration on Global Education to 2050, which was approved in Dublin in 2022, global education is defined as "education that enables people to reflect critically on the world and their place in it; to open their eyes, hearts and minds to the reality of the world at local and global level. It empowers people to understand, imagine, hope and act to bring about a world of social and climate justice, peace, solidarity, equity and equality, planetary sustainability, and international understanding. It involves respect for human rights and diversity, inclusion, and a decent life for all, now and into the future. Global Education encompasses a broad range of educational provision: formal, non-formal and informal; life-long and life-wide. We consider it essential to the transformative power of, and the transformation of, education". (Read the text of the declaration).

URL: https://belgian-presidency.consilium.europa.eu/en/news/the-launch-of-the-new-strategy-paper-on-global-citizenship-education/