This page offers wide information on the ongoing process of the Consensus on Development Education and Awareness Raising, developed by a multi-stakeholder group.
News from the Launch on November 9 2007, EU Development Days, Lisbon
How does it contribute to the European Consensus on Development?
What does the DE/AR strategy framework offer?
What is next? next step to implement...
Further information and contact
News from the launch on November 9 2007, EU Development Days, Lisbon
The European Consensus on Development the Contribution of Development Education and Awareness Raising was unveiled at the EU Development Days, by Louis Michel, EU Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid on November 9 2007. Commissioner Michel announced that this "Consensus on development education is as important as the European Consensus on development. Young people are unaware of poor people suffering. Raising awareness amongst young people is a day to day effort. Development education is a long term process to prepare young people for the debates of tomorrow".
This joint statement provides the first strategy framework on European development education and awareness raising at local, regional, national and European levels. It is offered as a contribution to the implementation of the European Consensus on Development (2005), with particular reference to the declaration that "...the EU will pay particular attention to development education and raising awareness among EU citizens" (Part I, section 4.3, paragraph 18).
It has been drawn up by the representatives from the current, past and future EU Presidencies; other Member States Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Development, the European Institutions, local authorities and municipalities, NGOs, Youth organisations, The Global Education Network Europe (GENE), the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe and the OECD.
Rilli Lappalainen, Chair of the CONCORD Development Education Forum, explained that this strategy framework has been elaborated with the contributions from the stake-holders of the civil society, Members of the European Parliment, national governments and the European Institutions. "A lot of development Education activities already exist, but each running separately. This strategy is a tool to encourage cross cutting activities", added Rilli Lappalainen who co-chaired the process.
"This strategy is the beginning of future actions. Annexes will provide details for each stake-holder's group on how to implement the strategy's principles and policy. In one year, we will assess what has been done. A reference manual of best practices and lessons learned will complement the framework", said Anita Reddy, co-chair of the process, from InWent (Capacity Building International, Germany).
How does it contribute to the European Consensus on Development?
The European Consensus recognizes the importance of development education and awareness raising among EU citizens in addressing such concerns and commitments, and that there should be particular attention given to it. This European Development and Awareness Raising Strategy contributes to the European Consensus on Development by:
- enabling people to be aware of and understand global development concerns.
- enabling people to enact their rights and responsibilities as inhabitants of a changing and interdependent world in their own localities.
Just as the European Consensus has set out some common objectives and principles of bst practice for development cooperation, this strategy framework has similarly laid out shared principles and objectives to meet the development challenges for the 21st century. This includes developing economic, political, social and cultural relations that meet these global challenges, as well as maintaining sustainable environments and addressing the issue of climate change.
What does the DE/AR strategy framework offers?
It provides a framework for the development of strategy at local, regional, national and European level that seeks to address the challenges and opportunities for public awareness raising and education for development, It also complements and strengthens, and not replace existing national and European initiatives to create increased public awareness, interest and involvement in development.
It includes a number of significant policy recommendations towards the Member State governments, European Commission, European Parliament, media and civil society actors, in particular that there should be support:
- to creat emore dialogue between European, state, media and civil society actors who are, or who could be, engaged in pronoting development awareness and education,
- for stronger mutual support in learning to improve existing practice and in developing new ventures,
- to encourage cross European programmes and activities, including between different and new actors in Development Education, Awareness Raising and development cooperation,
- to highlight the relevance of global development to European, national, local and public concerns,
- to improve practice and impact.
Who is involved
This statement has been the result of joint work of staff and representatives of a wide range of institutions and organisations with an interest in international development and in development education and awareness raising, including from:
- CONCORD Development forum
- Council of European Municipalities and Regions,
- Development Centre Institute of international Relations- Czech Republic,
- European Commission DG DEV, Unit A4
- European Parliament
- European Youth Forum
- federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trade and development cooperation, belgium
- Global Education Network Europe (GENE)
- InWent GmbH for Federal ministry for Economic cooperation and Development (BMZ)- Germany
- Irish Aid, Department of Foreign Affairs- Ireland
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Direction de la Coopération au Développement- Luxembourg
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs- Slovenia
- North-South Centre of the Council of Europe
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Centre
- Portuguese Development Agency (IPAD)
- Slovak Agency for International Development Cooperation
These representatives make the "Multi-stakeholder Steering Group"
Co- chairs:
- Rilli Lappalainen, KEHYS, and CONCORD Development Education Forum
- Anita Reddy, InWent on behalf of BMZ, Germany
This is not and exclusive group, and other stakeholder group snot represented are invited to join the Steering Group (e.g. The media, Ministries of education, Justice, etc..).
The Multi-stakeholder Plenary
The wider plenary group contains all the people who have been involved so far in the multi-stakeholder process, and they will be kept regularly informed of progress, and will be invited to also sign on to the final document as individuals/organisations.
Facilitators/Secretariat support
CONCORD through the Development Education Forum and DEEEP (Development Education Exchange in europe Project) have taken the lead as facilitators of the Steering Group for now. DEEEP offered the Secretariat support for the multi-stakeholder process, and steering group.
What is next? Future steps to implement..
The Multi-stakeholder steering Group will continue to develop this process, and will work in 2008 to:
- accompany the strategy framework with additional annexes, including:
- detailed roles and added value of each stakeholder group
- concepts and methodologies of DE/AR used by each of the stakeholders
- a reference manual of best practice, lessons learned and other practitioner-centred practical tools
- translation into a number of different EU languages
- encourage wide spread dissemination and use
- each stakeholder group to develop concrete action plans to implement strategy framework's principles and policy recommendations
Also look out for the Slovenian NGDO presidency Conference on the "Inter-cultural dialogue and development educaton", which will take place in Ljubljana, Slovenia (June 9-10 2008). For more information contact SLOGA (conference[at]soga-platform.org); telephone +386 1 542 14 42, fax +386 1 542 14 24
Background to the process
The importance of development education/awareness raising (DE/AR) within Europe to ensure greater public understanding of development issues, has been increasingly politically recognized. political commitments to promoting DE/AR in Europe include the EU Council of Development Ministers Resolution on development Education (2001), the Maastricht Declaration (2002), the Palermo process (2003), the Brussels Conference on DE/AR for North-South Solidarity (2005), the European Consensus on Development (2005), the Helsinki Conference on Development Education (July 2006), the 18 months (2007-08) programme on development policy of the EU Presidencies of Germany, Portugal and Slovenia.
Most recently, at the Helsinki Conference (July 2006) organised by the Finnish NGDO Platform to the EU in cooperation with CONCORD and with support of the Finish Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the European Commission, the need for a specific long term European strategy framework and vision for development education, common at both national and EU levels were reaffirmed. So too was the principle that sucha framework should only be developed though a multi-actor proces to make best use of the shared expertise and experiences. in the Multi-stakeholder plenary meeting (16/11/2006) it was agreed that a balanced steering Group accross the stakholders sectors would be formed to work more in-depth on this issue. Through 2007, the european Development Education Multistakeholder group, facilitade by the Development in Europe Exchange in Europe Project (DEEEP), worked to develop te strategy framework, and succesfully unveiled it at the EU Development Days in Lisbon, on NOvember 9, 2007.
Timeline of the process so far
- 9 November 2007: final unveiling of joint statement, EU Development Days, Lisbon, Portugal
- 21 September 2007: third multi-stakeholder steering group meeting, European Commission, Brussels, Belgium
Conclusions: discussion and agreement on final principles and policy recommendations. Sign off.
- June 2007: DEEEP and InWent hire Harm-Jan Fricke, external consultant
- 22 may 2007: Second Multi-stakeholder Steering Group Meeting, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Luxembourg
Conclusions: hire an external consultant to write first draft of "The European Consensus on Development: the contribution of development education and awareness raising", based on inputs from all stakeholders.
- 22 February 2007: First Multi-stakeholder Steering Group Meeting
Conclusions: draft action proposals and plan
- 16 November 2006: "European Development Education Multi-stakeholder Task-force Meeting", organised by the Finnish Ministry of foreign Affairs and CONCORD DE Forum
Conclusions: it was agreed that a representative steering group across the stakeholder groups would be formed, and would be given the mandate to develop proposals to take the European Strategy Framework forward
- 3-4 July 2006: Conference on European development Education, Helsinki, Finland. The Conference was organised by the Finnish NGDO Platform to the EU in cooperation with CONCORD and with the support of the Finnish Ministry of foreign Affairs, as well as of the European Commission.
Conclusions: the need for a specific long term European Strategy framework for development eduction, common at both national and EU levels, was reaffirmed. It should be developed through a multi-actor process.
Final report of the DE Conference
- March 2006: European Commission DG DEV/ CONCORD joint meeting on how to proceed with the DE Strategy.
Conclusions: decision to set up a multi-stakeholder group involving European institutions, committee of regions, council of European municipalities and regions, EU Member states, North-South Centre, OECD and CONCORD.
- 19 May 2006: Brussels European Conference on DE/AR for North-South Solidarity- Jointly organised by the Belgian development co-operation DG and the European Commission.
Conclusions: comprehensive and coherent DE/AR strategies should be designed, or if already existing, renewed and strengthened, at both local and European level, in an inclusive fashion with key stakeholders.
Further information and contact
If your interested in getting involved in this multistakeholder process, please contact
Tobias Troll
Advocacy Officer
DEEEP- Deelopment Education exchnage in Europe Project
10 square Ambiorix 1000 Brussels
Tel: +32 2 743 8788 Fax: +32 2 215 1870
DEEEP is currently offering the Secretariat support for the multi-stakholder taskforce and process.
