The European Multi-stakeholder group on Development Education was founded in 2006, during the Helsinki Conference on Development Education and Awareness raising.

The Multi-stakeholder group members are experts from national governments, European institutions, international organisation, and civil society.

• Agence Française de Développement
• Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Cooperation
• Czech Development Centre, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• CONCORD
• CONCORD Development Awareness Raising and Education Forum
• Development Education Research Centre, Institute of Education, University of London
• European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI)
• European Commission
• European Network of Political Foundations (ENOP)
• European Parliament
• European Platform of Local and Regional Authorities for Development (PLATFORMA)
• European University Association
• European Youth Forum
• Global Education Network Europe (GENE)
• Irish Aid
• InWent GmbH for Federal Ministry for Economic cooperation and Development (BMZ)- Germany
• International Trade  Union Confederation (ITUC)
• Ministry of Education- Finland
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Direction de la Coopération au Développement- Luxembourg
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs- Latvia
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs- Czech Republic
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs- Spain
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs- Slovenia
• Ministry of Foreing Affairs- Poland
• North-South Centre of the Council of Europe
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Centre
• OECD Development Assistance Committee
• Portuguese Development Agency (IPAD)
• RORG Network- Norway
• Slovak Agency for International Development Cooperation

 

The Multi-stakeholder group is co-chaired by:

• Rilli Lappalainen, KEHYS, and CONCORD Board Member
• Sergio Guimaraes, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Portugal

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

DEEEP is guaranting Secretariat support to both the multi-stakeholder process, and its steering group.

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, and the European Consensus on DE (2007)

 

A the Helsinki Conference (July 2006) organised by the Finnish NGDO Platform to the EU in cooperation with CONCORD and with the support of the Finnish 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 such a 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 stakeholders sectors would be formed to work more in-depth on this issue. Through 2007, the European Development Education Multi-stakeholder group, facilitated by DEEEP, worked to develop a strategic framework, and succesfully unveiled it at the EU Development Days in Lisbon, on November 9, 2007.