This definition has been approved by the DE Forum during the 2004 annual meeting, and endorsed by CONCORD during the General Assembly of November 2004.

 

Development education is an active learning process, founded on values of solidarity, equality, inclusion and co-operation. It enables people to move from basic awareness of international development priorities and sustainable human development, through understanding of the causes and effects of global issues to personal involvement and informed actions.

Development education fosters the full participation of all citizens in world-wide poverty eradication, and the fight against exclusion. It seeks to influence more just and sustainable economic, social, environmental, human rights based national and international policies.

 

Development education aims to raise awareness and understanding of how global issues affect the everyday lives of individuals communities and how all of us can and do influence the global.

"Development education is education that opens people's eyes to the realities of the world, and awakens them to bring about a world of greater justice, equality and human rights for all".

In Denmark we work with what is officially called "international dimension in all kinds of education". From an NGO's point of view we talk about an inter-cultural and global dimension in all subjects and topics in the education system. The aim is naturally that all Danish should accomplish a competence in dealing with, mixing with and respecting other cultures and a competence in understanding, and self involvement and taking responsability in society and world affairs, no matter local or global.

L'éducation au développement et à la solidarité internationale a pour finalité le changement des mentalités et des comportements de chacun, dans le but de contribuer individullement et collectivement à la construction d'un monde juste, slidaire et durable. Pour cela, elle a pour objectif de favoriser:

• la compréhension des méccanismes d'interdépendance et d'exclusion dans le monde
• la prise de conscience de l'importance de la solidarité internationale comme facteur de changement social
• l'action pour la construction d'un monde solidaire.

Eduquer au développement et à la solidarité internationale c'est s'impliquer dans un procéssus global dont la dimension Nord/SUd est un élément constitutif déterminant.

Development Education is about increasing people's awareness and understanding of global issues and of the inter-dependence of different countries and arts of the world in relation to those issues. In particular, it is about what sustains underdevelopment and what is needed to reach and sustain more equal development. It is an education based on reflection, analysis and action at local and global level.

Development education is a dynamic, interactive and particpatory process, which aims:

• to achieve a complete and comprehensive education for each person; to promote awareness and understanding of the causes realted to development problems and of the interdependence between local and global issues.
• to promote inter-cultural understanding
• to promote social transformation/change based on equity, justice and solidarity;
• to promote the right and the duty of each individual and people to participate  and contribute towards sustainable development.