Council of Europe

Global/development education aims at raising awareness and at strengthening citizens’ capacity to take action, advocate for their rights and take part in the political debate at local, national and international level for social justice and sustainable development. It encourages learners and educators to work cooperatively on global issues and it enables citizens to understand the complex realities and processes of today’s world and to develop values, attitudes, knowledge and skills, which will allow them to face the challenges of an interconnected world. Sharing this vision, the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe and the European Commission have agreed to combine their efforts – as key players European in this field – to promote global/development education and youth action in Europe and beyond.

To this end, the two institutions signed a joint management agreement on 28 November 2008 aiming at contributing to the efforts of the international community to strengthen public understanding and critical support for development co-operation, and for the achievement of Millennium Development Goals, through key stakeholders in the field of global education. The project is based on two main pillars, i.e. the ambition to strengthen global education in the new member states of the European Union and, secondly, the promotion of Africa-Europe youth cooperation in the context of the EU-Africa Strategy – and targets mainly civil society actors and local authorities. A new joint management agreement covering the period 2013-2015 was signed by the two institutions on 27 September 2012.