Joint Agreement
on Global Education and Africa-Europe Youth Cooperation
between the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe and the European Commission

Global 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 levels 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 European key players in this field – to promote global education and youth action in Europe and beyond.

To this end, the two institutions signed a joint management agreement on 27 November 2008 that aims at contributing to the efforts of the international community to strengthen public understanding and critical support for development cooperation, 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.

The project is implemented by the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe through close collaboration of non-state actors and civil society platforms, such as Concord and the European Youth Forum. The project was launched in January 2009 and will be pursued for a period of three years (2009-2011) with a total amount of approximately 1.300.000.- EUR, of which the European Commission is providing 900.000.- EUR and the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe 400.000.- EUR.

For further information, please contact:

Gordana Berjan
North-South Centre of the Council of Europe
gordana.berjan@coe.int

Maria Gonzalez Mata
European Commission
maria.gonzalez-mata@ec.europa.eu