North-South Centre - European Centre for Global Interdependence and Solidarity

Nº 74 | September 2010

Global Education News is an electronic newsletter where national global education coordinators or practitioners can share global education news and best practices, useful thematic links and educational materials. It also serves as a medium for the North-South Centre global education network national coordinators' own use.

Dearest and esteemed global educators,

We hope that the Summer break was healing and a source of joy for all of you.

It is a pleasure to share with you this message to celebrate the Rentrée and giving the NSC an excellent opportunity to review with you the work accomplished so far in the field of global education (GE).

The first half of 2010 was intense in terms of reinforcement of NSC commitment for global education : the Global Education Guidelines was translated in French, Portuguese and Spanish and the Spring e-course for global education was offered, confirming the NSC new capacity-building project.

The first semester was also an important milestone in NSC networking expansion with its participation at the Rosario International Congress, Argentina (Deepening democracy as a way of life: Challenges for participatory democracy and citizenship learning in the 21st Century) which allowed making contacts with Latin American stakeholders and explore possible areas of collaboration, one of them being, beside networking, the translation of the GE e-course in Portuguese and Spanish.

In the field of networking and partnerships, the NSC has started the preparation of the European Development Days in close collaboration with DEEEP and CONCORD DARE network with the purpose of strengthening synergies between DARE and GEW networks and develop a peer working methodology between respective national coordinators for the benefit of an European approach for DE and GE strategies.

Finally, the project for the reinforcement of GE in EU new member States has been almost completed when referring to National Seminars on DE/GE. Regional seminars will complete this cycle in the current months.

All these activities prove the growing involvement of stakeholders in the field of GE and you are invited to get acquainted more in detail to all these activities through the NSC Global Education webpage, regularly updated. We continue our efforts in improving the quality of our Global Education webpage.

It is also through the GE webpage that we invite you to get acquainted to the activities foreseen for the second half of 2010, namely the Summer GE e-course, the World Aware Education Awards and the Global Education Week. Get acquainted and, above all, share and disseminate the information within your respective networks and partners, at national and international level. Beside the Global Education activities you will find also relevant information about the NSC Youth programme with its intense training activities, as well as NSC calendar of activities.

Meanwhile keep the ball rolling and forward this message to your partners in order to share...

... the call for applications for the GE Summer e-course (deadline 15 September), which will take place from 27 September to 22 October;

... the call for applications for the World Aware Education Awards 2010 edition (deadline 13 October);

... the content of the Global Education Week 2010 edition special webpage with all your partners and stakeholders.

The rhythm is given!

Looking forward for a captivating semester together and wishing you an enjoyable reading!

1. NEWS FROM NORTH-SOUTH CENTRE OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE & THE GLOBAL EDUCATION WEEK NETWORK

 

2. OTHER NEWS

    . OBESSU – Organising Bureau of European Shool Student Unions - the OBESSU Light on the Rights Bus Tour has started on 7 September. From Brussels towards Vilnius, the first event will take place in the Lithuanian capital on the 9th of September. In the Next Event session, you can learn more about the Bus Tour and have a look at the full list of planned activities. The description of the events will be updated as soon as the different activities are clearly defined by the member organisations. In addition to the lightontherights.eu website, a dedicated space will be created on the OBESSU website, which will feature articles about the progress of the Bus Tour. Stay tuned!

    . World Youth Conference, Mexico, 26-29 August 2010 - Participate and Say it aloud !
    Five years before the deadline set by the international community to achieve development goals, Mexico calls for a World Youth Conference as a space for discussion and reflection on the role of youth in achieving the Millennium Development goals and the new development agenda set in 2015. … more
    NGO recommendations & spanish

    . CIVICUS World Assembly – Acting together for a just world. Outcomes of the World Assembly held last August 20-23 in Montréal

    . This year, the European Convention on Human Rights - the Council of Europe’s flagship treaty protecting basic human rights and fundamental freedoms in 47 member states of the Council of Europe – is celebrating its 60th anniversary. On this occasion, the Directorate of  Communication of the Council of Europe is pleased to present you with a new leaflet highlighting the impact of this convention on citizens' lives and its importance in the development of international law. The publication also shows the achievements of the European Court of Human Rights, the convention’s monitoring organ. Please find below the electronic version of the publication:
    http://www.coe.int/AboutCoe/media/interface/publications/60_cedh_en.pdf
    To receive paper copies of the publication, available in English, French and German, please contact docrequest@coe.int.

 

3. USEFUL LINKS

    . Education - the World Bank’s online education atlas and education Millennium Development Goal (MDG) monitor have both been updated with new data from UNESCO. The education atlas includes thematic world maps of 62 key education indicators, and the MDG monitor generates charts to illustrate each country’s progress toward the education MDGs. Read More …

 

4. USEFUL RESOURCES





. Global Education Guidelines
The North-South Centre is happy to announce that the Global Education Guidelines, a handbook for Educators to understand and implement Global Education, is accessible on-line. more...

    Council of Europe

    . Higher education for modern societies: competences and values (Council of Europe higher education series No.15) (2010)

    . European Convention on Human Rights (as amended by Protocols nº. 11 and 14) Set of 5 books (2010)

    . Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities - Collected Texts (6th edition) (2010)

    . Youth policy in Albania (2010)

    . Biodiversity and climate change: Reports and guidance developed under the Bern Convention - Volume I (Nature and Environment n°156) (2010)

    . Supervising electoral processes (Science and technique of democracy nº 48) (2010)

    . Judicial review - A comparative analysis inside the European legal system (2010)

    . IRIS plus 2010-4: Public Service Media: Money for Content (2010)

    Others

    . Report of YPWC’s Online Youth Consultation on Migration and Development more …

    . “DE Watch” - European Development Education Monitoring Report
    The report, initiated by the European Multi Stakeholder Steering Group on Development Education, provides a detailed overview of development education (DE) policies, practices and funding in the 27 EU Member States and Norway. It analyses DE concepts, policies and practices of national development ministries and related agencies, the formal education sector as well as the approaches of civil society organisations and local or regional authorities – Press release

    . Achieving the Millennium Development Goals
    To reach the second Millennium Development Goal of achieving universal primary education by 2015, school systems with low completion rates will need to train teachers, build classrooms, and improve the quality of education. They also need to remove attendance barriers such as fees, transportation, and security concerns. Read More…

    . Evaluation of the 2008 European Year of Intercultural Dialogue - Report from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions

    . Play for Sustainability Fund - the future needs a generation that is more conscious of how things are connected in the world and that can see the relation between their actions and others’ living conditions. A generation that shows solidarity with people and with nature, both locally and globally. One that consumes in a more sustainable way.

    . Growth or Redistribution for Human Development? Neither?
    The authors of this study asked whether economic growth or pro-poor income redistribution influenced aggregate health and education attainments. The paper examines data for Morocco and Vietnam, and finds that growth and changes in income inequality played only a modest role in boosting school enrollments in both countries. Sector policies and other socio-economic changes appear to have played a larger role. Read More … 

    . Accelerating Growth in Africa
    The World Bank is the largest provider of development assistance to Africa. In the last five years, the Bank and its partners have increased their commitments to Africa to fight poverty, boost economic growth and lessen the impact of the economic, food and fuel crises. 66 million Africans have received new electricity since 1997, and 240,000 kilometers of African roads have been built, rehabilitated or maintained in the last 8 years. Read More …

    . Preparing for Climate Change Risks to Power Systems
    A new toolkit from the World Bank and the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program  uses a bottom-up, stakeholder-based approach to assess climate risks to a country’s energy supply and distribution, as well as potentially disruptive shifts in demand for energy. The toolkit draws upon lessons from Albania to integrate adaptation options into energy sector policymaking and planning. Read More…

    . New Website Allows Visitors to Track Climate Finance
    A newly launched website allows visitors to track billions of dollars in climate finance. Visitors can click on donor or recipient countries on a map of the world and gain access to detailed information about climate projects. The site aims to provide transparency about the origin, amount, and use of funds going to developing countries to support action to fight climate change. Read More …

    . Ten Things You Never Knew About the World Bank
    This interactive map of the world will tell you “ten things you never knew” about the World Bank’s work in your country. Start clicking to learn about the initiatives under way in any country of interest. Read More …

    . Eco-Schools newsletter

    . ACP-EU-COURRIER

    . TRIALOG Information Service (TIS) is addressed to NGOs and individuals who are interested in development issues in the context of EU enlargement.

    . UNESCO Education webpage

    . UNESCO Education newsletter - Previous issues

    . UNESCO - Education at the Millennium Development Goals Summit, 20-22 September
    UNESCO to hold Round Table at MDG summit

    . UNESCO selection of recent education publications

    . UNESCO Education for All – 2010 Global Monitoring Report : Reaching the marginalised

    . UNESCO Culture newsletter

 

5. MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE

    Calls

    . We invite papers for a special edition of Education, Citizenship and Social Justice 2011 on the theme of “Education, Human Rights and Social Justice in East Asia” ... more

    Request of partnership

    Sharing good practices

    RISC - Reading International Solidarity Centre - has long-standing and far-reaching connections to the education and voluntary sectors in the South East region of the UK and the Global South. Founded in 1981, it is now one of the largest Development Education Centres in the country. Located in Reading, to the west of London, RISC works with schools and community groups to raise the profile of global issues and promote action for sustainability, human rights and social justice locally as well as globally. Read more …

    . Achieving Gender Equality at the Heart of the MDGs 
    The third Millennium Development Goal aims at promoting gender equality and empowering women. Developing countries continue to make progress towards this goal, especially gender parity in primary and secondary education. Sixty-four countries have achieved gender parity in enrollment, and another twenty are on track to do so by 2015. But 22 countries are seriously off track, the majority of them in sub-Saharan Africa. Read More …

    . Play for Sustainability Fund - the future needs a generation that is more conscious of how things are connected in the world and that can see the relation between their actions and others’ living conditions. A generation that shows solidarity with people and with nature, both locally and globally. One that consumes in a more sustainable way.

    Training courses / Scholarships

    . Erasmus Mundus - MUNDUS URBANO Scholarships
    The double degree master course MUNDUS URBANO contributes to capacity building in urban development planning especially in countries of the South and the East.

    . Erasmus Mundus - IMSE Scholarships
    International Master in Service Engineering (IMSE)

    . Erasmus Mundus - IMMIT Scholarships
    International Master in Management of IT (IMMIT),

    . Erasmus Mundus - EMSRHS Scholarships
    European Master in Sustainable Regional Health Systems aims to fill the gap in Health Management by approaching the theme of health system management and planning on a regional level.

    . Erasmus Mundus - EMTM Scholarships
    Erasmus Mundus European Master in Tourism Management (EMTM) is a two-year world-class integrated programme aimed at qualifying graduates to deal with the huge challenges in contemporary tourism.

    . Erasmus Mundus - SUTROFOR Scholarships
    The MSc programme in Sustainable Tropical Forestry (SUTROFOR) is a top-level programme aimedat preparing qualified graduates to deal with contemporary tropical forestry. It

    . Erasmus Mundus - MESPOM Scholarships
    MESPOM is an Erasmus Mundus Masters course in Environmental Sciences, Policy and Management operated by four leading European and two North American Universities and supported by the European Commission.

    . RNTC: Training on Broadcast Journalism,Broadcast Management,Internet for Journalists
    RNTC is a centre of excellence in the field of media, development and education. We design and implement projects supporting the development of the media sector and the effective use of media for development.

    . Women’s Voices Now Prizes
    Women’s Voices Now (WVN), a New York-based not-for-profit social enterprise is calling for
    film submissions for Women’s Voices from the Muslim World: A Short-Film Festival. The
    Festival is open to filmmakers of all genders, nationalities and faiths.

    . Population Institute’s Global Media Awards
    The Population Institute (PI) is an international non-profit (registered 501(c)(3) organization) that seeks to promote universal access to family planning information, education, and services.

    . View Change Film Contest
    ViewChangeFilmContest.org is launching an online competition to find powerful new stories about the progress being made in achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

    . Thomson Reuters Foundation: Training on Reporting Crises and Disasters
    Thomson Reuters Foundation is the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, the world’s largest multimedia news agency which is internationally respected for its fast, accurate and impartial reporting.

    . Erasmus Mundus - IMEC Scholarships
    International Master in Early Childhood Education and Care (IMEC) is a two-year international Master Programme (120 ECTS) in Early Childhood Education and Care. All students will follow a given structure, spending at least one semester at all three partner institutions.

    . Environmental Human Rights:A Present and Future Challenge for Youth Work Training
    Asia-Europe Training Courses are important intercultural learning instruments of non-formal education that focus on the personal and professional development of young people and on the capacity building of youth organisations in Asia and Europe. These activities aim at bringing together the next generation of leaders, equipping them with knowledge, skills and attitudes that enables them to make meaningful contacts, address negotiations, have significant exchanges and deal in a fruitful and open way with any type of interregional issues within their efforts to
    deepen the Asia-Europe co-operation one step further. The Directorate of Youth and Sport of the Council of Europe and the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) have in common a commitment to intercultural dialogue through youth work and youth
    cooperation.

    . UNEP Awards
    UNEP is the United Nations system’s designated entity for addressing environmental issues at the global and regional level. Its mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action.

    . FSC Scholarships
    The Food Security Center (FSC) is a university center of excellence in development collaboration at
    the University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany. FSC is one of five excellence centers of the pro-
    gram “exceed – Higher Education Excellence in Development Cooperation”,

    . Erasmus Mundus-EMLE Scholarships
    The European Master in Law and Economics (EMLE) has been recognized by the European Commission as an Erasmus Mundus Master Programme of "outstanding academic quality". The Erasmus Mundus label allows the EMLE programme to annually grant a substantial number of scholarships (including several full scholarships to non-European students).

    . Erasmus Mundus-UNESCO-IHE Scholarships
    The UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education is an international institute for water education that was established in 2003. UNESCO-IHE continues the work that was started in 1957 when IHE first offered a postgraduate diploma course in hydraulic engineering to practicing professionals from developing countries.

    Job opportunities / Fellowships

    . IISH Fellowships
    The International Institute of Social History (IISH) of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) is located in Amsterdam. Founded in 1935, it is one of the world's largest documentary and research institutions in the field of social history in general and the history of the labour movement in particular.

    . Oak Human Rights Fellowships
    The Oak Institute for the Study of International Human Rights was established in 1998 by a generous grant from the Oak Foundation. Each year, it hosts an Oak Human Rights Fellow to teach and conduct research while residing at the College.

    . ISID Grant, SSI/ISID Fellowships, Scientific Exchange Fellowships
    International Society for Infectious Diseases (ISID) is to enhance research, prevention, and treatment of infectious diseases, particularly in low resource countries.

    . WFI Fellowships
    WORLD FOREST INSTITUTE (WFI)'s programs and conferences offer a unique and exciting opportunity for forestry professionals to gain the broader perspectives, connections and skill set demanded by this era of change.

    . Humboldt-International Climate Protection Fellowships
    Every year, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation enables more than 2,000 researchers from all over the world to spend time researching in Germany. The Foundation maintains a network of more than 24,000 Humboldtians from all disciplines in over 130 countries worldwide - including 43 Nobel Prize winners.

    . Human Rights Watch Fellowships
    Human Rights Watch, the international human rights monitoring and advocacy organization, invites applications for its fellowship program. Human Rights Watch is known for its impartial and reliable human rights reporting on over 70 countries worldwide, its innovative and high-profile advocacy campaigns, and its success in affecting the policy of the US and other influential governments toward human rights abusers.

    . CAS Sofia Fellowships
    CAS Sofia is an independent Institute with international and multidisciplinary profile. Located in Sofia, Bulgaria, it promotes high-level scholarship in the social sciences and the humanities. In addition to supporting focus-group research, CAS Sofia invites outstanding scholars to pursue their individual research projects during in-residence periods of up to five months.

    . OSI Fellowships
    The Open Society Institute (OSI) works to build vibrant and tolerant democracies whose governments are accountable to their citizens. The Open Society Fellowship supports individuals who are developing innovative solutions to pressing open society challenges.

    . Senior Education Specialist, Education for All – Fast Track Initiative (FTI)
    The senior education specialist will be expected to provide technical support and advice on the development of country education plans, lead on the development of FTI policies, and forge strong relationships with key stakeholders to promote FTI’s goal of attaining the second Millennium Development Goal—universal primary education—by 2015. Read More …

    . Capacity Development Specialist, World Bank Institute
    The World Bank Institute’s new capacity development agenda is seeking a specialist to develop and lead the implementation of a work program. Strong reputation for intellectual leadership in international development, and entrepreneurial abilities required. Read More …

 

6. EVENTS

    . OBESSU – Organising Bureau of European Shool Student Unions - the OBESSU Light on the Rights Bus Tour has started on 7 September. From Brussels towards Vilnius, the first event will take place in the Lithuanian capital on the 9th of September. In the Next Event session, you can learn more about the Bus Tour and have a look at the full list of planned activities. The description of the events will be updated as soon as the different activities are clearly defined by the member organisations. In addition to the lightontherights.eu website, a dedicated space will be created on the OBESSU website, which will feature articles about the progress of the Bus Tour. Stay tuned!

    . UNESCO - Education at the Millennium Development Goals Summit, 20-22 September
    UNESCO to hold Round Table at MDG summit

    . Education and Citizenship in a Globalising World, 19-20 November 2010, London
    The third international education conference, convened jointly by the Institute of Education (IOE), London and Beijing Normal University (BNU), will address the challenges of education and citizenship in a globalising world and should have a worldwide, drawing together scholarship and experience, practice and perspective from across the globe. Participants will have the opportunity to  interact with, and learn from, global leaders in the field of citizenship and education; gain new perspectives in this challenging and important area or work; network with colleagues from the UK, China and elsewhere. more …

    . NECE- Networking European Citizenship Education
    “Cities and Urban Spaces: Chances for Cultural and Citizenship Education”
    29 September – 1 October 2010, Trieste (Italy)

    . No Woman, No Cry: September 16, 11am – 12:15 pm
    On the eve of the Millennium Development Goals five-year countdown summit in New York, renowned model and maternal health advocate Christy Turlington Burns previews her debut documentary— No Woman, No Cry—a powerful portrayal of at-risk pregnant women in Tanzania, Bangladesh, Guatemala and the United States. World Bank Preston Auditorium, 1818 H St NW, Washington DC. RSVP: infoshopevents@worldbank.org

 

7. SPECIAL SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

    . The European Commission adopts a 12 point Action Plan to support the Millennium Development goals This is the first major policy statement of new Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs.
    The aim is for the EU to take a lead in getting back on track towards the MDGs in the five years which remain to the 2015 deadline.The full set of documentation is now available online through europa development services We welcome your comments and feedback via the European Development Days stakeholder process and via the event itself, which is due to take place on 6-7 December 2010 in Brussels.

    . 2010 World Social Forum - in 2010, the WSF will happen in a permanent way, all year-round, with events and activities being held throughout the world. The WSF process will focus on the global crisis, understood in all its dimensions: economic, environmental, political, social, cultural, food, civilizatory. …more
    . World Social Forum website
    . World Social Forum Virtual Media Center

    . World Economic Forum 2010 website

    . Progress Towards the MDGs
    There has been considerable progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Despite the global economic crisis, the target to reduce by half the number of people living in extreme poverty is within reach. Rapid growth has occurred in East Asia and Pacific and poverty rates have been dropping in South Asia. However, progress at the country level is uneven, with only 49 of 87 countries on track to achieve the poverty target. Read More …

    . Education Key to Achieving Millennium Development Goals
    To reach the second Millennium Development Goal of achieving universal primary education by 2015, school systems with low completion rates will need to train teachers, build classrooms, and improve the quality of education. They also need to remove attendance barriers such as fees, transportation, and security concerns. Read More …

    . Education
    The World Bank’s online education atlas and education Millennium Development Goal (MDG) monitor have both been updated with new data from UNESCO. The education atlas includes thematic world maps of 62 key education indicators, and the MDG monitor generates charts to illustrate each country’s progress toward the education MDGs. Read More …

    . Achieving Gender Equality at the Heart of the MDGs 
    The third Millennium Development Goal aims at promoting gender equality and empowering women. Developing countries continue to make progress towards this goal, especially gender parity in primary and secondary education. Sixty-four countries have achieved gender parity in enrollment, and another twenty are on track to do so by 2015. But 22 countries are seriously off track, the majority of them in sub-Saharan Africa. Read More …

    . Growth or Redistribution for Human Development? Neither?
    The authors of this study asked whether economic growth or pro-poor income redistribution influenced aggregate health and education attainments. The paper examines data for Morocco and Vietnam, and finds that growth and changes in income inequality played only a modest role in boosting school enrollments in both countries. Sector policies and other socio-economic changes appear to have played a larger role. Read More … 

    . Accelerating Growth in Africa
    The World Bank is the largest provider of development assistance to Africa. In the last five years, the Bank and its partners have increased their commitments to Africa to fight poverty, boost economic growth and lessen the impact of the economic, food and fuel crises. 66 million Africans have received new electricity since 1997, and 240,000 kilometers of African roads have been built, rehabilitated or maintained in the last 8 years. Read More …

    . Ten Things You Never Knew About the World Bank
    This interactive map of the world will tell you “ten things you never knew” about the World Bank’s work in your country. Start clicking to learn about the initiatives under way in any country of interest. Read More …

 

8. CAMPAIGNS