The 2002 Maastricht Global Education Congress increased the visibility and promotion of global education. It gathered policy-makers and practitioners, who issued the 2002 Maastricht Declaration, providing a framework for the improvement of global education at the European level until 2012.

The second Global Education Congress, organised ten years later, in Lisbon, defined priorities until 2015. It also addressed the question of how global education could adapt to a context of crisis, and respond to the new social, economic and environmental challenges.

The third Global Education Congress, in 2015, defined priorities and political guidance for implementation and recognition of global education beyond 2015 - following on Lisbon Congress recommendations and taking into consideration the overall political context and directions taken by other stakeholders - while linking the concept of global education to the concept of global citizenship education launched by UNESCO in 2013.

The last Global Education Congress, took place on 31 May and 1 June 2022 in Strasbourg.  Through a collaborative approach, the Congress has facilitated a learning process leading towards development of a commitment to global education and a set of strategic recommendations that promote coordination of global education at local and national levels and within the European and international institutions for the next four years.