Delighted to share the launch of two groundbreaking books on global education and sustainable development that took place on 30 November. The books were presented by Prof. Douglas Bourn, Professor of Development Education at University College London (UCL) and Director of the Development Education Research Centre (DERC). The hybrid launch featured a brief introduction to each book, and a series of short presentations from the authors of key chapters from both collections. Read more.

On 4 November, we marked the first anniversary of the Dublin Congress and Declaration. We would like to take a moment to celebrate the many achievements in follow-up to the Declaration, made together with everyone who has been involved in this process. Since the adoption of the European Declaration on Global Education to 2050, there has been incredible progress. To get a glimpse of the highlights, please take a look at this one-pager.

After a few virtual roundtables, we met again in-person in Athens for GENE Roundtable 49. On 19 and 20 October we brought together over 50 Policymakers from Ministries and Agencies, of Foreign Affairs and Education, from across Europe to meet and share reports on national situations, identify cross-cutting issues, and learn together through policy networking for more and better Global Education. Read more about GENE's Roundtables here.

Exciting discussions at Ambrela Development Day Deep Talks on Global Education on 8 November! GENE Director Liam Wegimont joined esteemed panelists to address challenges in liberal democracies in Central and Eastern Europe. We explored the role of Global Education in countering fake news and misinformation, fostering critical thinking and media literacy. Looking forward to finalising their new strategy by Spring and gaining government approval by Summer. Read more.

On 27 November 2023, we had the privilege of attending the European Declaration on Global Education to 2050 conference in Bilbao, where Ms. Ditta Trindade, GENE's Head of Support and Innovation, delivered an insightful presentation on the process, contents, and implementation of the Declaration. She also identified exciting opportunities for cooperation at the regional and local levels. The conference featured a thought-provoking one-day Seminar on the Implementation of the Dublin Declaration in the Basque country, emphasising the urgent need for a transformative shift in education. It's time to embrace the intricacies of our interconnected world and equip our learners with the skills they need to thrive.

The Peer Review of Global Education on Latvia is underway, and our team visited Riga during the first week of October 2023. Joined by Peer Experts from Irish Aid and the Cyprus Ministry of Education and Research, GENE Secretariat members engaged in a productive week of meetings and discussions with Latvian stakeholders in Global Education. Our goal was to learn from Latvia's experiences and identify opportunities for enhancing and expanding Global Education. Read more.

The 2023 conference of the Academic Network on Global Education Learning (ANGEL) took place on 19-20 June at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. It showcased the latest research on Global Education and also encouraged closer dialogue and interaction between policymakers and researchers. GENE co-organised two sessions on advancing policy and practice in the evaluation of Global Education, as well as policy-related research and research-informed policymaking. Read more.

On 22 June, the Czech Forum for Development Cooperation (FoRS) and People in Need, in partnership with GENE, held an online event on the Dublin Declaration Implementation. This international online event brought together representatives of ministries, civil society organisations and platforms, acadeevent reportmia, and international organisations from 17 countries. Together they looked for synergies in working on the declaration implementation on regional, national, and international levels. Read more in the event report.

On 8 June, GENE Director Liam Wegimont spoke at the SOLIDAR Policy Roundtable on the right to Global Education, held in the European Parliament. Mr Wegimont spoke about the European Declaration on Global Education to 2050 – the Dublin Declaration and the tangible signs of hope, in practice, policy, and funding, as we work for the right of all people in Europe – in solidarity with peoples globally – to have access to quality Global Education. Read more.

“How can we make people understand that we are all citizens of the world? That we are all interrelated?” This is how Mr. Jean Van Wetter, CEO of Enabel, the Belgian Development Agency, opened the launch of BeGlobal on 16 May 2023. BeGlobal is Enabel's new laboratory of ideas and practices in global education. GENE Director Liam Wegimont also took part in the launch and provided an overview of the progress made regarding the implementation of the Dublin Declaration. Read more.

On 11 May, Ms. Jo McAuley (GENE Head of Peer Review and Policy Research) had the pleasure of meeting the new Global Schools Team of teacher educators along with coordinator Mathias Demetriades and colleagues from the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA). We are excited and looking forward to seeing what this group will do in 2023, continuing the brilliant work of the Global Schools programme. Thanks to Sida for hosting and for supporting global learning for a more just and sustainable world.

Liam Wegimont (GENE Director) spoke at a Roundtable event held in the European Parliament to mark the forthcoming European Year of Skills, which started on 9 May 2023. Mr. Wegimont focused on the following points. If the aspiration of the European Year of Skills is to narrow the gap between the skills we have and the skills we need, then those stakeholders leading Global Education across Europe should fully be involved. GENE has seen the power of such inclusion in the process towards the Dublin Declaration. Furthermore, plans for possible Council Recommendations around the European Year of Skills should take account of existing (recent) Council Conclusions, particularly around Education for Sustainable Development, Global Citizenship Education and Youth.

GENE Roundtable 48 took place online on 24 and 25 April and provided opportunities for Ministries and Agencies of Foreign Affairs and Education to share and learn from each other through national updates and working group sessions. The Roundtable kicked off with high-level interventions by Mr. Sean Fleming, TD, Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs with responsibility for International Development and Diaspora, Ireland, Mr. Franz Fayot, Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, Luxembourg, and Ms. Erica Gerretsen, Director, Human Development, Migration, Governance and Peace (INTPA.G), European Commission. Another highlight on the agenda was the follow-up to the new European Declaration on Global Education to 2050, taking stock of work going on at national level and connecting at European level to realise the vision of the Declaration. Read more about past GENE Roundtables.

On 10 March 2023, GENE Executive Director, Mr. Liam Wegimont, and GENE Head of Support & Innovation, Ms. Ditta Trindade Dolejsiova met with Director Ambassador Friedrich Stift and colleagues from the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) to follow up on conversations initiated during the Dublin Congress. GENE and ADA discussed opportunities for cooperation in the context of follow-up to the Dublin Declaration, including ADA’s new Global Education strategy and how best to take stock of and build on the rich history and achievements in Global Education in Austria. GENE also met with the representatives of the Ministry of Education who shared news about a forthcoming seminar on Global Education with a particular focus on youth participation. We look forward to continuing the excellent cooperation with Austrian colleagues.

On 29-30 November 2022, GENE participated in an event to discuss the new Slovak Strategy on Global Education to 2030, organised by the Slovak Ministry of Education in partnership with the Slovak Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and Ambrela, the Slovak Platform for Development Organisations.

Ms. Ingrid Brocková (State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs) highlighted that the new Slovak strategy is the first in Europe to be developed in line with the Dublin Declaration on Global Education to 2050. She stressed the urgency of developing values and attitudes of solidarity, equality, justice, openness and critical thinking and addressing the root causes of today's challenges. Mr. Slavomír Partila (State Secretary, Ministry of Education) congratulated his team on the new strategy and emphasised its vision of connecting global and local issues and bringing together education for sustainable development and global citizenship education.

On 14-15 September, we took one step further on that road. On 14 September, gathering 99 representatives of youth organisations, civil society organisations, local governments, international organisations and global critical friends from Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Americas, we wrapped up the first day of a fruitful Prep Com - one of the milestones in the process towards a new Declaration on Global Education in Europe to 2050. On 15 September, the second day of the Prep Com, we brought together policymakers from Ministries and Agencies, of Foreign Affairs and Education, from across Europe to continue to build consensus toward the final Declaration. The process of drafting the declaration will culminate on 3-4 November with the European Congress on Global Education in Europe to 2050. Read more.

The Council of the European Union Conclusions on the transformative role of education for sustainable development and global citizenship were recently adopted under the French Presidency. In GENE we were delighted to hear of this important document, which is focused on an intersectional approach to Education for Sustainable Development and for Global Citizenship. GENE's approach has always been about bringing together these sometimes competing terms. We also very much appreciate the references to the Declaration on Global Education to 2050 and will work to ensure that the statements contained therein are realised. We look forward to building on these important developments in the field of Global Education during the Czech Presidency of the EU. Read the conclusions here.