Development Education and Awareness in the Enlarged EU Presentation to the Seminar “Strengthen Development Cooperation in Enlarged Europe” - Luxembourg 10 December, 2004

Current context Changing EU : new Parliament and new Commission, Constitution debate, enlargement to 10 new countries  need to reinforce the link between European policies and citizens / opportunities and challenges for development and development education Development Education plays a key role in informing and shaping public opinion, and empowering people to take action, and ensuring that public opinion remains actively supportive of international solidarity and the fight against poverty. Without this support, the NGO advocacy work would loose its impact and legitimacy.

Development Education Forum/Concord The Development Education Forum is one of the core groups of CONCORD. The DEEEP project is the “operational” arm of the Forum, allowing the Forum to carry out some of its activities They meet annually (biannually from 2005) to establish common strategies to increase the impact of Development Education and Public Awareness Raising activities in Europe. The DE Forum exists without DEEEP, while DEEEP cannot exist without the DE Forum and CONCORD

DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION AND AWARENESS RAISING A STATEMENT OF CONCORD

Development Education Development education is an active learning process, founded on values of solidarity, equality, inclusion and co-operation. It enables people to move from basic awareness of international development priorities and sustainable human development, through understanding of the causes and effects of global issues, to personal involvement and informed action. The Forum invites CONCORD to advocate for a European Development Education Strategy, providing definition, guidance, focus and coherence to the broad range of activities and research that constitute development education and awareness raising in Europe.

CONCORD’s DE priorities 1-2 Priority I: Public opinion The DE Forum supports CONCORD in its efforts to secure substantial increases in ODA, with significant increases in funds to be allocated to development education. CONCORD, through the DE Forum, will promote a 3-yearly Euro Barometer to monitor trends and changes in European public opinion on international development co-operation issues, and particularly public interest and support for the Millennium goals. Priority II: Funding for Development Education

CONCORD’s DE priorities 3-4 Priority III: Life long education The DE Forum calls on CONCORD to promote new alliances to strengthen DE work at all levels, and to influence national development co-operation policies. CONCORD members engage to lobby national education ministries to encourage the adoption of development education in school curricula Priority IV: Cooperation with other stakeholders in the field of development education