Global citizenship education is at the heart of the new strategy document launched by the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union on Monday 22 April. This document promotes Europe’s commitment to values such as defending human rights, protecting the environment and reducing inequality.
Education is presented in it as, among other things, an essential lever for making progress on these issues by promoting international solidarity, as stated by Caroline Gennez, Belgian Minister for Development Cooperation.
The strategy, which she presented at a dedicated event in Brussels, stresses the need for citizens, particularly young people, to develop a deep understanding of the complexities of the world. Global citizenship education is described as a tool for opening minds and encouraging critical thinking, which is essential in a context where fake news and extremist ideologies threaten social cohesion.
The initiative is supported by the Global Education Network Europe (GENE), which actively contributed to the drafting of this strategic note. GENE brings together representatives of European national ministries and agencies, demonstrating a collaborative effort to strengthen the impact of global education.
This note is also in line with the European Declaration on Global Education to 2050, adopted in Dublin in 2022, which affirms the role of education as a vector for social justice, peace and sustainable development on a global scale. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)