Declaration of the European Parliament of 5 July 2012 on development education and active global citizenship
The European Parliament,
– having regard to the European Consensus on Development, which underlines that ‘the EU will pay particular attention to development education and raising awareness’,
– having regard to the conclusions of the Structured Dialogue concerning the role of civil society and local authorities in development, which calls on ‘EU Member States and the European Commission [to] strengthen their strategies for Development Education and Awareness Raising’,
– having regard to Rule 123 of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas development education and awareness-raising are central to European development policies, as outlined in the European Development Education Consensus (‘The European Consensus on Development: The contribution of Development Education and Awareness Raising’);
B. whereas, despite being one of the biggest funders of development education in Europe, the European Union does not have a dedicated strategy in this field;
C. whereas, during periods marked by austerity, crises and the rise of nationalist and populist movements, it is particularly important to support active global citizenship;
1. Calls on the Commission and the Council to develop a long-term, cross-sectoral European strategy for development education, awareness-raising and active global citizenship;
2. Calls on the Member States to develop or strengthen national development education strategies;
3. Instructs its President to forward this declaration, together with the names of the signatories(1), to the Commission, the Council and the parliaments of the Member States.