The Consortium of the InterCap project has successfully implemented, on the 14th of January 2021, the 3rd and Final International Scientific Conference entitled “Promoting Policy Coherence for Development through Education”. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, the Conference was held online using the Zoom platform.
More than 170 participants attended the workings of the Conference which served as a forum for a constructive exchange of views and approaches on progress made internationally in the effort to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of Agenda 2030. At the same time, the role and the impact that education has or should have on this process was discussed along with approaches and actions that should be promoted by both education services and civil society organisations to enhance Global Education. As part of the workings of the Conference, the coordinating organization of the InterCap project, CARDET, presented the scope, results and impact of the programme.
The Conference's workings commenced with a short welcome speech by CARDET’s Executive Director, Dr Charalambos Vrasidas, followed by two keynote speakers from experts on the field. Specifically, Dr Fabien Tondel - Political Officer at the European Centre for Development Policy Management outlined the data and progress made internationally in terms of development policy, noting the areas that need further support and countries exhibiting considerable progress. Consecutively, Mr Stefan Grasgruber-Kerl - Co-chair of CONCORD GCE in Global Citizenship Education analysed the role and actions of civil society organisations in Policy Coherence for Development (PCD) and Global Education at the local, national and European level.
The conference continued with a panel discussion with Dr. Aravella Zachariou, Head of the Unit of Education for Environment and Sustainable Development, Cyprus Pedagogical Institute, Mr. Liam Wegimont, Executive Director of the Global Education Network Europe (GENE), Dr. Michalinos Zempylas from the Open University of Cyprus and Mrs. Lidija Pavic Rogosic, Director of the NGO ODRAZ- Sustainable Community Development in Croatia on ‘The preconditions and effect of Global Education’. The panel explored the actions educational authorities, institutions and CSOs need to take to promote Global Education; the role of educators from multiple fields in this process as well as the benefits learners and the society can attain via the promotion of Global Education.
The Conference closed with a series of parallel workshops delivered by the partners and/ or collaborators of the InterCap project. The workshops focused on the following topics:
"Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development in the EU: are we making progress? How are Covid measures impacting policy implementation?" (Delivered by: Albin Keuc, Sloga and Max Zimani, Institute for Global Learning and Projects Development, Slovenia);
“Promoting Coherence and Glocalisation through Connected, Critical and Collaborative Thinking: an introduction to Communities of Philosophical Enquiry (COPE)” (Delivered by: Andrea Bullivant, Liverpool World Centre, United Kingdom and Marta Gontarska, The Anti-discrimination Education Association, Poland) and “Educating active and responsible global citizens: effective tools and learning approaches” (Delivered by: Indre Augutiene, Global Citizens’ Academy, Lithuania).
In case you have missed our Conference, but you want to learn more, please check our online resources media. You may watch the full recording of the Conference here.
On behalf of InterCap's project team, we would like to thank all those who participated in our Conference and express our sincere gratitude to the speakers and facilitators who contributed in the workings of the Conference workings.
