Towards a new narrative for Development Cooperation: the role of Global Education

Ida Mc Donnell is a Senior Policy Analyst at the OECD’s Development Co-operation Directorate. She is Team Lead for the annual Development Co-operation Report as well as a Data for Development project involving members of the OECD Development Assistance Committee. Previously, she worked on DAC Peer Reviews, leading 12 country reviews and took forward peer learning projects on effective support to civil society in development and public support, awareness and attitudes towards international development. Ida worked as a policy analyst at the OECD Development Centre for several years starting in 2000 and as a development policy attaché for the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade based in the Delegation to the OECD and UNESCO. She started her career as a researcher with Irish NGO Development Education for Youth.

Liam Wegimont is the Director of GENE, and has had a number of roles in the organisation since co-founding in 2001. Liam has been involved in the practice, theory, research, policy and networking of Global Education for over 30 years, as teacher, youth worker, teacher trainer, school principal, curriculum developer and policy analyst. With OECD colleagues he co-edited the OECD book on “Public Opinion and the Fight Against Global Poverty”.

Development Cooperation is at a crossroads. While multilateralism is under threat, and international solidarity more needed than ever, the recent OECD Development Cooperation Report 2019 “A Fairer, Greener, Safer Tomorrow” suggests that in development cooperation a new story, a new narrative is emerging. Meanwhile, something similar has been happening for some time in Global Education as GE, DE and AR have been aligning to a necessary new narrative. This workshop addresses the recent OECD report including a new narrative for development cooperation and explores the role of Global Education in building a new, engaging, citizen-focused story of greater global justice.

Topics:
The importance of stories – capturing and empowering the public imagination and policy visions.
Foreign policy, global solidarity, public awareness, public knowledge and citizen engagement.
Key trends in the emergence of a new narrative; and the values underlying.
The role of Global Education, Development Education and awareness-raising.