On June 11, SLOGA - the Slovenian Platform for NGOs, organised a national Global Citizenship Education advocacy event in Ljubljana, supported by Bridge 47. The purpose of the expert consultation titled "The role of Global Citizenship Education in today's society" was to stimulate the debate on the opportunities for enhancing Global Citizenship Education (GCE) in Slovenia, including opportunities for the inclusion of GCE in the upcoming White Paper on Education in the Republic of Slovenia for the 2021-2031 period.
After introductory reflections by experts and stakeholders from various fields on the state of GCE in Slovenia, a discussion was held on the perceived needs in this field and the opportunities for further strengthening GCE in Slovenia. By placing GCE in the White Paper, we will begin to meet several recommendations at international and national levels, ensure policy coherence, as well as inclusive and sustainable education for all.
The participants, among them representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education, Science and Sport; Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities; Slovenian Institute for Adult Education; Slovenian National Commission for UNESCO; Centre of International Relations and Faculty for Social Sciences; Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy, and NGOs, also expressed the need and willingness to prepare a joint letter on the inclusion of GCE in the White Paper for the Ministry of Education, and the need for similar meetings to be held in the future.
The expert meeting was also an opportunity for presenting and strengthening of partnerships formed within the frame of Bridge 47. SLOGA’s three partners were present at the event: the Department for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Assistance at Ministry of Foreign Affairs (advocacy partnerships); the Slovenian Institute for Adult Education (exploratory partnership), and the Centre of International Relations and Faculty for Social Sciences (knowledge exchange partnership). Although only one partnership is focused on advocacy, all were keen on supporting and promoting SLOGA’s and Bridge 47’s work on GCE.
The event took place in the framework of the Lifelong Learning Week 2019, a joint activity of SLOGA and Slovenian Institute for Adult Education, where GCE was one of the joint actions of the festival for the first time.