Irish Development Education Association

Lobbying Organisation Irish Development Education Association

Date published 09 Jan, 2025

Relevant Matter Public policy or programme

Public Policy Area Education and Training

Period 1 Sep, 2024 to 31 Dec, 2024

Specific Details Ensuring Global Citizenship Education (GCE) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) are prioritised at EU level

Intended results GCE and ESD to be included as a priority theme in the new DG-INTPA Commissioner's portfolio GCE and ESD to be included in the work plan of the European Parliamentary DEVE committee

Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity Leigh Brady, Policy and Advocacy Manager IDEA

Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?) No

Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign? Yes

What is the directive you gave to the grassroots campaigners? IDEA members were encouraged to write an email (template provided) to Barry Andrews MEP in October to request that he ask the new DG INTPA Commissioner about the status of GCE in the Commissioner's portfolio during parliamentary committee hearings in November 2024

Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client? No

Lobbying activity

The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.

Meeting (1)

Participation in an Irish MEP roundtable at European Parliament in Brussels on 25.09 as part of Dochas delegation. MEPs present: Barry Andrews, Lynn Boylan, Kathleen Funchion and Cynthia Ní Mhurchú. I asked Barry Andrews, as chair of the DEVE Committee, if he could ask questions of the new DG-INTPA Commissioner about how GCE would be prioritised during the upcoming parliamentary committee hearings in November. I also asked if GCE would be in the DEVE Committee's workplan for 2025.

Email (1)

Follow up email on 30 September to Barry Andrews, c.c. Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, Kathleen Funchion, Lynn Boylan, Regina Doherty, Maria Walsh, Billy Kelleher. I thanked him for organising the roundtable in Brussels and providing more background information on existing GCE commitments at EU level and the questions IDEA would like him to ask of Commissioner-Designate Jozef Sikela.

Email (2-5)

Follow up emails to Cynthia Ní Mhurchú on 30 September to thank her for her encouragement to inform the rest of the Irish MEPs of my requests, and to Sean Kelly MEP, Nina Carberry MEP, Luke Ming Flanagan MEP, Micheal McNamara MEP, Barry Cowen MEP, Aodhan O'Riordan MEP on 1 October to keep them informed of my visit to Brussels and my request regarding GCE

Virtual Meeting (1)

Participation in a roundtable between Barry Andrews MEP and Irish civil society working on international development, humanitarian affairs and GCE. I asked Andrews questions about the state of play at the DEVE Committee and DG INTPA in relation to the DEAR programme and support to ESD as part of EU Commitment to SDGs. I reiterated the request of Andrews to raise the question of GCE during the parliamentary committee hearing of Commissioner Designate Sikela

Designated public officials lobbied

The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them. As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.

Cynthia Ní Mhurchú MEP (European Parliament)

Barry Andrews MEP (European Parliament)

Lynn Boylan MEP (European Parliament)

Kathleen Funchion MEP (European Parliament)

Sean Kelly MEP (European Parliament)

Barry Cowen MEP (European Parliament)

Michael McNamara MEP (European Parliament)

Luke Ming Flanagan MEP (European Parliament)

Nina Carberry MEP (European Parliament)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin MEP (European Parliament)