EU as Global Actor

The European Union as a global actor - A Conference on Knowledge and Education for Sustainable development

Place: Lund
Date: 28-29 September

The work of sustainable development is one of the biggest challenges of our time. It is about finding ways to reach better ecological, social and economic sustainability. Perhaps the most prominent example is the climate issue. It affects us all, irrespective of the borders between nations. Dramatic climate changes have a direct effect on ecological, social and economic sustainability. Knowledge and education is needed to meet this challenge .

International agreements all point to the necessity of cooperation across borders to acquire knowledge and the power to act. The EU is one of the key actors in this work.  How does the EU approach these issues in a global perspective?  What are the different actors in the Member States doing and how do they work together? How can activities within the EU educational programmes together with other national educational initiatives contribute to increase knowledge and awareness of these issues?

The overall priority of the EU Lifelong Learning Proramme 2008-2010 is that general education and vocational training shall contribute to achieving the goals of the Lisbon Strategy including the EU being the most competitive economy in the world and reaching a higher degree of social cohesion. This also means strengthening sustainable development which impacts economic, ecological and social issues and, in addition, improving the contribution of Lifelong Learning to active citizenship, intercultural dialogue, equal opportunities and self-fulfilment, as well as to creating understanding and respect for human rights and democracy.

The International Programme Office for Education and Training is arranging this conference in cooperation with the Municipality of Lund, the University of Lund, the International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics and RCE Skåne (Regional Centre of Expertise Skåne on Education for Sustainable Development).

You will find more information about the conference on www.lucsus.lu.se/lundcalling/