European Citizens, Global Citizens 1 to 9 August 2015 Bucharest, Romania
European Citizens, Global Citizens 40 young people and 10 group leaders came to Bucharest in August 2015 to take part in the youth mobility “European Citizens, Global Citizens”. From 1 to 9 August, the participants entered into the world of sustainable development, reflecting on key issues as what it is, how young people can contribute, what is the European role. Informal and nonformal activities were promoted among participants. The project European Citizens, Global Citizens, organized by Lumina Educational Institutions Foundation, was funded by the European Union through Erasmus+ Programme.
Motivation behind the project Acknowledging that 2015 is the European Year of Development, the main aim of European Citizens, Global Citizens was to promote the values of sustainable development, peace and security, solidarity and mutual respect among people, eradication of poverty and protection of human rights, values highlighted in the Treaty of Lisbon, among youth. Moreover, this project tried to develop participants’
attitudes, skills and knowledge on cooperation and participation.
Organizer and partners The project was implemented by Lumina Foundation ( www.lumina.org ), as the applicant and beneficiary organization from Romania. It had five partners from four countries that supported the good development of the project: ● Bulgarian Youth Community – Bulgaria;group leaders); ● Ihnilates Tou Fotos – Greece; ● EquaMente – Associazionale Culturale e di Solidarieta Italy; ● Associazione Culturale Pro.m.e.t.EU.s – Italy; ● The International Humanist and Ethical Union – Turkey.
What is sustainable development? Sustainable development can be considered as being a way of development in which both the present and the future are in cooperation without compromising
them. Sustainable development can be understood as a process or as an aim, this double understanding being in the middle of many academic debates. United Nations’ “Our Common Future” document from 1987 defines in sustainable development by correlating some essential concepts: Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains within it two key concepts: ● The concept of 'needs', in particular, the essential needs of the world's poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and ● The idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment's ability to meet present and future needs.1
A people-centered process
1
World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987, Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our Common Future , available at http://goo.gl/weqC9G
Human development is one of the main pillars of sustainable development. The outcome document of the
United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (RIO+20) The Future We Want highlights this aspect, stating that We recognize that people are at the centre of sustainable development and, in this regard, we strive for a world that is just, equitable and inclusive, and we commit to work together to promote sustained and inclusive economic growth, social development and environmental protection and thereby to benefit all.2
A complex concept that reunites many fields and possible actions to follow the sustainability’s path requires a proper approach. In this regard, we can classify these fields as being: ● environmental; ● economic; ● sociocultural; ● political.
United Nations, 2014, June, The Future We Want: Outcome Document Adopted at Rio +20, United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, available at http://goo.gl/qIoDiq 2
Each of these four categories of sustainable development contains different fields of activity and indicators. For example, the sustainable political development takes into consideration policy performance, good governance indicators, executive accountability etc.
Statement on human rights Protection of human rights is a basic pillar of sustainable development in every corner of the Earth. Without respect for basic human rights as these have been highlighted in internationally recognised or, in European Union, in European Charter of Human Rights and European Convention on Human Rights, sustainable development cannot be achieved.
The Sustainable Development Goals3 In order to promote more prosperity on Earth, the nations gathered at the UN Sustainable Development Summit (September 2015) endorsed United Nations, Sustainable Development Goals, available at https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/topics 3
the post2015 agenda: Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development , including the following 17 goals: 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all 7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all 8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation 10. Reduce inequality within and among countries 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable 12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts 14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development 15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development
Links with information related to the project ● erasmus.lumina.org the project website that contains information related to the daily activities, photos, aim and objectives, project’s outcomes, its partners and contact information; ● facebook.com/pages/EuropeanCitizensGlo balCitizens/898743926864672 the project
facebook page contains more information related to what happenned from 1 to 9 July, useful references in the field of sustainable development and EU role, photos of the activities and other relevant information; ● slideshare.net/MdlinBlidaru/europeanunion anddevelopment a presentation realized to support participants’ learning experience with information on European Union development policy, EU Agenda for Change, policy coherence for development and more. Disclaimer The information and views set out in this website are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the European Union. Neither the European Union institutions and bodies nor any person acting on their behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained therein.