International mapping
International mapping
European policy development
The European Union’s DEAR (Development Education and Awareness Raising) programme supports projects that engage Europeans in worldwide issues around social, economic and environmental development. It promotes active citizenship and a critical under- standing of sustainable development issues, the inter- dependent world and people’s roles as change-makers. The programme also provides funding for international projects for young people on sustainability and environ- mental protection and has trained 35,000 teachers in global development issues. In the DEAR Projects Plat- form DEAR project descriptions can be searched by country, participant group and keyword. The LIFE Programme is the European Commission’s financial instrument to fund environmental and climate projects across the EU. It is the only instrument aimed directly at the environment that supports the develop- ment and implementation of the Union's environmental policy. LIFE wants to contribute to sustainable develop- ment, the achievement of the Europe 2020 objectives and targets, and the relevant EU environmental and climate strategies and plans. In the LIFE Public Database LIFE project descriptions can be searched by keyword. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)’s mission is to inform, enable and inspire nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compro- mising that of future generations. For example, UNEP runs the World Environment Day campaign which engages millions of people from across the world to protect the planet and start environmental action. Earth School was co-created by UNEP and Ted-Ed to provide children, parents and teachers all over the world with engaging nature-focused content to stay connected to nature during the global COVID-19 pandemic. The Earth Prize is a global environmental sustainability competition for young people aged 13 to 19, with a prize fund of $200,000 to reward teams whose projects have the greatest potential to address environmental chal- lenges and sustainable development. The Earth Prize recognises the students and schools with the best solu- tions for accelerating positive change towards environ- mental sustainability. The Earth Prize is funded by the Earth Foundation. Its goal is to inspire, educate, mentor and empower students, schools, researchers and young entrepreneurs with innovative ideas to tackle environ- mental challenges.
In 2022, the European Commission set up a new SALTO centre on green transition and sustainable transition in Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps. It is hosted by the French Erasmus+ Education and Training National Agency and will support national agencies in Europe and their Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps project leaders on issues related to the transition towards more and quality education on sustainable development and eco-friendly practices. Funding schemes The Erasmus+ Programme is the EU’s programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe. Erasmus+ offers mobility and cooperation opportunities in higher education, vocational education and training, school education, adult education, youth and sport. One of the priorities of the Erasmus+ programme is “Envi- ronment and fight against climate change”. Erasmus+ wants to be a key instrument for building knowledge, skills, and attitudes on climate change and supporting sustainable development both within the European Union and beyond. Environment and the fight against climate change have become a horizontal priority for the selection of projects. Erasmus+ Youth offers specific mobility opportunities for all young people in the field of non-formal and informal education. It supports inter- national youth exchanges, mobility projects for youth workers, youth participation activities and DiscoverEU . DiscoverEU offers young people aged 18 the opportu - nity to enjoy a short-term individual or group experience travelling across Europe by rail or other modes of trans- port where necessary. As an informal learning activity, DiscoverEU aims at fostering a sense of belonging to the European Union, inspiring participants to embrace sustainable travel in particular and an environmental conscience in general. In the Erasmus+ Projects Plat- form Erasmus+ project descriptions can be searched by country and theme, e. g. “Youth”, “Environment and climate change” or “Green transport and mobility”. The European Solidarity Corps (ESC) Programme is the EU’s programme to bring together young people to build a more inclusive society, support vulnerable individuals and respond to societal and humanitarian challenges. It promotes cross-border and local activities that benefit the community and that build a solidary and social Europe. One of the priorities of the ESC is envi- ronmental protection, sustainable development, and climate action. In the ESC Projects Platform , ESC project descriptions can be searched by country and theme, e. g. “Climate action”, “Environment and nature protection” or “Green skills”.
Environment and climate action are key priorities for the EU now and in the future.
In December 2019, the European Commission launched the European Green Deal to implement the transition to a fairer, healthier and more prosperous society whilst guaranteeing a healthy planet for future generations. It is about improving the well-being of people, making Europe climate-neutral by 2050 and protecting Europe’s natural habitat. The European Green Deal recognises the key role of schools, training institutions and universities to engage with pupils, parents, and the wider commu- nity on the changes needed for a successful transition to become climate neutral by 2050. The Commission will prepare a European competence framework to help develop and assess knowledge, skills and attitudes on climate change and sustainable development. The European Climate Pact is part of the European Green Deal and offers an opportunity for people, communities and organisations to participate in climate action across Europe. Between November 2021 and March 2022, European citizens held a total of 461 Peer Parliaments across 26 EU Member States that shared opinions and ideas on how to combat climate change. Young people aged 16-25 accounted for 24% of Peer Parliament participants, while the 26-35 age group even accounted for close to 30%. Afterwards, Peer Parliament hosts shared their findings with the European Commis - sion, ensuring that EU policymakers heard the voices of citizens. All ideas were fed into the Conference on the Future of Europe on 9 May 2022, which was also attended by young people. Climate change and environ- mental protection was one of the ten conference topics. The EU Youth Strategy is the framework for EU youth policy cooperation for 2019-2027. It fosters youth partic- ipation in democratic life and wants to connect, engage and empower young people. During a dialogue process in 2017 and 2018, which involved young people from all over Europe, 11 European Youth Goals were developed, including Youth Goal #10, Sustainable Green Europe . The EU Youth Dialogue is a dialogue mechanism between young people and decision-makers under the EU Youth Strategy. It wants to ensure that the opinions, views and needs of young people and youth organisa- tions are considered when defining the EU's youth poli - cies. The dialogue with policy-makers and other activi- ties happen in 18-month work cycles. Each cycle focuses on a different theme that is set by the Council of Youth Ministers. The current cycle from early 2022 to mid-2023
is headed “Engaging together for a sustainable and inclu- sive Europe” and is directly connected to Youth Goals #3, Inclusive Societies and #10, Sustainable Green Europe. The results of the dialogue are compiled, discussed and fed back into EU youth policy. The European Year of Youth 2022 wanted to shine a light on the importance of European youth to build a better future that is greener, more inclusive and digital. The Voice Platform of the European Year of Youth 2022 collected voice messages by young people telling the European Union what kind of Europe they want to live in. In the “Green” category, ideas for a greener Europe were collected. During the European Year of Youth, the Euro- pean Commission and the High Representative adopted the Youth Action Plan in the European Union external action for 2022-2027 , the first policy framework for a strategic partnership with young people around the world to build a more resilient, inclusive and sustainable future. It will help deliver on international commitments, such as the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustain- able Development and the Paris Climate Agreement, by enhancing meaningful youth participation and empow- erment in the EU’s external action policies. In January 2022, the EU published a proposal for a Council Recommendation on learning for environ- mental sustainability .
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