Budget 2027: Invest to strengthen Ireland's leadership in Global Citizenship Education and global solidarity

Ireland has earned an international reputation for leadership in Global Citizenship Education (GCE). This success has been built over decades through the dedication and hard work of the sector, supported by the leadership of Irish Aid, sustained Government investment and strong partnerships between education and civil society stakeholders. It is an achievement of which Ireland can be proud. 


Budget 2027 comes at a time of significant global uncertainty and intensifying global and local challenges. These include rising conflict, disregard for international law, deepening humanitarian crises, climate disruption, democratic backsliding, misinformation and rising social division. In this context, Ireland's commitment to global justice, solidarity, international development and GCE matters as much as ever. 


The scale of these challenges was emphasised by Minister of State for International Development and the Diaspora, Neale Richmond during his address at the launch of the 2025 GENE Peer Review of Global Education in Ireland on 30 June 2026. The Minister further stated that “it is precisely because of these challenges that GCE is so important", while reaffirming the Government’s continued commitment to global solidarity, international development and GCE.

 

Against this backdrop, IDEA, the Irish Development Education Association, has published its Pre-Budget Submission for Budget 2027 , calling on the Government to build on Ireland's internationally recognised leadership and enable the GCE sector to respond effectively to the scale of these challenges by increasing investment in Global Citizenship Education (GCE) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). 


The submission follows IDEA's recent engagement with the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education and Youth on the critical importance of GCE and ESD at this time and comes shortly after the publication of the GENE Peer Review of Global Education in Ireland , which described Ireland's approach as "exemplary from a European comparative perspective" and recognised it as a source of inspiration and policy learning for other countries. 


Representing more than 100 organisations, networks, unions and individuals - including many of Ireland's leading international development, humanitarian, education and civil society organisations - IDEA sees the next Budget as a vital opportunity to protect and expand on this progress rather than lose hard won-gains. 


IDEA's Budget 2027 priorities  

The submission calls for: 

  • Increased investment in Global Citizenship Education through a stronger cross-government approach; 
  • Increased funding for GCE and ESD under the ESD to 2030 Strategy; 
  • Dedicated funding for GCE and ESD across key national strategies, including the Sustainable Development Goals National Implementation Plan, the Climate Action Plan and the National Action Plan Against Racism; 
  • Continued progress towards Ireland's commitment to spend 0.7% of GNI on Official Development Assistance; and 
  • Support for Coalition 2030’s budget recommendations to reach the furthest behind first. 
     

These recommendations complement wider calls across Irish civil society, including Dóchas' Ireland as a Model Power initiative, which sets out a vision for Ireland to continue leading internationally through global solidarity, human rights and effective multilateral cooperation. 


Global Citizenship Education is an important part of that vision. It helps people understand the root causes and systemic drivers of global issues and their connections to local issues. It strengthens democratic participation, encourages informed public debate, and supports action towards a more just, peaceful and sustainable future for everyone. 


Ireland has shown what can be achieved through sustained investment and partnership. The challenge now is to protect and build on those strong foundations. Budget 2027 provides a vital opportunity to reinforce Ireland's leadership by increasing investment in Global Citizenship Education, supporting international development and ensuring the values of global justice and solidarity continue to shape Ireland's response to the challenges of the years ahead. 



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By Maximiliana Eligi Mtenga • October 15, 2026
Friday, 06 November, 12.30pm–2.30pm IDEA Offices, 6 Gardiner Row, Dublin 1
October 15, 2026
Wednesday 18 November, 11.00am – 1.00pm Online
October 7, 2026
Date: Thursday 12 November, 11.00am – 1.00pm Location: Online This workshop is part of IDEA’s support for the Irish Aid Global Citizenship Education Grants Round. It is the second of two distinct and complementary workshops developed by IDEA on ‘Results Frameworks for Global Citizenship Education’ that we are running this year. This session will be led by Susan Gallwey, independent consultant, and Elaine Mahon, IDEA. This session is focused on supporting those who are familiar with Results Frameworks and have begun work on the Results Framework for their application. This runs on Thursday 12 November, from 11.00am – 1.00pm, online via Zoom. Anyone new to Results Frameworks can attend the ‘Results Frameworks for Beginners’ workshop on Tuesday 2 November, register here , or watch a recording of a session from 2024 called ‘Results Frameworks for Beginners’, led by Susan Gallwey and Elaine Mahon, which is available here . Participants are invited to prepare for 'Improving Your Results Frameworks’ session as follows: a) Those participants from organisations who have previously submitted a Results Framework for Development Education/Global Citizenship Education to Irish Aid should be familiar with their existing Results Framework. Before the event they will be asked to share (with the trainer and IDEA) an outcome and associated indicators that is working well and also identify an outcome and associated indicators that posed some challenges. b) Those participants from organisations who have NOT previously submitted a Results Framework for Development Education/Global Citizenship Education to Irish Aid and/or people who are new to Results Frameworks should first attend/ view the session Results Frameworks for Beginners here . IDEA provides support for members - and spaces for members to support one another - in applying for Irish Aid Global Citizenship Education Grants. This training and support is free of charge to all and offered online. As in recent years, this year we also invite any other actors who are not yet members of IDEA to these training events. The training is based on content from IDEA’s toolkit ‘Results Based Approaches to Development/Global Citizenship Education’. While created to reflect Irish Aid’s Results Framework for Development Education Grants rounds, the approach outlined in the toolkit can be applied to many other Development Education settings. In 2024, IDEA recorded a session which goes through Results Frameworks for Beginners. This was published on IDEA’s YouTube channel in November 2024 and is available here .
October 7, 2026
Date: Tuesday 03 November, 2.00 - 4.00pm Location: Online This training supports practitioners to understand monitoring and evaluation for Development Education/ Global Citizenship Education projects. It is an introduction to result-based approaches and will support those who are new to this type of framework in DE/GCE contexts. This training will take participants step by step through the process of building an effective results table to reach the change you want to achieve, within the timeframe of your project. It will also introduce participants to the terminology associated with Results Frameworks including Goal, Outcome, Indicator, targets, Baseline, Results and so on. This workshop will integrate learning from IDEA’s GCE impact framework and will also talk through Irish Aid’s approach to monitoring and evaluation for GCE. This workshop will also support those who are planning to apply for the Irish Aid Global Citizenship Education Grants Round for 2027. The online training will be led by Susan Gallwey, independent consultant, and Elaine Mahon, IDEA. IDEA provides support for members - and spaces for members to support one another - in applying for Irish Aid Global Citizenship Education Grants. This training and support are free of charge to all. As in recent years, this event is open to those who are not yet members of IDEA. The training is based on content from IDEA’s toolkit ‘Results Based Approaches to Development/Global Citizenship Education’. While created to reflect Irish Aid’s Results Framework for Development Education Grants rounds, the approach outlined in the toolkit can be applied to many other Development Education settings. In 2024, IDEA recorded a session which goes through Results Frameworks for Beginners. This was published on IDEA’s YouTube channel in November 2024 and is available here .
October 6, 2026
IDEA has signed a joint civil society statement, We build Ireland together: Citizenship is how we make that official, and encourages other organisations to lend their support. Led by the Irish Refugee Council, the initiative calls on Minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan, to withdraw proposals that would make it harder to gain Irish citizenship. The statement argues that citizenship recognises the belonging of people who put down roots here through working, studying, raising families, paying taxes and contributing to community life. It warns that granting citizenship only to people with a high income and no experience of hardship risks treating some people as more deserving of belonging than others. It also raises concerns about the proposals alongside wider changes to family reunification, income requirements for migrant workers and international protection. Taken together, the statement warns, these measures make it harder for migrants, people seeking protection and refugees to build secure lives in Ireland. IDEA members including AkiDwA, ActionAid Ireland, Africa Solidarity Centre Ireland, Comhlámh and Síolta Chroí have signed, alongside organisations from across civil society. IDEA’s support reflects the emphasis in Development Education and Global Citizenship Education on human rights, equality, solidarity and participation in society. It is also an expression of solidarity with colleagues, educators and communities who could be affected by these proposals. People who put down roots here and contribute to our communities should have a fair opportunity to gain citizenship and the security and recognition it brings. The statement calls on the Minister to focus instead on building a cohesive society that recognises the people who live, work and build Ireland together. To find out more or add your organisations support please get in touch through IDEA or the Irish Refugee Council direct. IDEA will be joining the Keep Citizenship Fair protest outside Leinster House on Tuesday 03 November, 1.00pm–2.00pm.
October 6, 2026
IDEA calls for GCE to be included in Northern Ireland’s new curriculum framework IDEA recently shared its views on the new draft Northern Ireland Curriculum Framework as part of the public consultation, which closed on 30 September. Our submission welcomed the framework’s aim to give learners “access to powerful knowledge and develop the skills needed to participate fully in society, the economy and civic life.” However, we also highlighted a key gap: “global” has been dropped from the scope of citizenship education within the curriculum. Global Citizenship Education (GCE) is not mentioned at all. Alongside an important focus on the local reality in the North, we consider it vital that the curriculum also addresses the global reality. As UNESCO puts it, “economically, environmentally, socially and politically, we are linked to other people on the planet as never before” (UNESCO, 2026). We recommended integrating key dimensions of GCE and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into the framework without creating a new strand or making widespread amendments. Changes to the language and framing could embed GCE and ESD principles in the core capabilities and in subjects such as Geography, History, English and Drama, and Personal, Social, Civic and Careers (PSCC). Our recommendations echoed the key asks of the CADA submission . IDEA also contributed to that submission through a focus group discussion and by reviewing and providing feedback on the draft. Our recommendations were to: Include GCE and ESD as concepts in the capabilities document and cross-reference them in the subjects for Geography, History, English and Drama and PSCC. Include the concept of global citizenship in the capabilities document and in PSCC, as a distinct but complementary concept to citizenship and civic understanding. Include the concepts of solidarity, justice and local-global interconnection and interdependence (and thus shared responsibility) in the subjects English and Drama and PSCC. Increase the progression of human rights knowledge in PSCC across Stages towards its global application by Key Stage 3. Add shared responsibility and justice as key dimensions of sustainable development and global inequality to the environmental and ecological responsibility capability, as well as to Geography. Include addressing misinformation, disinformation and factchecking under the language and communication capability and in English and PSCC. Build on Northern Ireland’s experience of peace education by including opportunities, particularly in History and PSCC, for pupils to explore connections between peace and reconciliation locally and globally as part of GCE and ESD.  Thank you to IDEA members who reviewed our submission and provided feedback. You can read our full submission here .
September 26, 2026
Date: Tuesday 01 December, 10.00am – 4.00pm Location: Richmond Barracks, Inchicore, Dublin 8, D08 YY05 IDEA is looking forward to welcoming all members of the Code of Good Practice for Development Education to our next Code network meeting on Tuesday 1 December, in Richmond Barracks in Inchicore, Dublin. There are places for two representatives, staff, volunteers, etc., from each Code member. One of the commitments in joining the Code is to contribute to the Community of Practice for this Code, including sharing successes and learning with other Code members and attending at least one of two Code network meetings annually. If you have questions, please contact code@ideaonline.ie.
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