Development Education and Conflict

This blog was written by Gertrude Cotter (Lecturer at the Centre for Global Development, UCC), Zelalem Sibhat (Lecturer in Mekelle University, Tigray, Ethiopia), and Gerard McCann (Senior Lecturer in International Studies and Head of International Programmes at St Mary's College, Belfast), who facilitated a workshop called ‘War, Peace and the future of Development Education’ at the IDEA conference on Wednesday 23 June 2022. 


Below they each share personal reflections on the different elements of their workshop 

Reflections from Gertrude Cotter 


I introduced the theme of war and peace by showing images of where there is ‘war’ in the world.  Looking at the map, one participant astutely said ‘I see colonialism in that map’.  My own view is that colonialism is the key root cause of many of the issues we deal with in Global Citizenship Development Education (GCDE).    


My input primarily raised questions. For instance, why is the word ‘war’ not to be found anywhere in the Sustainable Development Goals document? Why, with 8 years left to achieve the SDGs, do we find the following facts at the Global Peace Index and United Nations sites?  

  • Between 2008 and 2021, the level of global peacefulness deteriorated by 2%. Since 2008 there has been increased political instability worldwide. According to the Global Peace Index: Conflict in the Middle East has been the key driver of the global deterioration in peacefulness since 2008; deaths from external conflict recorded a sharp deterioration driven by the Russian invasion of Ukraine; the rise in costs has increased food insecurity and political instability globally, with Africa, South Asia and the Middle East under greatest threat; the political terror scale, political insecurity, neighbouring country relations, refugees and IDPs reached their worst score since the inception of the GPI. 
  • 62% of those in extreme poverty are estimated to be living in countries at risk from high levels of violence by 2030. 

Another Question: Who is benefiting from war? Can this provide us with any answers? 


We also explored questions such as, what is the human cost and how are we in Ireland/Europe complicit in war around the world?  As Development Education practitioners we have to ask the question what, is the cost to ‘development’? ‘Development’ means wellbeing, lower inflation, more jobs, better education, health, housing, food security, economic, political and social stability.  Research by the World Economic Forum (WEF) shows that as peace increases, money spent containing violence can instead by used on more productive activities. Conflict and violence cost the world more than $14 trillion a year, the equivalent of $5 a day for every person on the planet.  According to the WEF just 2% reduction in conflict would free up as much money as the global aid budget.   


The core question discussed by participants related to the future of Global Citizenship and Development Education (GCDE) in the context of war and peace. Some key points that emerged are the need for capacity building and resources for educators; the power of the personal story; deep dialogue; peace studies needed within GCDE; critical media analysis; asking questions; preventing war; taking collective action. 


I would like to see learning groups within the wider GCDE community coming together around themes like war so that we can focus further on some of the issues raised. Through such working groups perhaps we can develop our collective knowledge, skills and methodologies, share resources, develop new resources and take collective action to further support change. 


Reflections from Zelalem Sibhat   


At the beginning of 2018, the four sister parties making up the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), the coalition governing Ethiopia at the time, investigated the drawbacks of the regime and concluded that they all bore responsibility for reforms where needed. Following this, Abiy Ahmed was selected as chairperson of the coalition and consequently prime minister of the state in March 2018. 


Almost immediately, however, he started using what is known as ‘4D’ tactics (Defining, Defamation, Distinction, and Detaining) on Tigrayans, setting the course for genocide as follows: 

  • The government used documentaries and dehumanizing terms to define Tigrayans in various public speeches such as ‘Daytime hyena’, ‘Tigrigna speakers’, ‘Cancers’, ‘weeds’, ‘Greedy Junta’, ‘Looters’. 
  • The government and its allies worked to alienate Tigrayans form other ethnic groups. Other Ethiopians were conditioned to accept any punishment actions against the Tigrayans as legal and normal. In other words, Tigrayans were criminalised simply for being Tigrayan.       
  • While Tigrayans were illegally and unjustly detained since PM Abiy came to power this increased immeasurably after the onset of the war on Tigray in November 4, 2020. In October 2021, the state declared a state of emergency, which persecuted Tigrayans. Tens of thousands were detained and executed all over the country.  

As educators, we need to engage and be a part of the answer to war and crimes such as those taking place in place in regions such as Tigray. Education, as a primary means of information in all societies, needs to take on board the fact that it can be an active force for peace and justice globally.    

Reflections from Gerard McCann 


In my discussion I reflected on three things related to the overall issue of how we engage with conflict as educators and indeed what it means for Development Education.   


The first was in relation to family experiences in Belfast during the conflict in the 1970s and how children’s lived experience was affected by that conflict. I drew on my own circumstances of growing up in West Belfast, looking at how our family and myself as a child were caught up in a war, how we coped and how the government at the time and subsequently never assisted in any meaningful manner in addressing the issues that the violence was having on normal families as victims of violence, witnesses to violence and as refugees. The point was also made that the education system in the North of Ireland has never adequately supported families which have been subject to the effects of conflict, the legacy of which continues to this day.  


The second was based on my work with university colleagues in Lviv and Lutsk in Ukraine and with Ukrainian families in Poland during the war with Russia. I addressed the issues of family trauma, the refugee experience and how civil society and various supporting organisations responded to this crisis. I looked at the work of colleagues, some of whom were actively fighting in the war, and students who were spending their time trying to build their futures in the most horrendous of circumstances.  


Finally, and as a last point, I commented on how Development Education and indeed education in general can respond to challenges brought forward by the exceptional circumstances of war. Arguably, Development Education has found conflict a difficult issue to work with. The complexities include having classes which may include students who have escaped conflict with teachers who maybe do not have the knowledge to navigate information pertinent to specific circumstances and conflict scenarios. Development Education has a role in providing information, training and providing positive outcomes for our understanding of conflict, peace building and conflict resolution.  I concluded on this idea: Those of us who teach or learn about conflict, educate in a situation of conflict or work with those escaping conflict, need to consider our own position with respect to our role as humanitarian actors and peace-builders - in practice, we should be constructing a framework of hope and creating positive futures for all involved. 

September 26, 2025
Date: Tuesday, 04 November, from 3.30–4.30pm Location: Online via Zoom IDEA is thrilled to invite members to the online launch of our new “Theory of Impact for Global Citizenship Education” on Tuesday, 04 November, from 3.30–4.30pm, Online via Zoom. During this session, we will present the model, share insights into the process behind its development, and explore how it will be used to strengthen impact across the sector. We will also introduce a new tool in progress, an interactive data visualisation map designed to showcase our collective impact as a network. For many years, IDEA and its members have been grappling with the concept of impact in Development Education/Global Citizenship Education (hereinafter ‘GCE’). As GCE practitioners, tracking impact helps us to identify how, where and with whom our work is creating positive change, as well as investigating areas in which our impact could be stronger. Furthermore, we can also benefit from examining the collective impact of GCE carried out by the wide-ranging work of IDEA members, and from exploring how these impacts contribute to the major social changes to which the GCE community aspires. Driven therefore by the need to understand how projects and programmes are collectively “making a difference” in IDEA we looked at models that could help us visualise and capture GCE “impact networks”. We formulated our vision of impact and then a theory of how we expect this desired impact to be achieved to allow us to map our activities and collect data to corroborate that theory. This Theory of Impact model is how we hope to illustrate this complex GCE impact network. Building on work done by IDEA over many years including building sectoral capacity in using Results Frameworks for GCE, our Quality & Impact working group, engagement with Irish Aid on their Performance Measurement Framework (PMF), and the successful roll-out of a Code of Good Practice for DE/GCE, this Theory of Impact represent the next stage of our effort to ‘develop a consistent approach to measuring impact among the sector’. We are therefore thrilled to invite you to the presentation of our ‘Theory of Impact for GCE’. At this online presentation, we will tell you about the process that led to the creation of this model, how it will be used and what we hope it could bring to the sector. We will also touch on a new tool being developed based on the model, which should allow the creation of an interactive data visualisation map of our collective impact as a network. Join us as we launch into this exciting new phase of our Impact Measurement work. Join us as we begin this exciting new phase of our Impact Measurement work. Register below!
September 26, 2025
Date: 11 November, 10.30am – 4.30pm. Location: IDEA offices, 6 Gardiner Row IDEA launched its new Advocacy Toolkit and GCE Policy Guide resource pack in early March. The advocacy toolkit and policy guide were developed for IDEA members to strengthen their capacity to effectively advocate with policymakers and to actively engage in policy processes on GCE in Ireland and the wider world. IDEA will facilitate a full-day in-person workshop on these resources in the IDEA offices on Tuesday, 11 November ,10.30am – 4.30pm. Places are limited to 20 participants and will be given on a first come, first served basis. Please note that this is a repeat of the workshop that took place in May and is aimed at members who did not have the opportunity to participate in May. A vegetarian lunch will be provided. Register below!
September 26, 2025
Date: 06 November a nd 18 November from 3.30–4.30pm Location: IDEA offices, 6 Gardiner Row, Dublin 1 Due to positive feedback following a workshop during our annual conference, we are thrilled to invite members to a full 2-part interactive workshop about “Racial Justice” on 06 November and 18 November. This event will take place in-person in Dublin. Our facilitators Bronwyn April and Mdahyelya Bassi will guide participants through a critical exploration of the interconnections between racial justice, philanthropy, migration, and decolonisation within global and Irish contexts. The workshop will delve into how historical and ongoing colonial legacies influence contemporary issues of racial equity and social justice in Ireland and beyond. The dates for this event are fast approaching, so if you have any specific accessibility requirements, please email events@ideaonline.ie as soon as possible. Places for this event are limited, and registration is mandatory. Deadline to register is Monday, 04 November. Register below!