Get involved: Major Irish Aid strategy review

UPDATE: the Formal Education Task Group will hold its first meeting on February 6th. If you would like to participate, please email frank@ideaonline.ie

We've had a great response to our call for the development education sector to get involved in Irish Aid's strategy review – but we're keen to get even more organisations and individuals on board.

Irish Aid has asked the Global Education Network Europe (GENE) to conduct a peer review of its strategy. Here at IDEA, we are coordinating engagement of the development sector as well as participating in the Reference Group on the strategy. We're facilitating three task groups: one on formal education, one on the adult and community education sector and one on the youth sector, with each group considering successes, challenges, opportunities and strategic priorities for development education in their area, before bringing their recommendations to the the GENE team.

If you'd like to a chance to shape the future of development education, please email IDEA Director Frank Geary (frank@ideaonline.ie) with your name, job title, organisation name and contact number. Each of the three groups will meet three times between now and April, before meeting the GENE evaluation team in April. A plenary consultation will be held in April for the entire development education sector to contribute to the review and the Irish Aid strategy.

September 23, 2026
The Irish Development Education Association (IDEA), in partnership with Concern Worldwide, is undertaking research on Global North - South partnerships in Global Citizenship Education/ Development Education, with a focus on collaborations between organisations on the island of Ireland and organisations and communities in the Global South. The research aims to identify good practices and develop practical guidance that can support organisations in strengthening equitable partnerships as central to quality GCE/DE. It is important to stress this research focuses on partnerships or collaborations with educational purposes in the context of facilitating GCE/DE . This means that organisations, educators and learners work together on activities that enable people to understand the root causes of injustice and inequality at local and global levels, and prepare them to engage and build a more just and sustainable future. These activities are guided by principles such as recognition of the knowledge of all partners, mutual learning, solidarity, and an understanding of how local and global issues, people, and systems are interconnected. We would greatly value your contribution to this research. Your contributions will help inform IDEA´s ongoing work to support the sector and IDEA members, while also informing Concern Worldwide´s Global Citizenship programme. Findings will be shared (in an aggregate manner or with prior permission) in a workshop in Dublin/Hybrid on 25 November 2026. You can contribute by: Completing a short survey here. You can remain anonymous - unless you decide to complete optional questions with details of your practices; Agreeing to an online interview; approx 30-45 minutes; Sharing information about your practice via email; Taking part in a session to discuss the findings and provide feedback to a practical guide on the topic.
September 23, 2026
IDEA is seeking a consultant to analyse data captured during the pilot of the Theory of Impact for the GCE tool. The purpose of this assignment is both to understand what the pilot data can tell us about the contribution and reach of GCE activity, and to identify what IDEA can learn from the pilot data to strengthen the quality, consistency and usefulness of future data collection. Timeframe Deadline to apply: Tuesday, 06 October, 1.00pm Initial briefing with IDEA staff: Friday, 09 October First draft of report due: Wednesday, 21 October, 1.00pm Feedback from IDEA: Thursday, 29 October Final report due: Monday, 02 November Presentation of findings (provisional dates): Members involved in the pilot and impact measurement process: Friday, 06 November Public event for IDEA members and interested stakeholders: Thursday, 19 November How to Apply Please submit: A concise CV (maximum 2-3 pages) A proposal outlining: Relevant experience Referees for similar work A brief description of your proposed methodology The proposed number of days required Details of staff involved (where relevant) Your fee Please send your completed application to lizzy@ideaonline.ie and elaine@ideaonline.ie by Tuesday, 06 October, 1.00pm. The full terms of reference is here
Ireland Map
September 7, 2026
The joint letter to Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Helen McEntee comes ahead of the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council