hands

Today is the International Day of Democracy

Today is an important day to raise awareness about the challenges societies face to ensure respect for democratic principles and processes, and the role of education and training in preparing citizens to overcome difficulties.

Equipping individuals with the knowledge, skills and attitude to understand democracy and how it works can also facilitate their civic engagement and allow them to recognise and act when democratic processes are under threat. 

The International Day of Democracy is also a timely reminder of how the European Union is actively working to ensure the free flow of information, and combat disinformation which is often used as a tool to undermine democracy and respect for human rights.

Within education and training, the EU's’s Key Competence Framework for Lifelong Learning (2018) promotes the 'citizenship competence' which, alongside the development of critical thinking and problem solving skills, highlights citizens need to have the ability to access, critically understand, and interact with both traditional and new forms of media and understand the role and functions of media in democratic societies.

The ETF’s work is devised and delivered in the context of the EU’s policies, including the European Charter of Fundamental Rights. Our work contributes to the EU's external relations priorities in support of the United Nation’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals in particular, quality education and decent work and economic growth. 

Photo by Nikola Jovanovic on Unsplash

Did you like this article? If you would like to be notified when new content like this is published, subscribe to receive our email alerts.