9.2 Administration and governance
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Governance
Main actors
Global Issues in Slovakia are governed across sectors and through different levels of governance. Following is the list of most relevant actors governing, and in some extent also creating space for Slovak youth engagement in the arena of global issues.
Main actors in youth involvement in global issues
One of the key actors is the President of the Slovak Republic, who does frame the overall position of the Slovak republic towards global agendas and initiatives, also influencing and encouraging youth involvement and interest in these. Current president of Slovakia Zuzana Čaputová, has been quite active most of all in global issues such as climate change, good governance, extremism and polarization and has been a spark in the Slovak society of dialogue and involvement in solving these issues also for the youth.
Another important governance body in relation to youth and public involvement in global issues is The Office of the Plenipotentiary for the Development of the Civil Society. The office is a key partner for building nation-wide partnerships between different ministries and government bodies and civil society organizations, creating the links between the public, CSOs which represent the public and the ministries which draft, consult, and implement policies.
The official governance of the global issues is thus also spread among the various ministries in Slovakia:
- responsible for overall Slovak involvement in the international environment as wells in the sector of development aid and development education and awareness raising which includes broader opportunities for youth involvement, through volunteering as well as through global citizenship education.
- In this, the ministry is overseeing the implementation of Agenda 2030 in relation to SDG 17.
- which ensures youth's contribution to global processes of policymaking,
- coordination of the implementation of the Strategy of the Slovak Republic for Youth for 2021 – 2028.
- According to The National programme for development of Education for 2018 – 2027 it is an owner of the agenda of global citizenship education in the formal and non-formal education sectors, also through its agencies which are The National Institute for Education and The Methodology and Pedagogy Centre.
- Which is the owner of the agenda of sustainable development, green consumption and dealing with impact of climate crisis.
- Which oversees human rights issues.
- Which oversees the overall management of Agenda 2030 in Slovakia.
- The main public actor in the development of policies, programmes or actions related to youth's contribution to global processes of policy-making
- Part of the legislation creation in Slovakia
- Have direct contact to youth workers, youth leaders and your organizations
- Is the national agency for Erasmus+ youth and sport, which is one of the key governance and funding programmes creating space for youth involvement in global issues
- Provides Subject Olympiads and Progressive Competitions for primary and secondary school students also on international level
- Implementing specific projects related to the global issues, such as:
- UN Youth Delegate Programme
- Representative of the Slovak Republic at the Youth Forum within the meeting of the Commission for Narcotic Substances of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime
- IUVENTA is part of the Slovak Commission for UNESCO
- Since 2019 IUVENTA is the national correspondent for Youth Wiki, an online platform presenting information on the youth policy of European countries. It is a project of the European Education and Culture Executive Agency
- IUVENTA is a member of the National Working Group for EU Youth Dialogue
- IUVENTA is a full member of ERYICA – the European Youth Information and Counselling Agency
- Model European Parliament
- Is an agency working under the auspices of Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and oversees the granting opportunities as well as project implementation in the area of global citizenship education and development education and awareness raising about global issues.
- Civil society actors – many non-governmental organisations are active in global issues, although they are not exclusively targeted at young people and their involvement in global topics.
- Ambrela is a platform for development organizations,which is an umbrella organization for CSOs working in the fields of development cooperation, humanitarian aid and global citizenship education,
- eRko – Christian Children Communities´ Movement, which is active in the field of development cooperation and volunteering as well as raising awareness about global issues among the youth.
- Živica, which is one of the leading organizations in Slovakia working in the field of global citizenship education and value-based education,
- Pontis Foundation, which is one of the most innovation-oriented organizations in Slovakia in the field of education and more specifically value-based education,
- People in Need Slovakia, which is an organization with one of the longest traditions of implementing a global citizenship education programmes in Slovakia,
- Impact Games, which is one of the most innovative organizations working on the intersection of the fields of digital and game-based education and global citizenship and value-based education,
- Milan Šimečka Foundation, as one of the most active organizations in value-based education,
- Institute for Active Citizenship, as key CSO actor in the field of active citizenship education,
- Initiative for Citizenship Education, as a platform bringing together organization working towards the implementation of citizenship education in Slovakia,
- Partners for Democratic Change Slovakia, which is one of the most professional organizations in the field of value-based and peace education,
- UNICEF in Slovakia, which is one of the leaders in development education and global youth work in Slovakia and beyond.
Less structured and formalized youth movements like Fridays for Future and Extinction Rebellion also create spaces for youth to engage global issues in a non-formal environment of a broader movement interconnected globally.
Much of the agenda governing and administrating Slovak youth involvement in global issues comes from the European level, where the following actors are key:
Directorate General for Education and Culture of the European Commission
- Responsible namely for the agenda of European Education area.
- Key actor on the level of EU institutions governing the Erasmus+ programme as well as the Creative Europe programme.
Directorate General for International Partnerships of the European Commission
- Responsible for implementation of Agenda 2030 and especially SDG 17 through instruments of development cooperation and humanitarian aid
- Responsible for support of civil society organizations active in the field of development cooperation and humanitarian aid.
- Responsible for the implementation of Development Education and Awareness Raising programme, which is the most direct and straightforward funding programme for civil society organizations promoting global citizenship, value-based educations and campaigns related to global issues.
There are also several policy and advocacy oriented civil society platforms working on the level of the EU:
At the top of multilevel global governance structure, what follows are the key actors on Global Level relevant for youth involvement in global issues:
- through overseeing the Agenda 2030, as well as for facilitating youth representation at the UN through the UN Youth Delegate Programme
- through its ownership of the Global Citizenship Education agenda on the level of United Nations institutions
- through its ownership and implementation of global competences Programme for International Srudent Assessment
Cross-sectorial cooperation
There is the Inter-ministerial Working Group for State Policy in the Field of Youth, coordinated by Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sports. More information in section 1.5 Cross-sectorial approach with other Ministries.