Implemented by the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe, and building on previous editions of the project, iLEGEND III is co-funded by the Council of Europe and the European Union in the framework of the Development Education and Awareness-Raising Programme (DEAR).

This new project aims to mobilise commitment to sustainable development in Europe and beyond, by promoting Global Education (GE) as an interdisciplinary approach, that helps learners to develop individual and collective responses to social, ecological, political, economic and ethical issues of common concern.

iLEGEND III intends to create links between the formal and non-formal education sectors to better align them with the principles of Global Education. Particular attention will be given to improve the skills of education practitioners: from advocacy to monitoring, to evaluation and learning. The project strengthens its capacity building dimension with an online training program, which complements the existing residential training program and the MOOC. It also strengthens its advocacy dimension and pays special consideration to youth participation and gender equality.

iLEGEND III is based on the premise that, in a globalised world, the safeguarding of human rights, democracy and equity in Europe cannot be isolated from developments in other parts of the world, and that the goals of sustainable development cannot be achieved without an understanding of global interdependence, intercultural learning and dialogue. The new project has an interregional cooperation dimension and aims to bring together a wide range of stakeholders from Europe, the Middle East and Africa, to strengthen the links between countries and peoples.

The project, with a budget of 2,000,000 euros, is structured around four intervention mechanisms:  

• Advocacy and confidence-building: providing spaces for dialogue with the aim of strengthening GE policy development and implementation, including youth participation in decision-making processes. Thematic seminars, online materials and the final congress are the main activities of the advocacy dimension.
   
• Capacity building: developing the capacity, through online and residential activities, of education practitioners in the formal and non-formal education sectors, but also of strategic state actors (education, youth, foreign affairs) and civil society organisations/actors. Pedagogical resources, E-learning and training activities in the framework of the University on Youth and Development and African University on Youth and Development are the main activities of the capacity building dimension. 
   
• Awareness raising: raising awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals, the European Consensus on Development and the co-responsibility of everyone to achieve these goals. The annual Global Education Week is the flagship event of the awareness raising dimension.
   
• Creation of partnerships and networks: reinforcement of interregional cooperation to create sustainable links between young Europeans and young people from partner countries. The University on Youth and Development and African University on Youth and Development are the flagship events of the partnership dimension.

The North-South Centre of the Council of Europe has over 33 years of experience in promoting cooperation among different regions of the world on Global Education and Intercultural Dialogue which make it widely recognised as a platform for dialogue, able to engage with a variety of stakeholders to foster inclusive policy making processes. The Ilegend III project counts on the involvement of the Global Education Network and of the Network of Universities on Youth and Global Citizenship.

Since the 1970s, the EU has supported educators and civil society actors in introducing development themes in curricula and public awareness. Through its programme for Development Education and Awareness-Raising (DEAR) and other EU-funded Programmes (e.g. Erasmus, Horizon Europe and cohesion funds), the EU continues to support campaigns, advocacy actions and more focused Global Citizenship Education projects like iLEGEND..