About DEAR

The European Commission's Development Education and Awareness Raising Programme, DEAR, supports projects that engage the European Union public in worldwide issues of social, economic and environmental development. The DEAR programme works with civil society organisations and local authorities to promote universal values of freedom, democracy and the rule of law and enables the European public to make positive contributions to global development.

Informed European citizens can play an active role in shaping development priorities, as voters, as activists - even through the goods they choose to buy at the supermarket. That’s why the European Commission supports the Development Education Awareness Raising Programme, which works to inform European citizens about development issues.

The more informed European citizens are, the more they can help collective efforts to make the world a better place for all its people, no matter where they live.

“I strongly believe in the value of development education,” said Neven Mimica, Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development. “DEAR is about raising awareness and helping Europeans to be better informed about development issues which affect their lives, and able to engage critically with global development.”

DEAR activities also feed into the Commission’s support for the globally agreed Sustainable Development Goals to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all by 2030. For the Commission, funding the DEAR Programme is an investment in our global future.

At any one time, the Commission’s DEAR Programme funds up to 30 projects that span the EU Member States. These projects contribute to raising the European public’s understanding and engagement in development by:

• advocating for citizens in developing countries
• campaigning for change of inequitable global systems
• working with Local Authorities to strengthen existing structures 
• supporting education to inform the next generation about development issues