For Immediate Release: February 13, 2023
Halifax, Nova Scotia
At an event celebrating International Development Week, the Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada announced $23.4 million in funding to extend programming for Canadian public engagement. Of this, $17.4 million will be provided to the Inter-Council Network for the extension of its Inspiring Action for Global Citizenship program.
The Inter-Council Network (ICN) is a coalition of the eight Provincial and Regional Councils for International Cooperation, committed to global social justice and social change, representing more than 350 diverse civil society organizations from coast to coast to coast. The ICN works with diverse national, regional, and local organizations, and provides a national forum in which the eight councils collaborate for improved effectiveness and identify common priorities for collective action.
The Inspiring Action for Global Citizenship program was initially launched in 2019 and has engaged numerous Canadians and organizations across the country in international cooperation and the sustainable development goals. The program, implemented by each council in its region, specialises in and has found success engaging the public through capacity building and youth leadership programs, curriculum development, and virtual and in-person public engagement on gender equality, human rights, and global citizenship. The ICN has a collective reach of more than 4 million per year and involves 32,000+ participants in its programs annually.
At the Cooperation Canada Awards ceremony, while announcing the funding, the Honorable Minister Sajjan said, “By raising awareness and promoting action, the Inspiring Action for Global Citizenship program and the International Development Education and Awareness project will have powerful ripple effects. The more Canadians understand about international development and the more ways they find to get involved, the richer our work and our communities will be.”
Jennifer Sloot, Executive Director of the Atlantic Council for International Cooperation, and the current hosts of the Inter-Council Network, says, “We are proud of the work we have accomplished together under the Inspiring Action for Global Citizenship program in engaging Canadians on issues that bind us together as a wider humanity. With this extended funding, we look forward to continuing our work engaging emerging youth leaders, changemakers and our member organizations. We would also like to congratulate the Aga Khan Foundation Canada for the funds they have received to implement their project. Having worked with youth of different ages across the country, we see first-hand the deep impact projects engaging youth have on creating young changemakers.”
The Aga Khan Foundation received $6 million for their International Development Education and Awareness Project focusing on school youth programs focusing on sparking young Canadian interests in eliminating poverty and promoting gender equality. The announcement for the $23.4 million funding came as across Canada, members of the Inter-Council Network celebrate International Development Week – a week dedicated to highlighting and acknowledging the contributions Canadians make in building better communities around the world.
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For more information on the Inter-Council Network of Provincial and Regional Councils, please contact:
Jennifer Sloot
Executive Director, Atlantic Council for International Cooperation