The following is a declaration adopted by the participants. The wave of change toward democracy and the open economy that swept the world at the beginning of this decade has slowed, and, in some respects, even turned around. All this makes clear how central knowledge, skills, and democratic values are to building and sustaining democratic societies that are respectful of human rights and cultural diversity. Once again, we see the importance of education which empowers citizens to participate competently and responsibly in their society. Despite great differences in the more than fifty countries represented among us, we find many similarities in the challenges we face in our civic life.
People involved in civic education have much to learn from one another.
Investments and guarantees made by private enterprise, governments, and international financial institutions will fail where political and legal systems fail, and where corruption and violence flourish. The challenge of civic education is too great for educators alone. They need far greater cooperation from their own peoples, governments, and the international community. We seek increased support for civic education formal and informal from the widest range of institutions and governments. We pledge ourselves to create and maintain a worldwide network that will make civic education a higher priority on the international agenda.