Glossary of Terms

Terms:

• North and South: these are terms used to describe countries above and below a geographical dividing line which differentiates the wealthier industrialised countries of the 'North' from those low income countries of the 'South'. These terms have been chosen in preference to 'developed' and 'underdeveloped', or First and Third World. Many consider these terms imply superiority and inferiority.
  In actuality the countries of the North include not just Europe, North America and Japan but also two countries in the southern hemisphere: Australia and New Zealand. It must also be acknowledged that on-going changes such as increasing poverty in Eastern Europe and increasing prosperity in countries of the Far East and in China challenge this simplistic differentiation.
  
• Local Agenda 21: LA21 stems from the sustainable development action plan agreed at the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992. This stressed the importance of involving all sectors of the community in working towards more sustainable ways of living and improving the quality of life. Young people are one of the major groups identified as crucial to this process.
• Sustainable development definitions:
  • 'A process of change in which the direction of investments, the orientation of technological development and institutional change are all in harmony and enhance both current and future potential to meet human needs and aspirations.' (The World Commission on Environment and Development)
  • 'Sustainable development is a dynamic process which enables people to realise their potential and improve their quality of life in ways which simultaneously protect and enhance the earth's life support systems' (Forum for the Future)
• The Global Citizen: Oxfam sees the Global Citizen as someone who: is aware of the wider world and has a sense of their own role as a world citizen; respects and values diversity; is willing to act to make the world a more equitable and sustainable place; takes responsibility for their actions.
  Learn more about Oxfam's curriculum for Global Citizenship here