1.1 Why was a Decade for
Building a Culture of Peace Proclaimed?
In November 1998 the General Assembly of
the United Nations proclaimed the period
2001 - 2010 as the International Decade
for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence
for the Children of the World.
The resolution proclaiming the decade
sets out several reasons for doing so:
The
United Nations seeks to save
future generations from the
scourge of war. To do this
transformation towards a culture
of peace is needed. A culture of
peace consists of values,
attitudes and behaviours that
reflect and inspire social
interaction and sharing based on
the principles of freedom,
justice, democracy, all human
rights, tolerance and solidarity.
Such values, attitudes and
behaviors reject violence and
instead try to prevent conflicts
by tackling their root causes, to
solve problems through dialogue
and negotiation, and to guarantee
the full exercise of all rights
and the means to participate
fully in development.
Enormous
harm and suffering are caused to
children through different forms
of violence at every level of
society around the world. A
culture of peace and non-violence
promotes respect for the life and
dignity of every human being
without prejudice or
discrimination of any kind.
Teaching
the practice of peace and non-violence
to children will promote the
purposes and principles embodied
in the Charter of the United
Nations. It can play an important
role in constructing a culture of
peace and nonviolence.
The
promotion of a culture of peace
and nonviolence, by which
children learn to live together
in peace and harmony, will
contribute to the strengthening
of international peace and
cooperation. It should emanate
from adults and be instilled in
children.
The
proclamation of such a decade at
the beginning of the new
millennium would greatly assist
the efforts of the international
community to foster peace,
harmony, all human rights,
democracy and development
throughout the world.
The
resolution proclaiming the decade
can be found at:
http://www3.unesco.org/iycp/uk/uk_sum_PCP.htm
1.2 Who has been asked
to be involved?
All Member States of the United Nations
are invited to take steps to ensure that
the practice of peace and nonviolence is
taught at all levels in their societies,
including in educational institutions.
United Nations bodies and nongovernmental
organizations, religious bodies and
groups, educational institutions, artists
and the media are also called on to
actively support the decade.
In September 1999 the General Assembly
adopted a Declaration and Program of
Action on a Culture of Peace.
The Program of Action encourages Member
states to take action at the national,
regional and international levels. It
asks civil society to be involved at the
local, regional and national levels in
order to widen the scope of culture of
peace actions. The United Nations system
itself was also asked to strengthen its
efforts. UNESCO in particular was to make
major contributions to the promotion of a
culture of peace. Partnerships and the
sharing of information among these actors
were also encouraged.
1.3 Structure of the Program of
Action
The Program of Action on a Culture of
Peace lists a range of actions to be
undertaken by different actors. The
actions are grouped into eight areas:
Actions
to foster a culture of peace
through education
Actions
to promote sustainable economic
and social development
Actions
to promote respect for all human
rights
Actions
to ensure equality between women
and men
Actions
to foster democratic
participation
Actions
to advance understanding,
tolerance and solidarity
Actions
to support participatory
communication and the free flow
of information and knowledge
Actions
to promote international peace
and security.
The text of the Culture of Peace
Declaration and Program of Action can be
found at: http://www.americas-society.org/as/events/pdf.d/UNESCO%20Program%20of%20Action.pdf or http://www.unesco.org/cpp/uk/declarations/2000.htm
The Program of Action provides a broad
and integral vision of a culture of peace.
Many of the activities and concerns of
justice and peace workers around Asia can
find a place within this framework. When
looked at collectively, we can see that
justice and peace workers in Asia are
already working on almost every aspect of
the Program of Action.
Action Ideas:
Ask your local
and regional justice and peace
bodies to give short explanations
of their peace efforts, placing
them under headings corresponding
to the eight areas of the Program
of Action. Some questions for
discussion:
- Are all
areas in the program
covered or are there
gaps?
- Which
areas of the Program are
most important for your
place at this time?
- In which
areas do we/does our
group feel most able to
take action?
UNESCO is the
lead agency for the UN's efforts
for the Decade. One of its
actions for the Decade is the
Manifesto 2000. Manifesto 2000
was the initiative of a number of
Nobel Peace Prize winners. It
calls on all of us to make a
personal pledge to nurture a
culture of peace.
- Visit http://www3.unesco.org/manifesto2000/uk/uk_manifeste.htm and view the
Manifesto 2000. Consider
signing as an individual
or asking your
organization or group to
become a Messenger of
Manifesto 2000.
- Download
and use the education and
awareness raising
materials from the
Manifesto 2000 website.
Leaflets, posters and
documentation are
available in several
languages.
UNESCO has
initiated a Prize for Peace
Education. Consider nominating a
group or individual that you know
of for this prize in recognition
of their work for peace education.
More information can be found at http://www.unesco.org/general/eng/about/circulars/cl3636.pdf
|
|