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UNESCO brochure: Africa, Culture of Peace, 2017

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A brochure of UNESCO (translation by CPNN)

UNESCO has just published a new brochure on its activities for a culture of peace in Africa, with an impressive list of activities. Here is the table of contents of the brochure with links, where available, to the CPNN or UNESCO article.

4-5 June, 2012 – Abidjan – Forum of Reflection “Culture of Peace in West Africa: an imperative for economic development and a requirement for social cohesion”

26-28 March 2013 – Luanda – Pan-African Forum: “Sources and resources for a culture of peace

20-21 September 2013 – Addis Abeba – Network of foundations and research institutions to promote the culture of peace in Africa

19-22 March 2014 – Brussels – Women’s Network for a Culture of Peace in Africa

December 11-13, 2014 – Libreville – Youth Network for a Culture of Peace in Africa

16-28 March 2013 – Luanda – Launch of the campaign “Make Peace” Luanda , Angola

July 9, 2016 – Libreville – Launch of the Youth Campaign for a Culture of Peace in Central Africa” ​​Different Words, Same Language: Peace, Libreville, Gabon

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(Click here for the original in French)

 

Question related to this article.

Will UNESCO once again play a role in the culture of peace?

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March 31, 2017 – Launch of the Youth Mobilization Campaign for Culture of peace, Burundi

September 21-23, 2014 – Celebrating 25 years of the birth of the concept of a culture of peace : “Peace in the minds of men and women”, Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire

20 Sept 2017 – Celebrating the International Day of Peace, Cameroon

Sept 2017 Celebrating the International Day of Peace, Burundi

January 2015 – Decisions of the African Union

2015 – Biennial of Luanda

2017 – Yamoussoukro Project to create a “School of Peace”

2012-2017 – Culture of Peace and Reconciliation: A Case Study of Mali

May 26, 2015 – Benin – International Symposium for the Launch of the African Initiative for Education for Peace and Development through Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue

14 March 2017 – Dakar –
2017 Triennial of the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA)

6 April 2017 – Regional Global Education Network Meeting in Sub-Saharan Africa, Johannesburg

9-11 Sep 2017 Benin Regional Consultations in West and Central Africa on youth, peace and security

Editor’s Note: It is very commendable that UNESCO’s Africa Department continues to support the culture of peace. The purpose of the brochure, according to Firmin Edouard Matoko, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Africa, “is to draw on the sources of inspiration and the potential of the cultural, natural and human resources of the continent in order to identify concrete lines of action to build a lasting peace, the cornerstone of endogenous development and Pan-Africanism.” On the other hand, one hopes it is not a bad sign for the future that the foreward to the brochure by the new Directrice-Generale of UNESCO fails to mention culture of peace.

Africa, FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, United Nations,

SEGIB Launches Laboratory of Innovation for Peace in Colombia

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An article from Iberoeconomia (translated by CPNN)

The Ibero-American General Secretariat is organizing the Laboratory of Civic Innovation for Peace between February 13 and 24 with the support of the High Council for the Postconflict of the Presidency of Colombia, the Governorate of Nariño, and Nansen Center for Peace and Dialogue with the support of the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development.


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The Laboratories for Citizen Innovation, which will be held annually in Ibero-America, make it possible for hundreds of citizens from all the countries of the region to work together to develop innovative projects to improve society. The Laboratory of Civic Innovation for Peace in Colombia will be the first time that citizen innovation and solutions that citizens of all Latin America propose will be part of the construction of peace.

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Question related to this article:

What is happening in Colombia, Is peace possible?

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As of February 13 and for 12 days, 100 citizens from Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Spain, Honduras, Italy, Mexico, Norway, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Uruguay and Venezuela will work together on 10 projects of innovation that will provide solutions to key post-conflict challenges in Colombia in the field of human rights, coexistence, alternative local development, culture of peace and reconciliation.

The Innovation for Citizens Peace Laboratory will work on innovation and technology solutions for problems that arise in Colombia in this post-conflict stage, for example: 3D prosthesis manufacturing for victims of conflict, sustainable systems for water use in rural areas, digital platforms to organize citizen activism and documentation of the experience of an indigenous people that resisted drug trafficking.

During the Laboratory 15 conferences, meetings and free courses will be held with experts in peace and innovation processes from around the world that will be open to the public and can be followed through Facebook Live.

On February 24, the participants will present to the public all the projects completed at the Imperial Theater of Pasto in the presence of Minister Rafael Pardo and the Ibero-American General Secretary, Rebeca Grynspan, together with the governor of Nariño, Camilo Romero.

(Click here for the original Spanish version of this article)

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Government of Italy and UNICEF join efforts to promote positive peace for Libyan youth

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An article from the United Nations Support Mission in Libya

180 Libyan youth are to take part in an initiative for promoting positive peace, through new funding totalling 545,000 USD provided by the Italian Government to UNICEF in the context of the Nicosia Initiative.

“Young people in Libya represent over half of the population and are key to rebuilding the peaceful future of the country” said Abdel-Rahman Ghandour, UNICEF Special Representative to Libya. “We are thankful to the Government of Italy for their generous donation enabling us to support them achieve just that,” he added.

“Young people in Libya represent over half of the population and are key to rebuilding the peaceful future of the country” said Abdel-Rahman Ghandour, UNICEF Special Representative to Libya. “We are thankful to the Government of Italy for their generous donation enabling us to support them achieve just that,” he added.

Taking place in March and April, the initiative will bring together Libyan young local community leaders from throughout the country, to foster a convergence of views and inspire a culture of peace and reconciliation at a time where conflict and violence have caused deep degradation of the environment in Libya.

Aged between 18 and 25, young people from across the country will participate in the initiative through an open and transparent selection process carried out by the Nicosia Initiative working with the Union of Libyan Youth, universities and active civil society networks. Female participation, in particular, are strongly encouraged with representation from all areas of the country actively promoted.

Based on the Institute of Economics and Peace’s [IEP] Positive Peace Framework, the initiative will encourage Libyan youth to look forward to the future instead of looking back at the differences of the past through learning about their rights. Local ownership and leadership have been shown to be a critical factor in building peace and as such, participants will be asked to think and develop innovative community development projects that reflect these ideas and values.

After attending a training, participants will be encouraged to start campaigning to raise awareness in their communities about positive peace. A joint UNICEF, IEP panel will also select the most innovative projects to be funded and implemented at a local level in Libya.

The initiative builds on the achievements made in a pilot conducted earlier in 2017 under the UNICEF programme” Towards Resilience and Social Inclusion of Adolescents and Young People in Libya” through funding from the European Union. Many of the 17 youth who participated in this workshop have gone onto much success, for example through setting local radio station in Sirte, developing local youth networks and campaigning within their communities for peace. By scaling up this initiative in 2018, UNICEF, the Government of Italy, IEP and the Nicosia Initiative hope to enable Libyan youth to build a better and more peaceful future for all.

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Question related to this article.

Youth initiatives for a culture of peace, How can we ensure they get the attention and funding they deserve?

What is the United Nations doing for a culture of peace?

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 Notes to Editors

About the Nicosia Initiative

In 2015, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) began helping Libyan mayors to foster contacts with EU institutions and European mayors, including granting Libya observer status at the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM). This was in line with the central role of Ms. Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

Following a letter to the CoR President in which Libyan mayors expressed the need for cooperation, a call for European and Mediterranean partners to share their know-how with Libyan authorities was launched at the ARLEM plenary session on 19 January 2016 in Nicosia, Cyprus, under the patronage of the Mayor of Nicosia. Consequently, CoR members began providing very practical support to Libyan cities through the Nicosia initiative – a platform run under the political umbrella of the CoR – with the aim of fostering territorial cohesion and cooperation among Libyan municipalities as well as supporting partnership building between Libyan and European peer institutions based on Libyan local strategic priorities and a set of common shared interests.

The requests for cooperation included in particular actions on services of general interest normally provided by local authorities to citizens and currently not fully performed due to the lack of budget and skills. The Libyan Mayors also pointed out a specific action on youth and mind-set change, as an urgent matter to be addressed

About Institute for Economics and Peace

The Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit think tank dedicated to shifting the world’s focus to peace as a positive, achievable, and tangible measure of human well being and progress.

IEP achieves its goals by developing new conceptual frameworks to define peacefulness; providing metrics for measuring peace; and uncovering the relationships between business, peace and prosperity as well as promoting a better understanding of the cultural, economic and political factors that create peace.

IEP has offices in Sydney, New York, Mexico City, Brussels and The Hague. It works with a wide range of partners internationally and collaborates with intergovernmental organisations on measuring and communicating the economic value of peace.

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Mexico: Zacatecan Radio and Television System to introduce “the culture of peace” as a transversal theme

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An article from La Jornada Zacatecas (translated by CPNN)

January 20: The Zacatecan Radio and Television System (Sizart) will modify its contents to introduce as a”the culture of peace” as a transversal theme. The workshop “Sounds for peace, the acoustic landscape of public media in Zacatecas” in which 50 radio and television producers participated, reviewed the programmatic grids “to know what we are doing”, said the director general of Sizart, Teresa Velázquez Navarrete.


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She added that two experts collaborated in this review, one of them from Colombia, who was asked to offer an advance of what is being done in that country in the context of the peace process in the media, “because here we already walk more or less in the same struggle.”

Tito Ballesteros López, a radio producer of the “free networks of Colombia”; was a participant in the recently held International Radio Biennial along with Graciela Martínez Matías, who is a research professor at the UNAM, a PhD in Political Science and an advocate for the Radio Education audiences. The “critical and self-critical review was made with all the producers of the -Sizart-, and then we realized that to remake the contents we would have to speak of a culture of peace “.

The workshop “Sounds for peace, the acoustic landscape of public media in Zacatecas” lasted 30 hours and was held from Monday to Friday of this week with discussions and contributions. Velázquez Navarrete and experts proposed the drafting of a Manifesto “Public radio as a force for peace in Mexico”, which was read yesterdayby the participants.

“We came up with the experience of Colombia with a manifesto to start making a navigation chart of the public media, which we would like everyone to share, but for the time being we assume it as something we can do. We can not speak for others.”

Tito Ballesteros, also a research professor at the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana located in Bucaramanga, Colombia, mentioned in a short interview the projects he has participated in, referring to the peace process in his country. The 2016 Peace Agreement, a document of 297 pages, was diffused to the people through social networks and read over the radio, point by point.

In Colombia, there was a radio series in which about 20 professors from different cities participated: Cali, Medellín, Cartagena and Bogotá, who were asked to offer their opinion and discuss the points of the Peace Agreement. Also the European Union supported a training workshop for community radios, at the proposal of President Juan Manuel Santos.

“And that’s how training was done at a national level in the different regions reflecting on the agreements, and how to build stories for peace.”

Ballesteros Lopez mentioned another collaboration with the European Union, “in which the Colombians who were in the media accessed content that had to do with acts of peace.”

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(Click here for the original Spanish version of the article)

Questions related to this article:

Journalism in Latin America: Is it turning towards a culture of peace?

How can peace be promoted by radio?

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The manifesto read yesterday is divided into a series of sections, one aimed at professionals of public radio, which talks among other points, their training and training on issues related to “tolerance, reconciliation, inclusion and peace, so that they are reflected in the day to day of radio programming.”

The manifesto calls on the media to avoid “inappropriate practices in the use of discriminatory speech, verbal and visual language that appeals to violence”, and “urges those who communicate their ideas from the microphones of public media to speak calmly when reporting (…) to reassure the audience.”

Regarding the management of news, it is proposed to start and end programs with positive news, to include at least one story related to “peace events” and to avoid “headlines with half-truths and / or sensationalists” and to “focus the information in depth” , as well as to respect the privacy and dignity of persons.

The section dedicated to music suggests to diffuse sound montages that “invite serenity, calm and calm before moments of crisis”, to support the use of musical artistic expressions as a form of dialogue and healthy coexistence, and to avoid content that appeal to violence, as well as to highlight national productions “that exalt our values ​​and heritage”.

Regarding programming in general, the manifesto calls on each radio station to feature marathons at least every quarter, with “readings, verses, songs and poems related to acts of peace and healthy living”, open spaces to offer profiles of people who have contributed to the peaceful coexistence of the country and the world, and to expand the content to “generate moments of reflection on the culture of encounter”.

It also suggests that program makers should “use sound landscapes from spaces previously suffering from violence and now recovered as spaces of peace”, in order to show how change is possible. And they should strengthen the Mexican identity based on manifestations of popular culture, high culture and history.

With regard to culture, it is added that “radio actors” need to know the country’s past to understand its current context “and how violence has spread to the different corners of the nation”.

Finally, a section was added for the audiences, of whom it was said in yesterday’s event, that their participation is expected in this new communication paradigm.

The manifesto calls for a horizontal communication by the media with audiences to work together in actions for peace through audiovisual media, as well as the importance of the right of reply as a mechanism to make Mexico a tolerant country, and the consolidation of public spaces of citizen participation where the audiences can produce content in order to end the “unidirectional” media.

Finally, it is stated that audiences from social networks “also have the responsibility to share information inspired by values ​​such as truth, respect, and responsibility.”

Yesterday, Tito Ballesteros also announced that there will be “a 30-episode radio program. 15 minutes of duration, which will be broadcast by all public broadcasters in the country. That is, Zacatecas and the Sizart will present a sound program for all radios derived from the manifesto released yesterday.

The students of communication, producers and conductors of Sizart radio and television, communicators, and the Attorney General of the State of Zacatecas, the Deputy Prosecutor for Prevention, the Municipal President of the State Capital, and the General Secretary of the UAZ, all participated and contributed elements to enrich the aforementioned document.

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin America

NICO partners UNESCO on peace, security in Nigeria

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An article from World Stage

 The National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), is to partner the UNESCO, to advocate for peace and security in the country, an official has said.

Louis Eriomala, the Ag. Executive Secretary of NICO, said this in a statement on Friday in Abuja, ahead of two-day advocacy conference on peace and national security in the country.

The conference organised by the Institute, with its theme: “Culture, Peace And National Security: The Role Of Traditional Rulers,’’ is scheduled for January 30 and January 31.

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Question related to this article.

Will UNESCO once again play a role in the culture of peace?

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Eriomala said that the conference was in furtherance of the institute’s mandate of sensitising the participants to the cultural dimension of sustainable peace and security in Nigeria.

He said that the two-day conference would look at particular reference to royal fathers, the custodians of our culture and traditions and basic objectives in maintaining and promoting peace and security of the country.

“We will talk on the importance of culture, peace and security to national development, and to promote a culture of peace and non-violence among the citizenry.

“We will sensitise traditional rulers on their roles in the sustenance of peace and security in Nigeria; as well as re-appraise the efforts of traditional rulers in the sustenance of peace and security in their domain.

“To encourage the integration of traditional and modern strategies in conflict management, and finally, to promote sustainable peace and security re-orientation among Nigerians,’’ he said.

Africa, FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

UN General Assembly adopts annual resolution on culture of peace

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Excerpt from review by Relief Web

The United Nations General Assembly adopted without a vote its annual resolution on the culture of peace (A_72_L-30) at its session on December 12.

Masud Bin Momen (Bangladesh), introducing the draft resolution “Follow-up to the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace” (document A/72/L.30), said that the current version of the text contained four new elements. It acknowledged the high-level event on Culture of Peace and its focus on early childhood development and recalled that General Assembly resolution 70/272 on the review of the United Nations peacebuilding architecture had introduced the notion of “sustaining peace”. In addition, “L.30” noted the establishment of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism and recognized the role of the work of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations in promoting a culture of people. The draft also reiterated the request to consider convening in September 2018 a high-level forum devoted to the implementation of the Programme of Action.

Editor’s note: Here are three of the opening paragraphs and all of the action paragraphs of the English version of the resolution, which was co-sponsored by more than 60 countries. The full texts in English, French and Spanish are available online at the UN Digital Library.

Follow-up to the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace

The General Assembly,

Bearing in mind the Charter of the United Nations, including the purposes and principles contained therein, and especially the dedication to saving succeeding generations from the scourge of war,

Recalling the Constitution of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, which states that, “since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed”,

Recognizing the importance of the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace, adopted by the General Assembly on 13 September 1999, which serve as the universal mandate for the international community, particularly the United Nations system, for the promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence that benefits humanity, in particular future generations . . .

1. Reiterates that the objective of the effective implementation of the Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace is to strengthen further the global movement for a culture of peace following the observance of the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World, 2001–2010, and calls upon all concerned to renew their attention to this objective;

2. Welcomes the inclusion of the promotion of a culture of peace in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

3. Invites Member States to continue to place greater emphasis on and expand their activities promoting a culture of peace at the national, regional and international levels and to ensure that peace and non-violence are fostered at all levels;

4. Invites the entities of the United Nations system, within their existing mandates, to integrate, as appropriate, the eight action areas of the Programme of Action into their programmes of activities, focusing on promoting a culture of peace and non-violence at the national, regional and international levels;

5. Commends the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization for strengthening efforts to mobilize all relevant stakeholders within and outside the United Nations system in support of a culture of peace, and invites the Organization to continue to enhance communication and outreach, including through the culture of peace website;

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Question(s) related to this article:

What is the United Nations doing for a culture of peace?

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6. Commends the practical initiatives and actions by relevant United Nations bodies, including the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) and the University for Peace, as well as their activities in further promoting a culture of peace and non-violence, in particular the promotion of peace education and activities related to specific areas identified in the Programme of Action, and encourages them to continue and further strengthen and expand their efforts;

7. Underlines that early childhood development contributes to the development of more peaceful societies through advancing equality, tolerance, human development and promoting human rights, and calls for investment in early childhood education, including through effective policies and practices, towards promoting a culture of peace;

8. Encourages the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations to increase its activities that focus on peace education and global citizenship education in order to enhance an understanding among young people of values such as peace, tolerance, openness, inclusion and mutual respect, which are essential in developing a culture of peace;

9. Encourages the United Nations peacebuilding architecture to continue to promote peacebuilding activities and to advance a culture of peace and non-violence in post-conflict peacebuilding efforts at the country level;

10. Urges the appropriate authorities to provide age-appropriate education in children’s schools that builds a culture of peace, including lessons in mutual understanding, tolerance, active and global citizenship and human rights;

11. Encourages the involvement of media, especially the mass media, in promoting a culture of peace and non-violence, with particular regard to children and young people;

12. Commends civil society, non-governmental organizations and young people for their activities in further promoting a culture of peace and non-violence, including through their campaign to raise awareness on a culture of peace and the peaceful settlement of disputes;

13. Encourages civil society and non-governmental organizations to further strengthen their efforts to promote a culture of peace, inter alia, by adopting their own programme of activities to complement the initiatives of Member States, the organizations of the United Nations system and other international and regional organizations, in line with the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace;

14. Invites Member States, all parts of the United Nations system and civil society organizations to accord increasing attention to their observance of the International Day of Peace on 21 September each year as a day of global ceasefire and non-violence, in accordance with its resolution 55/282 of 7 September 2001, and of the International Day of Non-Violence on 2 October, in accordance with its resolution 61/271 of 15 June 2007;

15. Reiterates its request to the President of the General Assembly to consider convening a high-level forum, as appropriate and within existing resources, devoted to the implementation of the Programme of Action on the occasion of the anniversary of its adoption, on or around 13 September, and requests the Secretariat to support its effective organization within their respective mandates and existing resources;

16. Invites the Secretary-General, within existing resources, in consultation with the Member States and taking into account the observations of civil society organizations, to explore mechanisms and strategies, in particular strategies in the sphere of information and communications technology, for the implementation of the Declaration and Programme of Action and to initiate outreach efforts to increase global awareness of the Programme of Action and its eight areas of action aimed at their implementation;

17. Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its seventy-third session a report, within existing resources, on actions taken by Member States, on the basis of information provided by them, and those taken system-wide by all concerned entities of the United Nations to implement the present resolution and on heightened activities by the Organization and its affiliated agencies to implement the Programme of Action and to promote a culture of peace and non-violence;

18. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its seventy-third session the item entitled “Culture of Peace”.

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, global, United Nations,

Ecuador calls upon the G77 to address the problems of the planet

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An article from Hispan TV (translated by CPNN)

Ecuador, in its capacity as president of the Group of 77 developing countries and China (G77 + China), opened on Monday [11 December] in Quito, the Ecuadorian capital, a High Level meeting with eminent personalities of the South, with the objective to reflect on the main problems of the planet.


María Fernanda Espinosa, in video of the conference
(Click on photo to see video)

“We will reflect on geopolitical conflicts and the importance of dialogue to promote a culture of peace,” said Ecuadorian Foreign Minister María Fernanda Espinosa at the opening of the event, adding that we must address the impacts of climate change, fiscal justice and human mobility, which “are central and necessary axes to advance in a global order”.

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(Click here for the original Spanish version of the article)

Questions related to this article:

Where in the world can we find good leadership today?

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The Foreign Minister emphasized that these problems must be analyzed “from a southern perspective”, because “they are key for the countries that make up our group, the largest and most important within the United Nations, which this year we have the privilege of preside.”

The meeting was also attended by the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed, and the High Commissioner for Operations of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), George Okoth-Obbo.

The head of Ecuadorian diplomacy also called on the countries of the South to “strengthen our ties based on the values ​​of equality, brotherhood and social justice”, just when the planet is confronted with situations of extreme complexity, such as change climate and enormous inequality.”

For the Ecuadorian official, this meeting aims to send a message about the need to strengthen multilateralism and global integration.

“Continuous economic growth should promote social inclusion, but we can not do it alone, it requires the integration of the global south, where speeches and actions in favor of a multipolar world are increasing,” added the Ecuadorian minister.

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Colombia: Three Educational Institutions Awarded Prize for their Construction of Peace in the Classroom

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An article from La Oficina de la Alta Consejeria para los Derechos de las Víctimas la Paz y la Reconciliación

‘MuisKanoba’, ‘The Voices of Memory’ and the ‘Cirque del Sol Solecito’ have received the ‘Educational Experiences in Memory Award for a Culture of Peace and Reconciliation’. The award recognizes the work they have developed in the classroom for the understanding and teaching of the armed conflict in Colombia and the construction of peace,

The Mayor of Bogota, through the High Council for Victims, awarded the Prize, an incentive of five million pesos each, to the three initiatives of District Colleges of the towns of Bosa and Santafé.
 
“It fills me with happiness to be able to reward those who work every day from their classrooms so that the new generations can responsibly move forward from our past. This award is not only for the teachers and their persistence, but also for the students whose commitment has made these experiences meaningful, replicable. Above all, they show that another country and another education is possible,” said Ángela Anzola, High Councilor for the Victims during the delivery of the recognition.

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(Click here for the original Spanish version of this article)

Question related to this article:

What is happening in Colombia, Is peace possible?

(Continued from left column)

The winners:
 
‘The Voices of Memory’, carried out in the Alfonso Reyes Echandía School, of the Bosa Locality, fosters dialogue between the curricular areas of social sciences and arts, allowing the exploration of individual and collective memories, resulting in theatrical performances that combine multiple languages.
 
The ‘Circo del Sol Solecito’, developed at the Jorge Soto del Corral School, in the town of Santafé, has allowed the approach of primary school children to complex issues such as displacement as a result of the armed conflict, through a practices that they can play like a game.
 
MuisKanova, carried out at the San Bernardino de Bosa School, has managed to generate integrating relationships among the educational community, highlighting the exclusionary practices historically experienced by ethnic groups, through the use of ancestral practices.
 
“Receiving the award helps us to continue working for this. Now we have an additional resource to strengthen what we have been doing and offer more possibilities to young people,” said Blanca María Peralta, rector of the Saint Bernardine School, upon receiving the award..
 
The call for this award was addressed to educational managers, teachers and students, who, through their work, have developed in the last two years an initiative for peace and reconciliation in the context of an educational institution in Bogotá.
 
Through these recognitions and incentives, the Mayor’s Office contributes to the strengthening of pedagogical initiatives that contribute to the construction of peace and the reconciliation of citizens.

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin America

Gabon: Pan-African youth commit to fight against radicalization and to promote a culture of peace

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An article from UNESCO (translated by CPNN)

At the end of the second Panafrican Youth Forum for the Culture of Peace, hosted by Gabon, the hundred or so young participants committed themselves to be sentinels / weavers of peace in their respective countries, through the Libreville Declaration. The Declaration was read by Miss Julie Mutesi, National Coordinator of the Panafrican Youth Network for Peace Culture (PAYNCOP) in Rwanda.


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The 2017 edition of the Pan-African Youth Forum for the Culture of Peace, held in Angondjé from 30 November to 1 December, focused on “the fight against radicalization with a view to creating an early warning system in Africa.” It was organized by the Government of Gabon, the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA), the United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO), with the support of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), in cooperation with the Pan-African Youth Network for the Culture of Peace (PAYNCOP).

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( Click here for the French original..)

 

Question related to this article.

Will UNESCO once again play a role in the culture of peace?

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During their two days of work, the young people exchanged their experiences and good practices in the prevention of radicalization through the involvement of youth movements. They also appropriated the subregional project, initiated by ECCAS, UNOCA and UNESCO with the support of the OIF, on “Capacity building of youth for management of associative movements, for creation of a system to prevent conflict and violence, and for the contribution as youth to early warning for peace and security in Central Africa” [referred to below as “the Subregional Peace Project].

Through the Declaration which completed the work of the forum, the young people called for an appropriation [of the Subregional Peace Project] by the 45th session of the ministerial meeting of the United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa (UNSAC) which will meet in Kigali (Rwanda), from 04 to 08 December 2017, and by the Summit of Heads of State and Government of ECCAS.

They also recommended the development, with the participation of youth and the support of UNOCA, UNESCO and OIF, by the General Secretariat of ECCAS of an Operational Strategy for Youth to promote its empowerment and its contribution to the development and integration of the Central African subregion.

For their part, they pledged to advocate the Governments of their respective countries to support the implementation of the Subregional Peace Project; to participate in its implementation in each of their respective countries, and to contribute to the development of the ECCAS Youth Operational Strategy.

In his closing address, Mr. Mathias Otounga Ossibadjouo, Gabonese Minister for Sports, Tourism and Leisure, welcomed the quality of the forum’s work, which was largely nourished by the young people themselves, and reiterated the commitment his country to support the implementation of the Subregional Peace Project.

Africa, FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

Gabon: Pan-African Youth Forum for the Culture of Peace and the Fight Against Radicalization

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An article from UNESCO (translated by CPNN)

The Gabonese Government, the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA), the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) and UNESCO, in cooperation with the Pan-African Youth Network for the Culture of Peace, are organizing from November 30 to December 2, 2017, the Pan-African Youth Forum for the culture of peace and the fight against radicalization for the creation of an early warning system in Central Africa.


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The first Pan-African Forum “African Youth and the Challenge of Promoting a Culture of Peace” was held in Libreville (Gabon) from 11 to 13 December 2014, under the High Patronage of His Excellency Mr. Ali Bongo Ondimba, President of the Gabonese Republic, at the joint initiative of the Gabonese National Commission for UNESCO and the Omar Bongo Ondimba Foundation for Peace, Science, Culture and the Environment, with support and participation of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the African Union (AU).

This forum, part of the implementation of the Action Plan for a Culture of Peace in Africa, adopted at the end of the Pan-African Forum “Sources and Resources for a Culture of Peace” (Luanda / Angola, March 2013) , has allowed the official launch of the Panafrican Youth Network for the Culture of Peace (PAYNCOP), which Gabon hosts from the Headquarters.

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Question related to this article.

Will UNESCO once again play a role in the culture of peace?

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The present project “Pan-African Youth Forum for the Culture of Peace and the Fight Against Radicalization for the Creation of an Early Warning System in Central Africa” ​​is a continuation of this December 2014 forum , one of whose recommendations invited the Panafrican Youth Network for the Culture of Peace to meet every two years, in a general assembly, in Libreville (Gabon).

This activity was planned to be carried out in 2016, under the UNESCO Participation Program, under the theme: “The ideological and religious radicalization of young people: a challenge to the culture of peace”, because of the the importance of this issue for peace and security, especially on the African continent.

Boko Haram’s religious radicalism is spreading to the Central African subregion, particularly through the Lake Chad region and the far north of Cameroon. Due to the porosity of borders, the radicalism of young people could, moreover, thrive on the soil of many unsolved political crises, socio-economic difficulties and the frustration born of unemployment, human rights violations, in short, the inadequacy of governance. Moreover, in the context of increased access to information technologies and the massive use of the Internet and social networks, Central Africa is obviously not immune to the radicalization of young people.

This forum, which contributes to the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2249 calling for the active fight against terrorism and violent extremism, is also an extension of the subregional workshop on terrorism. enhanced cooperation between the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and civil society in early warning and conflict prevention in Central Africa, organized by the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa ( UNOCA) and ECCAS, from November 30 to December 2, 2017, in Libreville (Gabon).

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