… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …
An article from UNAM: National Autonomous University of Mexico
In presenting the “Culture of Peace: A University Seedbed” strategy, UNAM Rector Leonardo Lomelí Vanegas affirmed that this institution cannot remain neutral in the face of the growing escalation of violence, the resurgence of authoritarian views, religious extremism, nationalism, and xenophobia.
“Our mission is to foster critical thinking, generate alternatives, and sow hope. Peace must emerge both in the classroom and in families and communities, fostered in all daily practices and manifested in words that engage in dialogue rather than confrontation,” he asserted after signing the Agreement creating the University Program for a Culture of Peace and the Eradication of Violence.
Video of the conference
Accompanied by the Secretary of Public Education of the Government of Mexico, Mario Delgado Carrillo, and the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Rigoberta Menchú Tum, Lomelí Vanegas stated that today the University is taking a firm step with this strategy that aims to fundamentally change the frameworks of interaction and the processes through which we make decisions and promote a culture of peace, understood as justice, inclusion, mutual respect, sustainability, and cooperation.
“Violence is a culturally learned behavior, and as such, it can be eradicated. Peace is not its passive opposite, but part of the same process: it is chosen and practiced with awareness and commitment.” It also demands far-reaching cultural changes, political will, and the active involvement of public and private institutions and civil society,” he stated.
The rector explained that the University Program is structured around strategic axes such as training and teaching, applied research, university advocacy, strengthening protocols and encouraging community mediation in situations of violence; the promotion of peace through words, art, and cooperation; and the creation of networks with national and international actors working to build lasting peace.
The actions will be concrete, measurable, and have a direct impact: courses for new students, a specific assessment by campus, and a cross-cutting subject on Culture of Peace and Mediation starting next year, he added in the Auditorium on the ground floor of the Rector’s Building.
He also emphasized that peace in the future depends on what we are capable of imagining, building, and defending collectively today. UNAM has the strength, the capabilities, and the duty to become a hotbed of peace within and outside our borders. “Let us make it a space where justice, equality, solidarity, and plurality flourish even more. May this university initiative inspire us to make peace a concrete experience: not an unattainable horizon, but a way of educating through care and inhabiting, together, a dignified present.”
The rector expressed his concern about the situation prevailing in cities across the United States, particularly in Los Angeles, California, where migrant detentions have sparked protests. He indicated that it is very important that the actions taken by nations to regulate migratory flows be respectful of human rights and adhere to the international legal framework and that of each country.
He emphasized UNAM’s solidarity with migrants who are going through difficult times, condemned violence, regardless of its source, and indicated that the National University joins the President of the Republic’s call for peace and against any provocation.
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(Click here for the original version in Spanish.)
Question for this article:
Where is peace education taking place?
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Promoting values
In his speech, Mario Delgado celebrated the National University’s promotion of a culture of peace, which will necessarily be present in education. The new Mexican school project promotes respect for life, human dignity, equality, non-violence, the promotion of dialogue, and the pursuit of peaceful agreements in the classroom, the school environment, and the community.
In addition, it disseminates values such as tolerance, respect for others, gender equality, non-discrimination, respect for diversity, the environment, and women.
In a video message, the Secretary of the Interior, Rosa Icela Rodríguez Velázquez, congratulated UNAM for the program, which will provide its community with the values necessary to foster a culture of peace and proper conflict mediation.
“If we all contribute our grain of sand to the transformation of our beloved nation, we will achieve a better Mexico for our children, youth, and our next generations. Mexico is not condemned to war, but to peace,” she stated.
Likewise, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Juan Ramón de la Fuente, also in a video message, considered UNAM’s great success in promoting the program at this time, given that we are experiencing a critical global situation with 120 armed conflicts affecting more than 300 million people.
The global challenge, he noted, is enormous, and women’s participation in building and maintaining peace is fundamental, as there is compelling evidence that women are more effective at building and maintaining peace over time.
Nobel Prize winner Rigoberta Menchú Tum commented that education is the only alternative for building and guaranteeing a culture of peace. Therefore, she praised UNAM’s strategy to promote this culture, which includes the scientific community and the talent of our youth, so that they can grow in a plural, diverse world that is also challenging for human dignity.
“In UNAM’s history, education is fundamental to contributing to a humanity that yearns for peace as a common good, and above all, that emphasizes the need to create a leadership perspective capable of facilitating dialogue, mediation, and support,” she emphasized.
The director of the Norwegian Center for Conflict Resolution, Dag Nylander, emphasized his pride in participating in the National University’s initiative, which will serve to strengthen ties between his country and Mexico in the areas of peaceful conflict and dispute resolution and the facilitation of peace agreements.
He referred to the relevance of the strategy at a time when the world is experiencing one of the most conflict-ridden periods since the Cold War, and when it is necessary to strengthen the United Nations system and reinforce multilateralism. “We are fully committed to supporting initiatives that increase the chances of success of conflict resolution efforts and believe that interregional collaboration is key.”
UNAM’s Special Projects Coordinator, Néstor Martínez Cristo, presented the project: “Culture of Peace, a University Seedbed” which seeks to institutionalize the culture of peace and turn it into a cross-cutting axis in the university’s development policies.
It aspires to sow the seeds of a culture of peace among younger university students. The challenge is to build critical and empathetic citizenship. It also seeks to redefine the enormous work carried out daily at UNAM to prevent and address various forms of violence.
Also present at the presentation were the current president of the UNAM Governing Board, Elena Centeno García; the president of the Board of Trustees, Mario Luis Fuentes Alcalá; the former rectors of UNAM, José Sarukhán Kermez, José Narro Robles, and Enrique Graue Wiechers; as well as the head of the Office of the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Roberto de León Huerta; and the UNESCO representative in Mexico, Andrés Morales. among other personalities from civil society organizations, universities and institutions working to promote a culture of peace.
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