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Education for Peace Program
Reports
PROPOSED PROGRAM ON EDUCATION FOR PEACE
IN THE HEMISPHERE
(Document presented by the Consultant, Gloria Pachon de Galan)
WASHINGTON, D.C., DECEMBER 8, 1997
"EDUCATION FOR PEACE" PROJECT ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES
AG/doc.3588/97 - Resolution on Measures to Promote Confidence and
Security in the Americas.
PROPOSALS IN CONSULTATION WITH UNESCO
Gloria Pachon de Galan
Consultant
BACKGROUND
Within the development process, and because of factors connected with
globalization, our hemisphere faces greater and more difficult challenges every day to
consolidate democracy and secure the peace. To ancestral problems such as poverty,
inequality, and injustice, still unresolved in many countries, have been added an increase
in terrorism, organized crime, and corruption, accompanying such phenomena as narcotics
trafficking, the progressive deterioration of the environment, new forms of violence,
religious fanaticism, and the loss of values that have formed the underpinning of social
equilibrium.
Faced with this reality, governments and national and international
organizations have decided to join efforts in the collective task of recovering values and
creating a sense of solidarity and mutual respect among the various sectors of society.
Considered a fundamental right for the full development of the individual, education is
also the most effective instrument for laying a foundation for a culture of democracy and
peace.
Since its inception, the United Nations has established that:
"Education will be directed towards full human development and greater respect for
human rights and fundamental freedoms." Based on this principle, the UNESCO General
Conference of 1974 approved the "Recommendation concerning Education for
International Understanding, Cooperation, and Peace, and Education concerning Human Rights
and Fundamental Freedoms", which has served as the conceptual framework for many of
the activities carried out since that time (see Annex 1).
In March 1993, the World Plan of Action on Education for Human Rights
and Democracy was approved in Montreal, and, at the Vienna World Conference on Human
Rights, a Declaration and Program of Action were produced. In October 1994, the
International Conference on Education, held at Geneva, approved the Declaration and
Framework of Integrated Action on Education for Peace, Human Rights, and Democracy.
Finally, in 1995, the Plan of Action for the Decade of Human Rights Education (1995-2004)
was approved.
The OAS, for its part, at the Regional Conference on Measures to
Promote Confidence and Security, held in Santiago de Chile (November 1995), observed the
"Interdependence between democratic stability, regional integration processes,
respect for and strengthening of international law, education for peace, and the campaign
against poverty". In the Santiago Declaration on Measures to Promote Confidence and
Security, approved at the Fourth Plenary Session (November 10, 1995), States committed
themselves to the development of education for peace programs.
By means of Resolution 1409 on "Measures to Promote Confidence and
Security in the Americas" (AG XXVI-O/96), the OAS confirmed this commitment by
deciding to conduct an Inter-American program on Education for Peace, as explained in the
report of the Chairman of the Commission on Hemispheric Security (November 7, 1996).
In a Resolution on "Measures to Promote Confidence and Security in
the Americas" (paragraph 9), approved on June 1 by the XXVII Session of the General
Assembly, held at Lima, the Permanent Council, with the support of the General
Secretariat, was requested "to intensify its work and consultation with UNESCO and
other institutions with a view to considering the organization of an expert meeting on the
subject to complete an Education for Peace in the Hemisphere Program before the 50th
anniversary of the OAS, using sources allocated under the program-budget as well as other
resources".
This document presents a course of action proposed by UNESCO to proceed
with the matters to be studied jointly at the expert meeting, and specifically:
"Education for Peace, Democracy, and Security"; second, "Education in
Values for Peace and the Consolidation of Democracy"; and finally a proposal by the
UNESCO Office for Central America and Panama to prepare an OAS/UNESCO project entitled
"Education for Peace in Central America".
SUBJECT 1.: EDUCATION FOR PEACE, DEMOCRACY, AND SECURITY".
(See Annex 2)
In this proposal, UNESCO has taken into account "the need for a
profound redefinition of security in the Americas, as well as a new concept of
security", as pointed out by the Secretary General during the Inter-American
Symposium on Security and Peace sponsored by the OAS and UNESCO. Accordingly, under the
rubric of "Education for Peace, Democracy, and Security", the following items
are proposed for study by the expert group.
a) Perception and reality of non-military and non-armed threats to
peace and security in the Americas, in particular extreme poverty in urban and rural areas
and transnational threats to the environment; b) Specific sub-regional developments, for
example the progress made in Central America towards democratic security, the
identification of ways and means for dealing with the security of small-island States of
the Americas, and the participation of indigenous peoples in development strategies; c)
Education and training for democratic security, which could involve in particular the
identification of new needs regarding the training of armed and security forces in fields
such as education for peace, human rights, democracy as well as regarding their
participation in development activities and the protection of the environmental and
cultural heritage in the region; d) Perspectives on the interaction between peace,
development, and democracy in the Americas with a view to the establishment of an Agenda
for Cooperation in Hemispheric Security, based on progress already made at different
levels and at different fora in the past few years in the Americas, and which would have
an important democracy component.
In connection with this subject proposed by UNESCO, a chapter should be
included on relations between civilian and military authorities, taking into account that
both are important participants in the processes of securing peace, adapting to democratic
life, and improving the functions of democracy. The new realities of the hemisphere have
given a broader dimension to the role of the armed forces as participants in the
construction of peace. Similarly, greater participation by civilian authorities is
required to consolidate social stability. The success of these proposals will depend to a
large extent on civilian-military understanding. For this reason, it is important for this
relationship to be kept constantly in view while studying the subject of Education for
Peace, Democracy and Security, and throughout implementation of the program, with specific
activities and clearly established evaluation mechanisms.
To facilitate the work of the expert group, the OAS and UNESCO could
prepare documents to convey current realities in the region. It would also be useful for
the strategic studies institutes and institutions dedicated to education for democracy and
human rights to work with security and military forces in examining these issues.
SUBJECT 2.:"EDUCATION IN THE VALUES FOR PEACE AND THE
CONSOLIDATION OF DEMOCRACY".
The development of programs on education for democracy, human
rights and peace is essential to create a true culture of peace and democracy, keeping in
view such related concerns as environmental protection, the defense of cultural values,
and international understanding. It is also fundamental to involve all segments of the
population in these programs, through formal, nonformal, and informal education.
In studying this subject, the expert meeting could propose a program
taking into account the work already done by the OAS in the field of democracy, human
rights, and peace, (example: The Regional Cooperation Program on Education for Democracy,
which resulted from the Central American Seminar-Workshop on Teaching and Learning
Democratic Values in Formal Educational Systems) and the experience of UNESCO with
nonformal education. These elements could provide the basis for a project directed towards
all sectors of the community, through their leaders, taking into account programs underway
in various countries; the advice of government institutions that have carried out these
programs would be sought for this purpose, and participation of the most disadvantaged
segments of the population would be insisted upon: indigenous groups, rural leaders, and
women.
In several countries in the hemisphere, peace and the consolidation of
democratic institutions and processes depends largely on the strengthening of stable
civilian-military and professional-institutional relations, as well as mutual trust.
In this context, the expert meeting should consider the possibility of
conducting regional program for analysis, dialogue, and exchange of knowledge and
experience between officials, academicians, and officers of the region's security forces
and police. The purpose of this regional program would be to: a) provide an annual forum
for joint analysis of these relationships, as well as threats to peace and consolidation
of the democratic state, by civilian and military representatives from countries in the
region; b) facilitate closer relations, interaction, respect, and mutual trust between
civilians and the military; and c) heighten the participants' awareness and understanding
of democratic values and practices, the function of armed forces in a democratic society,
and the central role that must be played by the civilian sector in matters of security and
defence. More specifically, regional dialogue and exchange activities could take the form
of seminars/annual meetings that could include workshops on dispute settlement techniques
and conflict management. The program could also include research and publications that
would be analyzed at the annual meeting to be held on a rotating basis in member countries
offering to serve as host. Participants in the program should include officers of the
armed forces and police, universities, strategic study institutes, and other private and
governmental institutions with pertinent academic programs.
CONCEPTUAL AND METHODOLOGICAL GUIDELINES FOR DEVELOPING THE OAS/UNESCO
PROJECT "EDUCATION FOR PEACE IN CENTRAL AMERICA"
( Preliminary version). (Annex 3)
The document prepared by the UNESCO Office for Central America and
Panama presents a proposal to prepare a project document for the Program on Education for
Peace in Central America.
In view of the processes conducted in Central America in recent decades
to secure peace and establish democracy, the document examines the characteristics of the
political-social context in which the project would be conducted, as well as developments
in national policies and strategies with regard to education, human rights, and education
for peace. The frames of reference and conceptual guidelines also include UNESCO
participation in earlier or current programs and the current situation as a fundamental
problem to be addressed.
It is proposed that a mission composed of three specialists appointed
by the OAS, in agreement with UNESCO, be organized to prepare the project document.
The mission would hold meetings or workshops in each country of the
subregion to elicit the greatest possible participation by citizens, with an estimated
duration of eight weeks, given that the document should be submitted to the OAS General
Assembly in 1998.
OPERATIONS AND FINANCING
According to the subject selected for the expert group meeting, the OAS
should prepare a document, in consultation with UNESCO, including the essential elements
for the work to be performed. Depending on the subregion where the expert meeting will be
held -- and if possible where the project will eventually be conducted -- efforts will be
made to find the instruments and mechanisms most suitable for carrying out the proposed
program, such as workshops, seminars, teaching materials, media, etc.
The project will be administered by a division of the OAS designated
for this purpose, subject to an agreement, if considered appropriate, with the government
agency or agencies co-sponsoring the project. An agreement will also be established with
UNESCO on arrangements for its participation in the project. Once these matters have been
settled, efforts will be made to obtain financing for the budget prepared by the OAS. It
will be recalled that the project "Education for Peace" has been included in the
"OAS/UNESCO Plan of Cooperation in Support of Sustainable Development of the
Americas", with a financial contribution of $20,000 from that organization.
ANNEX 1
EXAMPLES OF FOLLOW-UP ACTION IN RESPECT OF
THE UNITED NATIONS'S PRINCIPLES AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON PEACE
(UNESCO/OAS)
ASSOCIATED SCHOOLS: Education on peace, justice, solidarity, and
intercultural cooperation is the priority of the Associated Schools Project (ASP), in
which more than 3,700 schools and teacher-training institutions in 129 countries
participate, several of them in Latin America and the Caribbean (Brazil, Haiti, Costa
Rica).
LINGUAPAX PROJECT: Designed to promote peace, human rights, democracy,
tolerance, and humanistic values through education in maternal and foreign languages, with
special emphasis on minority linguistic and cultural rights (seminar conducted in
Bolivia).
UNESCO PROFESSORSHIPS in Human Rights, Democracy and Peace, created to
promote an integrated system of research, training, and information to facilitate regional
and sub-regional cooperation between university professors and researchers. Professorships
have already been established in 19 countries in Africa, Europe, the Arab States, and
Latin America, and last year new ones were created in South Africa, Mexico, Morocco and
Madagascar. A regional professorship on the culture of peace has been established in Latin
America and the Caribbean, linking various universities and academic institutions to
mobilize and renew the curriculum on preventive diplomacy and the construction of peace.
With the College of Mexico a "virtual" professorship on the culture of peace was
established in early 1996.
OMBUDSMEN: A meeting of IberoAmerican Ombudsmen for Human Rights was
held in Antigua, Guatemala. The participants signed a Declaration undertaking to promote
justice and respect for human rights and establishing a network of ombudsmen for a culture
of peace.
DECADE OF HUMAN RIGHTS: The main objective of the United Nations Decade
for Education on Human Rights (1995-2004) is to evaluate the needs and formulate effective
strategies for the promotion of education on human rights. To that end, the development of
several activities has started, many of them in Latin America and the Caribbean. In 1995,
for example, a diagnostic of the human rights situation was carried out in nine countries
in different regions of the world.
EDUCATION FOR THE XXI CENTURY: In the recent report presented to UNESCO
by the Inter-American Commission on Education for the XXI Century, it was proposed to work
on four pillars of education: "Learn to Know, Learn to Do, Learn to Be, and Learn to
Live Together."
LEARNING WITHOUT FRONTIERS: UNESCO has extended its activities in the
area of education by using the most modern technology in its program "Learning
without Frontiers", which also examines the challenge of life-long learning.
RELIGIONS: Representatives of different religious thought and
traditions adopted a declaration on the role of religion in the Culture of Peace in a
meeting held in Barcelona in 1994.
WOMEN: Education for a Culture of Peace was addressed by participants
at the Fourth World Conference on Women convened by the United Nations in Bejing in
September 1995. An action platform was established and is being implemented through
various activities in several countries around the world and in the American hemisphere.
THE OAS (CIM) AND UNESCO conducted a workshop-seminar in San Salvador
on Salvadoran Women and the Culture of Peace, on January 23-24, 1996.
RECONCILIATION AND RECONSTRUCTION PROGRAMS: Education is basic to the
task of reconciliation and reconstruction within the national Culture of Peace programs.
This includes formal, nonformal, and informal education, in terms of mass media and other
communication systems as well as formal academic systems. National fora and dialogue to
initiate these programs were held in El Salvador in 1993. In this case, the most important
project has been the production of daily radio programs and non-formal education campaigns
for the poorest and most disadvantaged women in the country. The video programs have been
broadcast daily to 24 stations since early 1996, discussing the legal rights of women,
violence against women, and the division of household work between men and women.
CENTRAL AMERICAN MILITARY FORUM FOR THE CULTURE OF PEACE: Under the
auspices of UNESCO, this forum met in El Salvador, with the participation of national
defense ministers from Central American countries. The aim was to analyze the role of
armies and armed forces in this area, to promote the consolidation of democracy, the rule
of law, development, Central American integration, and the culture of peace. In their
declaration, the participants stressed the importance of social justice, solidarity, and
equity, for which purpose "...it is indispensable for economic and social development
to be directed toward better living conditions for all segments of society..."
INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM "FROM PARTIAL INSECURITY TO GLOBAL
SECURITY", held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris on June 12-14, 1996. In the
introduction to the symposium, Leslie G. Atherley, Director of the Culture of Peace
Program, described the challenges confronted and the need to associate the military as a
powerful and committed ally in the quest for peace and security. "Today, according to
Mr. Atherley, "the task is to prepare the groundwork for sustainable and successful
political peace processes and for the rapid settlement of violent disputes should they
occur. The military should be capable of revitalizing and redirecting its role, since a
broader vision of security is required. Peace is not static, it is a dynamic and fluid
process which must be fed and supported. It is widely known in the United Nation's system
that peace is not simply the absence the war and that threats against international peace
and security must be interpreted more broadly than in the past, including, for example, in
terms of economic or political instability or the effects of a natural human
disaster".
OAS PROGRAMS: Through the UPD, the OAS has been cooperating with the
member states in their efforts to strengthen and consolidate democratic institutions and
processes. This cooperation has focussed basically on the central issues of democracy,
such as the legislative branch, the process of decentralization, local government, and
citizen participation; the promotion of democratic values and practices, and the
organization, administration, and observation of elections. Support has also been given to
national re-incorporation and reconciliation processes, institutional strengthening, and
democratic consolidation in post-conflict situations with multidimensional and integrated
programs with Guatemala, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Suriname; or with an assistance program for
antipersonnel mines in Central America.
PROGRAMS ON EDUCATION FOR DEMOCRACY, PEACE, AND HUMAN RIGHTS are being
developed in several countries, a number of which have incorporated them into their
education reforms, as in the case of Colombia since 1993. Others have taken steps in
recent years to promote human rights and various related issues, attempting to establish
ever closer ties with the various segments of the population, and in particular the
indigenous groups.
ANNEX 2
"EDUCATION FOR PEACE, DEMOCRACY, AND SECURITY"
(Leslie G. Atherley, Director of the Culture of Peace Program, Mrs.
Moufida Goucha, Principal and Special Advisor to the Director-General of UNESCO
(Programming and Evaluation)
ANNEX 3
DRAFT DOCUMENT FOR THE ORGANIZATION OF A PROGRAM OF
EDUCATION FOR PEACE IN CENTRAL AMERICA1
(UNESCO Office for Central America and Panama, directed by Mr. Juan
Chong)
FOOTNOTES
This UNESCO working document, currently under consideration,
has not been translated by that Organization. Once it is finalized, the official
translations will be obtained from UNESCO and circulated to the Permanent Missions to the
OAS.
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