Education for Peace Program
Reports
PERMANENT COUNCIL OF THE ORGANIZATION
OF AMERICAN STATES
COMMITTEE ON HEMISPHERIC SECURITY |
OEA/Ser.G CP/CSH-306/00 15 May
2000 Original:
English |
REPORT BY THE CHAIR OF THE COMMITTEE
ON HEMISPHERIC SECURITY ON THE PROGRAM OF EDUCATION FOR PEACE IN THE
HEMISPHERE
I. BACKGROUND 1
In 1998, the General Assembly convened the
Meeting of Experts to Design a Draft Program on Education for Peace in the
Hemisphere. The preparation of that Meeting was assigned to the Permanent
Council and the study of the resulting Draft Program was entrusted to the
Committee on Hemispheric Security (the Committee). 2
In June 1999, at its Twenty-ninth Regular
Session, the General Assembly took note of the work carried out by the Permanent
Council through the Committee and set the dates, site and agenda for the
Meeting. 3 The General Assembly also reiterated its mandate that the Permanent
Council consider, through the Committee, the draft Program to be designed by the
Meeting of Experts, and instructed the Permanent Council "...to take action
aimed at the implementation of the said Program on Education."
The Council accordingly, on July 23,
1999, assigned to the Committee, the further preparation of the Meeting and the
consideration of the Draft Program of Education for Peace in the
Hemisphere.
II. PROCEEDINGS
The Committee duly carried out the necessary
preparatory work, with the support of the General Secretariat, held several
formal and informal meetings, and approved, on October 5, 1999, "Notes for the
Conclusions and Recommendations for the Meeting of Governmental Experts to
Design a Draft Program of Education for Peace in the
Hemisphere". 4
In accordance with the General Assembly
decisions, the Meeting was held in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, from October
14 to 15, 1999. In the course of their deliberations, the government experts
took into consideration the reference document prepared by the Committee on
Hemispheric Security, and focussed their discussions on the following three
areas (as set by the General Assembly):
- Education and peaceful settlement of conflicts.
- Education and the promotion of democratic values and
practices.
- Education and the promotion of peace between states.
The Meeting was officially opened by the Chair
of the Meeting, Colombian Minister of Education, German Alberto Bula Escobar.
Given my capacity as Chair of the Committee on Hemispheric Security, I was
elected Vice Chair of the Meeting. The Secretary General, Dr. César Gaviria
addressed the Meeting and the Colombian Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, María
Fernanda Campo Saavedra, gave the closing remarks.
The Meeting was attended by government experts
from 16 OAS Member States, as well as by representatives of 18 organizations
working in the field of education for peace, including those organizations
specially mentioned by the General Assembly –United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization, the University for Peace, the
Inter-American Defense College, and the Latin American Faculty for Social
Sciences. 5
The Meeting elected three Rapporteurs –Dr.
Alberto Quiroga of Bolivia, Mr. Carlos Ayacx Mercedes Contreras of the Dominican
Republic, and Mr. Roberto Figueredo– who were responsible for formulating the
experts’ recommendations into the Draft Program. That document was presented by
the Rapporteurs to the Meeting at the last session and approved with some
amendments. 6
III. CONCLUSIONS
On October 27th and on November
9th, I reported to the Permanent Council and to the Committee
respectively, on the nature and outcome of the deliberations at the Meeting.
Also on November 9th, the Committee considered the Draft Program
designed by the experts at that Meeting and agreed to recommend to the Permanent
Council that it approve the Draft Program as a model which Member States could
follow in the development of programs of education for peace in their respective
countries in accordance with their national priorities and needs.
The delegations of Canada and Colombia, in
collaboration with the Chair, subsequently presented for the Committee’s
consideration a draft resolution to this effect. At its meeting held on May 12,
2000, the Committee considered that draft resolution and approved, for
presentation to the Permanent Council, an amended version. The text of the
Program, proposed by the government experts at the Meeting and subsequently
approved by the Committee, is included in the draft resolution as an
appendix.
The Committee also considered it advisable
that the General Assembly make reference to the Program of Education for Peace
in the Hemisphere and is currently preparing appropriate language which will be
included in a draft resolution to be submitted to the Permanent Council for
consideration and eventual approval by the General Assembly at its Thirtieth
Regular Session.
The General Assembly mandates contained in its
resolutions cited above have been duly complied with: the Meeting of Experts was
held and the draft Program of Education for Peace in the Hemisphere designed.
These achievements are due to the invaluable contributions from all who
participated in the process. In this regard, special mention must be made of the
Government of Colombia and its Permanent Representative to the OAS, Ambassador
Carlos Alberto Ramos and its then Plenipotentiary Minister Martha Ardila, for
their tireless commitment and excellent arrangements for the Meeting; of
UNESCO’s significant financial contribution which facilitated the holding of
this meeting as well as their expert information and suggestions offered during
the Meeting; the outstanding work done by the Rapporteurs; and the support from
the General Secretariat.
On behalf of the Committee on Hemispheric
Security, I am pleased to present this Report on compliance with the General
Assembly mandate on this issue, together with the draft resolution and Program
on Education for Peace in the Hemisphere, attached to this Report, for the
Council’s consideration.
May 15, 2000
Flavio Darío Espinal Ambassador,
Permanent Representative of the Dominican Republic Chair, Committee on
Hemispheric Security
APPENDIX
PERMANENT COUNCIL OF THE ORGANIZATION
OF AMERICAN STATES
COMMITTEE ON HEMISPHERIC SECURITY |
OEA/Ser.G CP/CSH-303/00 rev. 1 10
May 2000 Original:
English |
DRAFT RESOLUTION
PROGRAM OF EDUCATION FOR PEACE IN THE
HEMISPHERE
(Approved by the Committee at its meeting held
on May 10, 2000)
THE PERMANENT COUNCIL OF THE ORGANIZATION OF
AMERICAN STATES,
HAVING SEEN the Report of the Committee on
Hemispheric Security relating to the Program of Education for Peace in the
Hemisphere (CP/CSH-.../00);
RECALLING the General Assembly resolution
AG/RES. 1620 (XXIX-O/99) through which it convened the Meeting of Experts to
Design a Draft Program of Education for Peace in the Hemisphere and instructed
the Permanent Council to consider the said draft Program and to take action
aimed at the implementation of that Program;
BEARING IN MIND:
That the said Meeting of Experts was duly held
in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia on October 14-15, 1999 with participation by
governmental experts and representatives from organizations with expertise in
the field; and
That the said Draft Program was accordingly
designed by the government experts at that meeting and considered by the
Committee on Hemispheric Security on November 9, 1999, and that the Committee
recommended that the said Draft Program be approved as a model that Member
States may follow in the development of programs of education for peace
according to their respective national priorities and requirements;
RECOGNIZING the invaluable contribution to the
success of the said Meeting of Experts by the Government of Colombia and by
organizations with expertise in the field, especially the financial and expert
contribution by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization; and
TAKING INTO ACCOUNT the United Nations Program
of Action on a Culture of Peace as well as its celebration of the International
Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence,
RESOLVES:
1. To take note of the Report by the Committee
on Hemispheric Security on the Program of Education for Peace in the
Hemisphere.
2. To approve the Program of Education for
Peace in the Hemisphere attached to this resolution.
3. To urge Member States to develop and
implement programs of education for peace as they deem appropriate taking into
account the aforementioned Program, and to provide the General Secretariat with
information on the adoption of such programs.
4. To request that Member States provide the
General Secretariat with the information on institutions and experts as
mentioned in the said Program.
5. To request that the General Secretariat,
within the resources allocated in the program-budget and other resources, carry
out the activities identified in the said Program with respect to technical
support and facilitating the exchange of information and lend its support to
Member States, at their request, in the development and implementation of their
respective programs of education for peace.
APPENDIX
PROGRAM OF EDUCATION FOR PEACE IN THE
HEMISPHERE
I. The Program’s general
objective
The Program of Education for Peace in the
Hemisphere, based on the recognition that education is one of the pillars on
which to build peace, prevent conflict, and reduce violence,
proposes:
1. To foster a process for the purpose of
developing among the population values, knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and
behavior conducive to a stronger democratic political culture and a culture of
peace.
2. To emphasize the relationship between
democratic values and practices and peaceful coexistence.
3. To contribute to a better understanding of
respect and tolerance and to an appropriate treatment of problems which, at the
hemispheric, regional, subregional, or local level, disrupt the peace, whether
domestically or between states.
4. To draw on existing mechanisms and programs
in the OAS, UNESCO, the University for Peace, FLACSO, and other organizations in
the area of education for peace and to promote increased cooperation and
interaction between them.
5. To urge the Committee on Hemispheric
Security of the Permanent Council to promote the necessary measures, within the
context of the Organization of American States, for the regional organization to
comply actively with the UN Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace and the UN
celebration of the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence
for the Children of the World.
II. Beneficiaries
The ultimate beneficiary of the Program of
Education for Peace in the Hemisphere is the population, in particular, the
young, women, and other vulnerable groups. In this connection, the Program will
take special account of those institutions and organizations of state and of
civil society deemed strategic due to their role as shapers of public opinion
and to the multiplier effect of their activities.
III. Program areas
The Program comprises three areas: (1)
education for the promotion of peace between states; (2) education for the
peaceful settlement of conflicts; and (3) education for the promotion of
democratic values and practices.
1. Education for
the promotion of peace between states
a. Objectives:
- To foster the establishment of closer relations between
states in order to build mutual confidence;
- To promote mutual confidence-building measures to enhance
security and peace among states;
- To promote among the countries of a subregion greater
knowledge and understanding of the history, culture, politics, society, law,
international relations, and traditions of these countries;
- To disseminate information on efforts in the Hemisphere to
promote disarmament and the fight against illegal arms traffic;
- To promote proactive policies for dialogue and at the same
time to further knowledge of mechanisms for the peaceful settlement of
conflicts, by developing an appropriate political will and preventive diplomatic
practices;
- To encourage dialogue between states so as to create
opportunities for fostering heightened security and the use of mechanisms for
peaceful settlement as ways to promote peace;
- To study and promote integration mechanisms and processes
in the Hemisphere as instruments for the promotion of security and peace among
states;
- To involve the military and their academic institutions in
education for peace processes and to promote further exchange among the military
on this topic; and
- To study and develop mechanisms for the prevention of
military conflicts in the region.
b. Activities:
- Organization and creation of academic curricula and
university posts and the conducting of research on the history, culture,
politics, society, law, international relations, and traditions of the countries
of the various subregions, emphasizing the principles of friendship and
cooperation among states;
- Organization and holding of courses and seminars on the
evolution and operation of integration systems as instruments for the promotion
of security and peace among states;
- Conducting of research and seminars to analyze and evaluate
policies designed to promote security and peace among states;
- Organization and holding of meetings to examine and
publicize successful experiences in the subregions in the promotion of security
and peace in the Hemisphere;
- Organization and preparation of studies on disarmament and
the fight against illegal arms traffic;
- Creation, within the framework of the OAS, of a register of
experts and institutions and of possible sources of funding in the area of
education for peace, at the national, subregional, and regional levels, and its
linkage to the Web page of the Global Conflict Prevention and Reconstruction
Network of Donors and Multilateral Organizations, in which the OAS will
participate;
- Organization and holding of exchanges and internships
between governmental and nongovernmental players to facilitate mutual
understanding among the countries of the Hemisphere;
- Development of educational strategies for the region’s
military to allow for the inclusion of modules on education for peace among
states and the peaceful settlement of conflicts;
- Organization of workshops designed to understand and
examine possible causes of conflict in the Hemisphere; and
- Promotion, within the framework of the OAS, of exchanges to
allow for closer ties between centers engaged in or studying international
relations at the academic or diplomatic level.
2. Education for
the peaceful settlement of conflicts
a. Objectives:
- To promote the development of coordination and consensus
processes among various sectors of society;
- To foster the comprehensive analysis of conflict
situations, as well as of mediation, conciliation, negotiation,
dialogue-facilitation, and consensus-building processes;
- To promote the exchange between states of successful
experiences in the peaceful management of conflicts;
- To contribute to the creation of mechanisms for the
peaceful handling and management of conflicts;
- To publicize the importance of eliminating poverty and of
economic development and social equity as critical elements of peace;
- To promote civil society participation in the creation of a
culture of peace;
- To foster the active involvement of the mass media in
building a culture of dialogue and concerted action; and
- To support the reform and modernization of national systems
for the administration of justice, with emphasis placed on fighting corruption
and impunity as well as on promoting mechanisms for mediation and
conciliation.
b. Activities:
- Organization and holding of regional training courses on
techniques of conflict analysis, prevention, and settlement;
- Organization and conducting of public information campaigns
on the peace-making capacity of dialogue, mediation, and consensus- and
cooperation-building processes;
- Conducting of research and preparation of manuals and
publications that may provide a systematic analysis of the types of violence and
conflict, their recurrent causes, and strategies for their prevention and
peaceful settlement;
- Conducting of seminars to evaluate the handling and
management of conflict, including the empirical analysis of conflicts,
enhancement of systems for the administration of justice, mediation,
conciliation, negotiation, and facilitation of dialogue;
- Organization of public awareness and civic education
campaigns through the media on the peaceful settlement of conflicts;
- Systematization and exchange of successful experiences in
the peaceful settlement of conflicts between governmental and/or nongovernmental
institutions, through seminars, internships, consultancies, and actions focused
on institution-building; and
- Promotion of the implementation of international projects
which include programs for the peaceful settlement of conflicts as a means of
evaluating impacts and systematizing experiences.
3. Education for the promotion of
democratic values and practices
a. Objectives:
- To reform educational systems in order to turn schools into
settings for the deterrence of violence and the promotion of justice and
peace;
- To promote and disseminate in formal and nonformal
education systems increased knowledge and understanding of democratic
institutions, values, and practices;
- To disseminate universal principles of human rights and
related protection mechanisms, international humanitarian law, and the non-use
of force;
- To promote and disseminate the concepts of diversity,
plurality, equity, and tolerance among the various sectors of civil society,
especially among the most vulnerable groups of our societies;
- To preserve the environment and encourage appropriate
sustainable development;
- To promote and disseminate the rights and duties of
citizens in order to promote a culture of peace; and
- To foster nonformal and adult education, including
contributions by NGOs in this area.
b. Activities:
- Development of model curricula at the primary, secondary,
and higher education levels for nonformal and adult education, incorporating new
methods for teaching and learning democratic values and practices;
- Identification of the best practices for promoting the
teaching of democratic values and practices;
- Taking account of contributions from local communities,
development of theoretical and practical guides in the area of education for
peace for experts, officials, and educators, which may help to support
ministries of education and teacher training centers;
- Organization and holding of workshops and training courses
on the teaching and learning of democratic values and practices for educators,
educational and administrative specialists, teachers, and directors of
educational institutions;
- Development of programs utilizing art as a means of
teaching, disseminating, and promoting democratic values and practices;
- Organization and conducting of courses and public
information campaigns on democratic values and practices which would focus on
the contributions of all sectors of society and on dissemination of the rights
and duties of citizens. Such courses and campaigns should also promote attitudes
of tolerance and support for vulnerable groups, especially displaced persons and
refugees;
- Organization of courses on democratic values and practices
for political parties, universities, the media, NGOs, and members of the armed
and security forces; and
- Organization and holding of courses and workshops for
civilian and military institutions on matters of security, defense, relations
between civilians and the military, and democratic values and practices, with
the aim of promoting stronger ties, interaction, and trust between the two
sectors.
FOOTNOTES
-
For detailed background on this
topic from 1995 to May 1999, see the Report of the Chair of the Committee on
Hemispheric Security on the Program of Education for Peace in the Hemisphere,
document CP/CSH-184/99.
-
AG/RES. 1604 (XXVIII-O/98),
operative paragraph 2.
-
AG/RES. 1620
(XXIX-O/99).
-
Document CP/CSH-229/99 rev.
3.
-
See the List of Participants,
document REPEP/doc.4/99 rev. 1.
-
REPEP/doc.9/99 rev.
2
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