World Report on the Culture of Peace
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English WORLD REPORT ON THE CULTURE OF PEACE Civil Society report at midpoint of the Culture of Peace Decade in accordance to the invitation in operative paragraph 10 of General Assembly Resolution A/59/143 with the support of: This report has been coordinated and drafted by: David Adams Decade office of the Foundation for a Culture of Peace PO Box 2305, Branford CT 06405, USA Telephone/Fax: +1-203-481-2027 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.decade-culture-of-peace.org This edition has been done under the direction of: Manuel Manonelles Director Barcelona Office of the Foundation for a Culture of Peace c./ Jordi Girona 29 · Nexus II · E-08034 Barcelona , Spain Telephone: +34 93 413 77 78 · Fax: +34 93 413 77 80 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.fund-culturadepaz.org With the collaboration of Eulàlia d'Ortadó and Alba Mengual The Foundation for a Culture of Peace counts with the support of: Printed in Barcelona by Copiespimpam.scp November 2005 Legal deposit: B.48954.2005 For more information regarding the Foundation for a Culture of Peace: www.fund-culturadepaz.org For more information regarding the Programme for the International Institute for Peace: www.gencat.net/drep WORLD REPORT ON THE CULTURE OF PEACE Civil Society report at midpoint of the Culture of Peace Decade in accordance to the invitation in operative paragraph 10 of General Assembly Resolution A/59/143 with the support of: INDEX Foreword by Federico Mayor, President of the Foundation for a Culture of Peace----------------------------------------------------------------------------- page 7 Introduction by David Adams, Coordinator of the World Report---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- page 8 World Report on the Culture of Peace Civil Society report at the midpoint of the Culture of Peace Decade; in accordance to the invitation in operative paragraph 10 of General Assembly Resolution A/59/143------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ page 9 - Civil Society report at midpoint of the Culture of Peace Decade - Progress and obstacles as seen by International Organisations - Progress and obstacles in Africa - Progress and obstacles in the Arab Sates - Progress and obstacles in Latin America - Progress and obstacles in South and West Asia - Progress and obstacles in East Asia - Progress and obstacles in Europe - Progress and obstacles in North America - Progress and obstacles in the Caribbean - Advice to the Secretary-General and the General Assembly Appendix I: List of organisations Organisations that have entered data for the Civil Society Report on Culture of Peace before 30 September 2005------------------------------------------------- page 23 Appendix II: Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace Resolution A/53/243 adopted by the General Assembly on 6 October 1999----------------------------------------------------------------------- page 33 Appendix III: Resolution A/59/143 adopted by the General Assembly on 25 February 2005 International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World, 2001-2010----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- page 44 World Report on the Culture of Peace: Foreword Foreword The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World during the period 2001-2010 in its resolution 53/25 of 10 November 1998. Further, the General Assembly in 1999 approved the Declaration and Programme of Action for a Culture of Peace. The Foundation for a Culture for Peace was created in 2000 with the aim of contributing to build and con- solidate a Culture of Peace through reflection, research, education and on-the-spot action. The Foundation has actively followed-up the implementation of the UN Declaration and Programme of Action and the activities carried out during the International Decade. In accordance with resolution 59/143 of 15 December 2004, the Foundation has therefore prepared and submitted to the UN Secretary-General for the General Assembly's consideration the present world report on the culture of peace. The report represents the Civil Society's Report at the midpoint of the Culture of Peace Decade. It includes information gathered and submitted by almost 700 organizations worldwide which have analyzed the activities undertaken to promote a culture of peace and non-violence as well as the progress made during the first half of the International Decade. The Report also points out the obstacles encountered in the implementation of the values enshrined in the Declaration and Programme of Action. As reiterated by the General Assembly, Member States are still invited to continue to place greater emphasis on and expand their activities promoting a culture of peace and non-violence at the national, regional and international levels. Civil society also continues to be encou- raged to strengthen its efforts to meet the objectives of the Decade, including by adopting its own programme of activities to complement the initiatives of Member States, the organizations of the UN system and other international and regional organizations. All together we can meet the objective of the International Decade: to strengthen further the global move- ment for a culture of peace! Federico Mayor President Foundation for a Culture for Peace 7 World Report on the Culture of Peace: Introduction Introduction The year 2005 marks the midpoint of the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World (2001-2010) as proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly. The present report has been submitted to the UN Secretary-General for the General Assembly's considera- tion at its next session under the relevant agenda item which will review the midpoint of the Culture of Peace Decade. This initiative responds to the invitation contained in operative paragraph 10 of General Assembly resolution A/59/143. The report is based on the accounts submitted by 700 organizations from all regions of the world. From the information received, it can be concluded that the culture of peace is advancing. The report provides the first comprehensive view of the progress made by the global movement for a cul- ture of peace, since it was called for in 1999 by General Assembly resolution A/53/243 (annexed to the end of this report). The assessments of progress and obstacles are firstly presented in an introductory summary and then by region: International Organizations, Africa, Arab States, Latin America, Asia, Europe, North America and the Caribbean. There is also a summary of advice to the UN from participating organizations which addresses the eight programme areas for the culture of peace as included in General Assembly resolution A/53/243. The report can also be consulted at: www.decade-culture-of-peace.org. The information gathered points out that the advance of the culture of peace comes despite almost total neglect from the mass media. Hopefully, this year will be a turning point, so that during the second half of the Decade, we can ensure that news of the global movement for a culture of peace are recognized and documented by both the mass media and alternative media. David Adams Coordinator of the report 8 World Report on the Culture of Peace Civil Society Report at midpoint of Culture of Peace Decade The global movement for a culture of peace is advancing. darity, that reject violence and endeavour to prevent con- This is the conclusion of most organizations from around flicts by tackling their root causes to solve problems the world, as they report progress toward a culture of peace through dialogue and negotiation and that guarantee the during the first five years of the International Decade for a full exercise of all rights and the means to participate fully Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the in the development process of their society." And the World. It is documented by over 3000 pages of information Programme of Action for a Culture of Peace (A/53/243) submitted by almost 700 organizations from 100 countries adopted by the General Assembly in 1999 encompasses which are freely available on the website http://decade- eight programme areas: Education for a culture of peace: culture-of-peace.org/ cgi-bin/ib3/ Equality of women; Democratic participation; Sustainable ikonboard.cgi. This information is only the tip of the ice- development; Human rights; Understanding, tolerance, berg, since there are many other organizations promoting a solidarity; Free flow of information and knowledge; culture of peace that were not contacted or did not respond International peace and security. Advice to the UN in all of to the questionnaire for this report, as indicated by the these areas is given here from the reporting organizations. many partnerships listed by participating organizations. They number in the many thousands, corresponding to the This General Assembly definition of the culture of peace is call for partnerships for a culture of peace in General positive rather than negative, going far beyond the Assembly Resolution A/53/243 (para B.A.6). previous definition of peace as the absence of armed con- flict. This is not always easy for people to understand. For example, "in Japan people are apt to think that peace means the situation without wars and nuclear weapons through the experience the World War. Peace Education means the teaching of the nuclear weapons in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, air raid attack and the battles in Okinawa… We spent a lot of time to make understood the difference bet- ween peace and culture of peace to fellow groups or people who made efforts for peace." Many other organizations also underline that it is important to explain the nature of the culture of peace. Photo from WUNRN workshop in Pakistan The advance is especially remarkable given that it has been only five years since UN General Assembly resolution A/53/243 first called for a global movement for a culture of peace.