Midterm global review of the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of theWorld, 2001-2010** 60� Assembl�ia Geral das Na��es Unidas 19/08/2005
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		4. Obstacles and needs 55. Respondents identified the need for the development of national and regional plans of action, the creation of national and international coordination mechanisms, better monitoring of the activities carried out by various actors (governmental institutions, non- governmental organizations, international organizations and United Nations agencies) and better information-sharing and communication on issues pertaining to the Decade at all levels. 56. Other obstacles cited included a lack of interest and political support from national and international authorities and the mass media; lack of human, financial and material resources; poverty; the gap between men and women with regard to access to education; HIV/AIDS; unemployment; illiteracy; traditional and religious beliefs; and the lack of political will. 57. With regard to the culture of peace approach, the complexity of coherently articulating all related aspects was seen to make it more difficult for governmental and local leaders to understand it and monitor its progress. 58. Better training in conflict resolution and the development of appropriate methodologies of intervention on issues related to a culture of peace and human rights and better communication and information mechanisms at the national level were also seen as areas requiring improvement. Comments were made about the need to expand sustainable peace education activities and to more fully involve the mass media in the promotion of a culture of peace. Some respondents cited the need to focus more on such areas as issues concerning child labour, girls' education and the question of modern slavery. 59. In addition, several respondents stressed that political instability and the complexity of violence were major obstacles. In West Africa, fragile peace resulted in people migrating from countries in conflict situations to more peaceful but already populated areas, which in turn further increased the instability in other, previously unaffected areas of the region. In the Arab region, respondents identified the long-term instability in the Middle East, a lack of respect for human rights and the difficulty to advance reforms in the region as major obstacles. C. International non-governmental organizations 60. Thirty-six international non-governmental organizations answered the questionnaire. Taking into account the diversity and number of activities implemented by international non-governmental organizations, it is not possible to provide a detailed account in the present summary report. 61. A fundamental aspect of the work of international non-governmental organizations resides in their networking capacity because they are usually represented in a number of countries, which allows them to reach a large and diverse number of people. Contributions received reflected their efforts to raise the awareness of the general public and to sensitize people about the various aspects of a culture of peace. 62. Importance was given to education as a tool for the diffusion of values and principles that pertain to a culture of peace. In regard to education, work is carried out through both formal and non-formal education. It is focused on values and citizenship education, cultural diversity (for example through linguistic education) and the creation of democratic educational environments. In formal education, it is integrated into all stages of the education system, from pre-school to higher education. At the university level, various studies and research programmes were set up on subjects that relate to a culture of peace. In regard to non-formal education, several organizations developed training programmes on non-violent conflict resolution for young people. 63. To promote the contribution of women to conflict resolution and the promotion of peace, organizations participated in advocacy efforts to promote the implementation of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on women and peace and security, and the development of related programmes. 64. Respect for cultural diversity and mutual comprehension was promoted through intercultural and inter-religious dialogue activities, the establishment of intercultural programmes aimed at fostering exchanges, and by activities to promote the cultural contributions of indigenous people to society. 65. To help create lasting peace, organizations developed income-generation programmes for vulnerable populations (women, underprivileged or marginalized young people and rural populations), and undertook advocacy with respect to human rights (including women and children's rights). 1. Progress 66. Many respondents reported that there was heightened awareness among the general public on issues related to a culture of peace and specifically on issues such as equality between men and women, the environment and human rights (including economic and social rights) and the prevention of violence. The integrated approach advocated in the United Nations plan of action was seen as being particularly effective in responding to post-conflict situations. Other aspects which were highlighted include the emphasis that national education systems place on conflict resolution, the prevention of violence and the development of new educational methodologies and approaches. 2. Obstacles and needs 67. At the global level, the current international situation was identified as a major obstacle to the achievement of a culture of peace. Since 2001, security issues have replaced peacebuilding issues as the top priority on the international political agenda. Furthermore, many respondents cited poverty and social exclusion as major obstacles to establishment of lasting peace. 68. The lack of human and financial resources, political will, international and governmental support (including from the United Nations system) and interest from the media were seen as major obstacles to achieving peace. 69. International non-governmental organizations highlighted the need for better training of peace actors at the national and international levels, greater involvement of the media in the promotion of a culture of peace, better coordination among nongovernmental organizations and the development of communication tools to promote the ideas and principles of a culture of peace, especially among young people. III. Conclusions and recommendations 70. In order to maintain visibility and momentum between the midpoint and the completion of the Decade, a global framework should be promoted to integrate the various objectives of the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace, which should: � Develop coordination mechanisms at the international, regional and national levels to strengthen cooperation between all relevant actors: the United Nations system, Member States, civil society organizations and non- governmental organizations � Launch events at the national, regional or international levels to demonstrate the objectives of the Decade � Mobilize human and material resources at all levels for activities that promote the various aspects of a culture of peace � Reinforce more explicitly the links with other international decades or years, such as the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2010) and the Millennium Development Goals � Develop communication and information tools that enable participants to perpetuate the global momentum initiated at the beginning of the Decade and during the International Year of a Culture of Peace, using information and communication technologies as tools for communication and advocacy � Encourage the mass media at the international and national levels to support the global campaign for a culture of peace. Annex Summary of a report prepared by the Fundaci�n Cultura de Paz on contributions by civil society organizations on the midpoint of the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World The summary in the present annex has been prepared by the United Nations Secretariat and highlights several recommendations made in civil society reports on contributions by civil society organizations, as reflected by the Fundaci�n Cultura de Paz. The report of the Fundaci�n Cultura de Paz on contributions by civil society organizations is compiled from the reports of almost 700 civil society organizations from over 100 countries responding to a questionnaire developed by the Fundaci�n Cultura de Paz in response to the invitation in paragraph 10 of General Assembly resolution A/59/143, International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World, 2001-2010. Organizations were asked if they have seen progress towards a culture of peace and non- violence during the first half of the Decade and what were the chief obstacles to progress. They were also invited to provide advice to the Secretary- General and the General Assembly to promote a culture of peace and non-violence during the second half of the Decade. All of the data provided by participating organizations, over 3000 pages and 500 photographs, is available on the Internet at http://decade-culture-of-peace.org. The following recommendations are based on the civil society contributions (pages 17-20): General recommendations � The International Day of Peace is the annual highlight for the measurement of progress towards building a culture of peace for all nations and peoples. In support of that objective, one suggestion is to reconvene the United Nations International Day of Peace Steering Group, which was formed at the request of the Secretary-General. Furthermore, the International Day of Peace could be extended towards a week-long promotion of a culture of peace entitled "Living a Culture of Peace Week". The designation of such a week by the General Assembly would help facilitate the promotion of a culture of peace in addition to the International Day of Peace. � The year 2010 should be declared the "International Year of Reconciliation". Education � Strengthen collaboration with NGOs specializing in peace education and appeal to ministries of education for the integration of peace education into national curricula and as a requirement of teacher training (pre-service, inservice and continuing professional development). United Nations agencies that include education as part of their mandate, for instance UNESCO, UNICEF and UNDP, should broaden their programmes to require peace education content and methodology. � Promote education for peace in all levels of education, especially cultural exchanges and youth voluntary work. Human rights � Reinforce human rights follow-up and monitoring mechanisms in Member States. Sustainable development � The attainment of a culture of peace can only be realized side-by-side with meaningful poverty alleviation at grass-roots community levels. That would eliminate the causes that generate violence, such as ignorance and poverty. Democratic participation � The promotion of a culture of peace during the next five years should be linked to community development and real democracy in all the countries of Africa. It is well known that true democracy gives birth to the rule of law, which means that people must find it to be on their side, and that there will be no more disorders, no more wars. Equality of women � Additional assistance should be given to women's organizations and associations so that they can be provided with effective and modern means of communication. Non- governmental organizations or other regional or national organizations suffer greatly from that lack of communication. Thus it is essential that modern means of communication are accessible to all the organizations which fight to support the living conditions of women and the African people. Understanding, tolerance and solidarity � Motivate all faith communities and cultures to engage in interfaith and intrafaith dialogue. Specifically, UNESCO should sponsor a world commission on interfaith dialogue to build and educate for a culture of peace and implement curriculum and teacher education projects for integrating interfaith dialogue and the contributions of faith and spiritual traditions in a non-violent and sustainable solution to conflict and violence. Free flow of information and knowledge � Invite national and regional organizations to exchange experiences on cultures of peace and to empower local groups to promote peace. For such encounters methodologies appropriate to the countries of the South would have to be developed. � Develop openly a campaign for the culture of peace together with the media and through television, magazines, and with the film industry, taking into consideration that they have been strong propagators of the culture of violence. International peace and security � Work harder on reducing arms and ammunition manufacturing. � Bring the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty into the twenty-first century so that it addresses the realities of the threats we currently face. The prevention of weapons development in non-nuclear-weapon States must be clearly tied to the systematic elimination of nuclear weapons in States that already have them. � Creation of a United Nations agency for mediation, with several thousand professionals, similar to other international organizations, capable of detecting emerging conflicts and helping to transform them peacefully before they lead to war.
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