NEW YORK, Sept 13 (IPS) – This opinion piece comes on the day that twenty-five years ago the UN took the biggest step forward in ensuring a peaceful planet for us all since the signing of the United Nations Charter in 1945.
The UN Charter emerged from the ashes of World War II. The UN Declaration and Programme of Action for a Culture of Peace emerged after the long Cold War.
On this day, the United Nations adopted by consensus and without reservation a monumental document on the Culture of Peace that transcends borders, cultures, societies and nations.
Difficult journey
It was my honor to lead the nine-month open negotiations that led to an agreement on that historic normative document, which is considered one of the United Nations’ most important legacies that will last for generations.
I submitted the agreed text of that document (A/RES/53/243) on behalf of all the Member States for approval by the Assembly, with its President Didier Opertti of Uruguay as Chair of the Assembly. By this historic approval, the General Assembly established the Charter of Humanity for the new millennium that is approaching.
For me, this was a realization of my personal commitment to peace and my humble contribution to humanity. For over two and a half decades, my focus has been on advancing the culture of peace and I have continued to devote considerable time, energy and effort to do so.
It has been a long, arduous journey – one that has been, strangely enough, fraught with both obstacles and indifference. Since July 1997, when I took the initiative to write to our beloved and highly respected Secretary-General Kofi Annan to create a separate agenda item for the General Assembly, the path and progress of the culture of peace at the UN has been uneven, to say the least. As part of this journey, I pay tribute to the Bangladeshi diplomats who have been true fellow travelers.
My life experience has taught me to value peace and equality as essential components of our existence. They unleash the positive forces of good that are so necessary for human progress. It is essential to remember that the culture of peace requires a change of heart, a change of mindset.
The goal of the culture of peace is the empowerment of people. We should not isolate peace as something separate. It is important to realize that the absence of peace takes away the opportunities that we need to improve ourselves, to prepare ourselves, to empower ourselves to face the challenges of our lives, individually and collectively.
Transformation is the essence
The essence of the culture of peace is its message of self-transformation and its message of inclusivity, of global solidarity, of the oneness of humanity. These elements – individual and global, individual to global – are the way forward for the culture of peace.
‘Transformation’ is of paramount importance here. The Programme of Action identifies eight specific areas that encourage action at all levels: the individual, the family, the community, the national, the regional and of course the global level.
While the Declaration and Programme of Action are an agreement between countries, this document names governments, civil society, the media and individuals as key actors.
The culture of peace begins with each of us – unless we are willing to integrate peace and nonviolence as part of our daily existence, we cannot expect our communities, our nations, our planet to be peaceful. We must be prepared and confident to solve the challenges of our lives in a non-aggressive way. In today’s world, the human creed should be based on inner unity and outer diversity.
Strengthening the involvement of Member States
To raise the profile of the concept of the culture of peace, successive Presidents of the UN General Assembly have convened an annual UN High-Level Forum on the Culture of Peace since 2012. The Forum provides an inclusive, participatory platform for UN Member States, civil society, the media, the private sector and other stakeholders to exchange ideas on the implementation of the Declaration and Programme of Action.
Since 2012, when the first UN High-Level Forum was convened by the President of the 66th Session of the General Assembly, Ambassador Nassir Al-Nasser, the UN General Assembly has designated this annual forum as “an opportunity to renew commitments to further strengthen the global movement for a culture of peace.”
At the global level, the Global Movement for The Culture of Peace (GMCoP), a coalition of civil society organizations, has been at the forefront of advocacy initiatives since 2011. The organization also organizes the annual High-Level Forums on The Culture of Peace, which are convened by the President of the UN General Assembly.
Peace and culture of peace
Many consider peace and culture of peace as synonymous. When we talk about peace, we expect others, namely politicians, diplomats or other practitioners, to take the initiative, while when we talk about the culture of peace, we know that the first action begins with each of us.
SDGs and the Culture of Peace
The UN General Assembly decided on the culture of peace before the Millennium Development Goals. SDGs came 15 years later. Many will remember that Goal 16 – the so-called peace goal – was almost scrapped when developing countries wanted to include a reference to the culture of peace.
A compromise excluded it, so that the negotiated Goal 16 could be agreed without it. Bangladesh incorporated the reference to the culture of peace in Goal 4 into its target 4.7, which identified culture of peace and nonviolence, as well as global citizenship in an educational context.
All eight areas of action in the Culture of Peace programme are reflected in various SDGs. However, I can proudly say that the Culture of Peace will outlive the SDGs and make a deeper and longer-lasting contribution to a sustainable and peaceful planet of ours when the UN celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Culture of Peace.
I would like to conclude by outlining three integrated directions for the coming years that will strengthen the global movement for a culture of peace.
Education for Global Citizenship
Number one: education. All educational institutions must provide opportunities that prepare students not only to live fulfilling lives, but also to be responsible and productive citizens of the world. This might better be called “education for global citizenship.” If our minds can be compared to computers, education provides the software that allows us to “reboot” our priorities and actions for the transition from strength to reason, from conflict to dialogue.
Equality of women’s participation
Number two: women. As I always emphasize, “Without peace, development cannot be achieved, without development, peace is not achievable, but without women neither peace nor development is possible.”
Youth and children
And number three: youth and children. It is essential to recognize youth empowerment as a key element in building the culture of peace. Youth today should embrace the culture of peace in a way that can shape not only their lives but the future of the world.
I believe that early childhood offers us the opportunity to sow the seeds for the transition to a culture of peace at an early age.
Way forward
As former United Nations Secretary-General and Nobel Peace Prize winner Kofi Annan so profoundly put it: “Over the years we have come to realize that it is not enough to send peacekeeping forces to individual warring parties. It is not enough to conduct peacebuilding efforts after societies have been devastated by conflict. It is not enough to conduct preventive diplomacy. All of this is essential work, but we want lasting results. We need, in short, the culture of peace.”
How do we build and promote the culture of peace? To transform the culture of peace into a global, universal movement, the most crucial element needed is for each of us to be a true believer in peace and nonviolence. Much can be achieved by promoting the culture of peace through individual determination and action.
By immersing ourselves in a culture that supports and promotes peace, individual efforts will – over time – converge and unite, and peace, security and sustainability will emerge. This is the only way we will achieve a just and lasting peace in the world.
The culture of peace is not a quick fix. It is a movement, not a revolution.
The seed of peace exists within all of us. It must be nurtured, cared for and promoted by all of us in order to flourish. Peace cannot be imposed from without – it must be created from within.
Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhuryis a former Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN; President of the UN Security Council (2000 and 2001); Senior Special Adviser to the President of the UN General Assembly (2011-2012) and former Under-Secretary-General and High Representative of the UN.
IPS UN Office
Follow @IPSNewsUNBureau
Follow IPS News UN Bureau on Instagram
© Inter Press Service (2024) — All rights reservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service