WHAT IS A CULTURE OF PEACE
For thousands of years, since the first great empires in China, Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Americas, human history has been dominated by war and the Culture of War. But in the Year 2000, the United Nations devoted the International Year to the Culture of Peace, and defined it as follows at both the individual/family level and the social/institutional level.
INDIVIDUAL/FAMILY LEVEL
1. Respect the life and dignity of each human being without discrimination or prejudice;
2. Practise active non-violence, rejecting violence in all its forms: physical, sexual, psychological, economical and social, in particular towards the most deprived and vulnerable such as children and adolescents;
3. Share my time and material resources in a spirit of generosity to put an end to exclusion, injustice and political and economic oppression;
4. Defend freedom of expression and cultural diversity, giving preference always to dialogue and listening without engaging in fanaticism, defamation and the rejection of others;
5. Promote consumer behaviour that is responsible and development practices that respect all forms of life and preserve the balance of nature on the planet;
6. Contribute to the development of my community, with the full participation of women and respect for democratic principles, in order to create together new forms of solidarity.
(This Manifesto 2000 was circulated by the United Nations and its partners for the International Year for the Culture of Peace. It was signed by 75 million people who promised to put it into action in their daily life.)
SOCIAL/INSTITUTIONAL LEVEL
1. Actions to foster a culture of peace through education:
2. Actions to promote sustainable economic and social development:
3. Actions to promote respect for all human rights:
4. Actions to ensure equality between women and men:
5. Actions to foster democratic participation:
6. Actions to advance understanding, tolerance and solidarity:
7. Actions to support participatory communication and the free flow of information and knowledge:
8. Actions to promote international peace and security:
(This Program of Action on a Culture of Peace was adopted on September 13, 1999, by the United Nations General Assembly to serve as the basis for the International Year for the Culture of Peace.)
Video: Introduction to the culture of peace by Federico Mayor, former Director-General of UNESCO who sent the draft culture of peace resolution to the United Nations.
Video: History of the culture of peace told by Ingeborg Breines, former Director of the Women and a Culture of Peace Programme of UNESCO.
Environmental integrity and peace are inextricably linked. As explained in the video on the right below, the culture of peace must be linked to a green transition that saves our environment. Governments need to switch spending from things that fuel the twin crises such as building their armed forces and fossil fuel subsidies to activities that restore the environment and cultivate peace.
For a history of the beginnings of the culture of peace at UNESCO, click here.
For up-to-date news about the culture of peace around the world, click here.
You can take a course, Activating a Culture of Peace, for free on the website of International Cities of Peace by registering here.
Video: From the Culture of War to the Culture of Peace by David Adams, a former director at UNESCO who drafted the culture of peace resolution that was sent to the United Nations.
