NEW YORK, Sept. 21 (IPS) – Statement by Yasmine Sherif, Executive Director of Education Cannot Wait, on the International Day of Peace The desire for peace transcends time, geography and religion. A culture of peace based on justice, human rights and universal values enshrined in the UN Charter brings us all together in a common agenda for humanity. We can only coexist in such a world order.
On this International Day of Peace, we call on world leaders to end conflict and embrace a culture of peace as enshrined in the UN Charter and relevant international law.
As the UN General Assembly outlined 25 years ago in its Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace, it must include: “Respect for life, human rights and fundamental freedoms; the promotion of non-violence through education, dialogue and cooperation; a commitment to the peaceful resolution of conflicts; and adherence to freedom, justice, democracy, tolerance, solidarity, cooperation, pluralism, cultural diversity, dialogue and understanding among all social classes and nations.”
Peace education begins at home and continues through the years of education in schools. It is during the most formative years when a child learns about his or her identity, ethics, values, conscience, courage, and compassion. Wherever there is a failure to impart the essentials of peace to a child, the world is turned upside down. This is a global failure that has no geographical boundaries.
Today we live in a world of unprecedented violence, armed conflict and chaos. All the sincere and heartfelt commitments made in the UN Charter in 1945 seem to be fading away. Children and young people are the most vulnerable, the least protected and the most affected. They are the ones who are hit the hardest.
According to the UN, the number of children killed in conflicts around the world in 2023 will be three times higher than the previous year. The number of people forcibly displaced will reach an unprecedented 120 million in May 2024.
According to a recent UN analysis, “in 2023, the UN identified 32,990 cases of gross violations targeting 22,557 children in 26 conflict zones, a 35% increase from the previous year.”
We can end these abuses and invest in constructive coexistence around the world. We can use our resources for education, not war. In classrooms around the world, girls and boys who have endured the wrath of war can rebuild hope and lives. It is possible to foster a culture of peace. The financial resources exist. The choice is ours as to how we use them.
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