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	A Culture of Peace and Non-Violence by Unesco   Building peace in the minds of men and women   The United Nations was founded after the “great and terrible” Second World War to create and maintain peace through economic, social or political agreements. But this is not enough. The foundations of peace still need to be laid, with the help of the specialized agencies which make up the United Nations system.   Since its foundation over 60 years ago, UNESCO took over that mission in conformity with its Constitution which asserts that, “since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed”. In this regard, the same Constitution highlights that “a peace based exclusively upon the political and economic arrangements of governments would not be a peace which could secure the unanimous, lasting and sincere support of the peoples of the world, and that the peace must therefore be founded, if it is not to fail, upon the intellectual and moral solidarity of mankind”. This mandate has gifted the Organization with a longstanding experience in promoting mutual understanding while fighting discrimination, intolerance and violence.   The new global challenges and threats are multiplying and undermining social cohesion in a world where interdependence is growing and solidarity is diminishing. The constant question remains as to how we may best approach the unity-in-diversity way of life, or to learn how to “live together” by fully participating in the infinite wealth of the cultures of the world and by averting the fear reflex when confronting with “otherness”.   As a consequence, greater account must be taken of the close links between cultural diversity, dialogue, development, security and peace. Thus, a genuine and lasting dialogue is imperative to rethink the benefits of cultural diversity for all and to bridge cultural and religious barriers as well as to break stereotypes and to turn people from violence.   Since words are the natural support to our thoughts, their use must mean something. In reality, which words should we choose to build, appropriate and extend this common aspiration of humankind, which draws upon its rich cultural diversity? It should be recalled that the United Nations, and UNESCO in particular, have always used the terms “dialogue among civilizations”, “dialogue among cultures”, “rapprochement of cultures”, “tolerance” as well as “culture of peace” to describe their conceptual, political and programmatic approach in suitable and convincing language.   What is at stake: a culture of peace and sustainable development   In the new, turbulent international globalised landscape, a central idea emerges: greater account must be taken of the close links between cultural diversity, dialogue, development, security and peace. One of the most crucial challenges for UNESCO is to rethink these five interdependent notions so as to inform new approaches in all domains.   From that perspective, the culture of peace imposes itself as the main strategic focus of UNESCO, along with sustainable development, both of which form two sides of the same coin. Peace has often been seen and portrayed as being the essential condition of sustained prosperity and prosperity itself, when shared, as fostering peaceful environments.   Today, sustainable development calls to rethink our relationship to the economy, to society and the environment, bearing in mind that the emerging and future challenges of humankind do require collective responses, which implies the kind of solidarity that can result only from a culture of peace, non-violence and dialogue which condenses “that which binds” cultures and societies to each other and from within.   In turn, a culture of peace fosters sustainable development since it is aimed at helping people cope resiliently and creatively with ethical, cultural, political, environmental and other social transformations.   In its essence, the culture of peace and non-violence is a commitment to peace-building, mediation, conflict prevention and resolution, peace education, education for non-violence, tolerance, acceptance, mutual respect, intercultural and interfaith dialogue and reconciliation. It is a conceptual as well as a normative framework envisaged to inspire thoughts and actions of everyone.   Therefore, it requires thinking as well as the emotional abilities to grapple with our own situation in a rapidly changing world as well as with the emerging world society. This aim entails not just more factual knowledge, but also the broadening of our consciousness and the willingness to develop a new awareness, a new way of being in this world, a new “mental mapping”.   As stated by the UNESCO Director-General, “Peace is more than the absence of war, it is living together with our differences – of sex, race, language, religion or culture – while furthering universal respect for justice and human rights on which such coexistence depends”.   Therefore, peace should never be taken for granted. It is an on-going process, a long-term goal, which requires constant engineering, vigilance and active participation by all individuals. It is a choice to be made on each situation, an everyday life decision.   The culture of peace continuously brings new challenges prompting us to reconsider the fundamental principles of humanity by highlighting what binds cultures and societies to each other and from within. Since what unites us is deeper than what separates us, there is a true ethic of living together that is taking shape in the culture of peace and non-violence process.   With a view to achieve the following expectations:   Fundamental principles of peace universally shared to be appropriated by different cultures, thanks to a genuine dialogue and mainstreamed into public policies;   Tension between universality and particularism, cultural identities and citizenship in a globalized world analyzed and better understood;   Everyday Peace to be conceived as an everyday living experience, not only in periods of conflict, but also in ordinary times.   Action on Culture of Peace and Non-violence implies two essential approaches:   To rethink the dividends of cultural diversity, as benefits of a continuous exchange between cultures   To promote the principle of learning to live together, the challenging Art of Unity-in-Diversity conducive to a lasting conviviality   To develop new approaches in favour of a strong commitment by States and civil society to nurture “everyday peace” involving women and youth   To improve the world’s global understanding and deconstruct preconceived ideas by placing emphasis on the future as a humanistic aspiration (i.e.: by establishing guidelines for a global curriculum on shared values);   To promote a global movement in favour of the ideals and practice of a culture of peace and non-violence with emphasis on youth civic engagement and democratic participation.   * Multimedia resources: http://www.unesco.org/archives/multimedia/?id_page=34&pattern=peace&related= Visit the related web page
	Supporting the global human rights movement to face the challenges of a changing world by Ford Foundation USA   July 2012   The Ford Foundation has announced the first round of grants in a new five-year, $50 million initiative to strengthen and diversify the global human rights movement to face the challenges of a changing world.   In launching the initiative, the foundation announced awards of $1 million each to seven human rights groups from the Global South, each of which is poised to make the leap to the world stage and contribute to a broader, more inclusive dialogue on the rights issues facing the world’s most poor and marginalized people.   “The seminal and enormously successful human rights groups that Ford has funded for decades—Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and many others—are more important today than ever,” said Luis A. Ubiñas, president of the foundation. “What today’s grants recognize is how powerful the idea of human rights has become in every corner of the world, and how much growth there has been in recent years among rights organizations in the South. We need to bring those southern hemisphere voices into the global human rights dialogue.”   The first seven winners of Ford funding are:   Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (Forum Asia, Bangkok)   Centro de Estudios de Derecho, Justicia y Sociedad (Dejusticia, Bogotá)   Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (CELS, Buenos Aires)   Conectas Direitos Humanos (Sao Paulo)   Justiça Global (Rio de Janeiro)   Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC, Nairobi)   Legal Resources Centre (LRC, Johannesburg)   “This initiative builds on the seminal human rights voices of the past while opening a door for the human rights visionaries of the future,” said Maya Harris, vice president of Democracy, Rights and Justice at the foundation. “For human rights to thrive and grow at the global level we must deepen the movement and include those who are closest to the challenges and closest to the solutions.”   By linking the announcement of the seven winners to Nelson Mandela International Day—the South African leader’s 94th birthday—the foundation is putting its money behind the idea that the global human rights agenda is best advanced by a diverse array of organizations that includes emerging voices from the Global South.   “The Nelson Mandela Foundation welcomes this initiative to support human rights causes in regions where societies continue to grapple with complex historical social and economic divisions,” said Achmat Dangor, chief executive of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, which partners with the United Nations in honoring Nelson Mandela Day.   The Ford Foundation said its new initiative on strengthening human rights worldwide would commit $50 million over the next five years to both new and established human rights organizations. In selecting organizations to support, the foundation said it would place emphasis on groups whose work focuses on improving the lives of the poorest and most marginalized people in the world, people whose rights are routinely denied or abused.   “It is essential for the human rights community to meet the challenges of a changing world head on,” said Martín Abregú, the Ford Foundation’s director of Human Rights and Governance. “We’ve identified some of the most exciting voices in the field today, who are ready to take the lead in the next phase of the movement.”   About the Winners   Since it was founded in 1991, the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (Forum Asia, Bangkok) has developed into a leading regional human rights organization, with 49 member organizations across 17 countries and offices in Bangkok, Geneva and Jakarta. The organization fosters advocacy, coalition building, documentation and capacity building among human rights organizations, building a regional human rights movement able to hold Asian states more accountable to their human rights obligations.   Colombian academics founded Centro de Estudios de Derecho, Justicia y Sociedad (Dejusticia, Bogotá) in 2003 as a center for applied research that seeks to influence public opinion, academic debate and public policy. Its creative and effective work on discrimination, social rights, judicial reform, transitional justice and the rule of law is carried out in collaboration with leading social organizations, research centers and human rights advocates in Colombia and abroad.   Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (CELS) was founded in Buenos Aires in 1979 in response to forced disappearances and other atrocities under Argentina’s dictatorship. After the return to civilian rule, CELS broadened its agenda to include the human rights impacts of national security policies, judicial reform, criminal justice and economic, social and cultural rights. In recent years, CELS has decided to expand efforts to bring a Latin American perspective to the global human rights agenda.   Based in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Conectas Direitos Humanos is an international human rights organization working domestically and across the Global South on issues that are central to the Ford Foundation initiative, such as the role of emerging powers and of civil society in promoting human rights. Through education, communication, research, networking and advocacy activities, Conectas fights for a more just world with a truly global, diverse and effective human rights movement, where national institutions and the international order are more transparent, effective and democratic.   Justiça Global (Rio de Janeiro) was founded in 1999 to strengthen Brazilian civil society and democracy, enhance access to justice and promote reform. Justiça Global has close ties with grassroots groups and a reputation for publishing hard-hitting reports on violations that have prompted reforms in key areas such as police violence, death squads, the criminalization of social movements, prison abuses, agrarian reform and human rights violations caused by large-scale infrastructure projects and Brazil’s upcoming hosting of the World Cup and Olympic Games.   Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC, Nairobi) was founded in 1992 to address the root causes of poverty, deprivation and human rights violations through research and documentation, legislative and policy advocacy, legal aid, public interest litigation and other strategies. Building on their experience with election violence, constitutional reform and international criminal justice, KHRC has much to contribute to the international debate on human rights.   Based in Johannesburg, the Legal Resources Centre (LRC) has played a leading role in defining and protecting the rights of vulnerable people and all South Africans since 1979 through their work as a client-based public interest law clinic. They are looking to influence international policies and practices by sharing their model and experience throughout Africa.   * For more details visit the link below. Visit the related web page
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