KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 21 – The first International Peace Education Day Conference, aimed at establishing a United Nations Peace Education Day that recognizes that peace building skills, strategies, and structures are foundational to all other humanitarian endeavors, took off virtually on Monday.
The conference brought together a global network of peace educators who have been committed to the establishment of peace globally over the years.
The Peace Education Day Conference is a joint project of UNESCO Center for Peace, Spanish Federation of UNESCO Associations and Clubs, Pathways to Peace, The Prem Rawat Foundation, National Peace Academy, Unity Foundation, PeaceChannel.com, and other groups in a newly formed Peace Education Network, which is actively committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
In a statement issued Monday, the organisers of Peace Education Day Conference said the purpose of the conference was to assemble a global network of peace educators, to launch a campaign for an official UN Peace Education Day and to demonstrate the positive impact of peace education upon the UN Sustainable Development Goals
“The United Nations has declared 2021 as the International Year for Peace and Trust. What better time to launch a campaign for a United Nations International Peace Education Day!
“The United Nations has established more than 150 international days for different humanitarian themes. However, there is no day dedicated specifically to the theme of peace education. Because peace education is central to the United Nations central mission, it certainly deserves a special day for public awareness -– a day to promote peace education throughout the world.”
The event was hosted by International film, television and stage actor Michael Nouri, who is also ambassador for Seeds of Peace and the Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Keynote speakers at the event were Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury, Founder of the Global Movement for the Culture of Peace and former Under Secretary-General of the United Nations, Prem Rawat, Founder of The Prem Rawat Foundation, and the Peace Education Program, Kehkeshan Basu, Founder/President, Green Hope Foundation, Federico Mayor Zaragoza, Chairman of the Foundation for a Culture of Peace and former UNESCO Director-General.
Also in the speakers list were Dr. Kozue Akibayashi, Professor at Doshisha University Graduate School of Global Studies, in Kyoto, Japan, and a member of the WILPF, Ambassador Prof. Dr. Karim Errouaki, President Emeritus of AUE-FON University, Former Special Advisor to the UN SG Prof. Dr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Ambassador of OLA-DSCC to The African Union and CAFRAD, Dot Maver, Founder of the National Peace Academy, of the Global Alliance for Ministries and Infrastructures of Peace and of the River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding and Dr. Stéphane Monney Mouandjo, Director-General of the African Training and Research Centre in Administration for Development (CAFRAD)
The full day event that includes the keynote addresses delivered at the conference as well as featured performances from international performing artistes can be viewed from: http://PeaceChannel.com
–WE