As defined by the United Nations, the Culture of Peace is a set of values, attitudes, modes of
behaviour and ways of life that reject violence and prevent conflicts by tackling their root causes to solve problems
through dialogue and negotiation among individuals, groups and nations
(UN Resolutions A/RES/52/13 : Culture of Peace and A/RES/53/243, Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace).
For peace and non-violence to prevail, we need to:
Foster a culture of peace through education by revising the educational curricula to promote qualitative values, attitudes and behaviours
of a culture of peace, including peaceful conflict-resolution, dialogue, consensus-building and active non-violence.
What this means is that the United Nations has told the world that Peace Education has to happen for peace and non-violence to be possible.
This kind of approach to education requires a focus on:
sustainable economic and social development reducing economic and social inequalities, eradicating poverty and by assuring sustainable food security, social justice,
empowerment of women, special measures for groups with special needs and environmental sustainability.
We must also learn, as Individuals and as Nations, to promote respect for all human rights
Human rights and a culture of peace are complementary.
Whenever war and violence dominate, there is no possibility to ensure human rights; at the same time, without human rights, in all their dimensions,
there can be no culture of peace.
There is more that the UN discusses when looking for a way to make the Culture of Peace possible.
To ensure equality between women and men we must put in place measures which encourage full participation of women in economic, social
and political decision-making and which eliminate all forms of discrimination and violence against women.
Within our Communities we must foster democratic participation.
Some of the Indispensable foundations for the achievement and maintenance of peace and security are democratic principles as normal
practices which ensure everyones participation in all sectors of society,
a transparent and accountable governance and administration, the combat against terrorism, organized crime, corruption, illicit drugs and money laundering.
All this is necessary for a true culture of peace to exist and to allow us to advance understanding, tolerance and solidarity within our communities, villages and countries.
To abolish war and violent conflicts we need to transcend and overcome images of oursiders as "enemies", replacing them
with understanding, tolerance and solidarity among all peoples and cultures.
Learning from our differences, through dialogue and the exchange of information, is an enriching process.
It is important to support participatory communication and the free flow of information and knowledge.
Global Community resources such as the Internet make communication possible in a new way.
Freedom of information and communication and the sharing of information and knowledge are indispensable for a culture of peace.
However, measures need to be taken to address the issue of violence in the media, including new information and communication technologies. Violence in all
our media, from TV and Newspapers to computer games creates an addiction to violence that shapes our world in a negative, non-sustainable way.
We can, each of us, promote neighborhood, community and international peace and security . As individuals we can make a difference if we know that living
in a "Culture of Peace" is our goal.
"Since wars begin in the minds of men,
it is in the minds of men than defences of peace must be constructed "
(Constitution of UNESCO, 1945)