Virtual Exchanges

“Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of Peace must be constructed” (UNESCO Constitution).

This quotation alone makes clear the vital importance that education for peace should have in the education of every person on earth.

The Declaration on the Right to Peace, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2016, is therefore highly relevant and important. For the first time, it establishes that all human beings have the right to enjoy peace. It also recognises that peace is more than the absence of war: it is a fundamental human right requiring “a positive, dynamic participatory process where dialogue is encouraged and conflicts are solved in a spirit of mutual understanding and cooperation” (A/C.3/71/L.29, Preamble). Of its five articles, the fourth is dedicated to education for peace, to “strengthen among all human beings the spirit of tolerance, dialogue, cooperation and solidarity”.

But what does peace education, or education for peace, mean?
It means making every educational setting a tool for peace rather than adding another subject: a journey that develops children’s and young people’s creativity and autonomy in addressing problems, learning to dialogue and experiment, and recognising their own resources and, as Don Milani said, everyone’s responsibility for everything.

Because a Culture of Peace cannot be imposed: it is learned, passed on, shared and, above all… lived.