By Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury*
NEW YORK | 13 September 2024 (IDN) —The global community is celebrating today the adoption by the United Nations of the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace, which is considered a monumental document that transcends boundaries, cultures, societies, and nations. That inspirational action took place 25 years ago on 13 September 1999.
It was an honor for me to Chair the nine-month-long negotiations that led to the adoption of this historic norm-setting document through consensus by the UN General Assembly. I introduced the agreed text of that document (A/RES/53/243) on behalf of all Member States for adoption by the Assembly with its President Didier Opertti of Uruguay chairing the meeting. That document asserts that inherent in the culture of peace is a set of values, attitudes, modes of behaviour and ways of life.
Inspirational initiatives
My life’s experience has taught me to value peace and equality as the essential components of our existence. They unleash the positive forces of good that are so needed for human progress. My initiatives at the United Nations General Assembly in 1999 on the Culture of Peace, in the Security Council in 2000 on equality of women’s participation and in leading the UN system’s prioritization of the needs of the world’s most vulnerable countries as their champion for six years – all show that when head and heart join to do something meaningful and worthwhile for humanity, no obstacle is insurmountable.
Why the culture of peace:
When we see what is happening around us, we realize the urgent need for promoting the culture of peace – peace through dialogue – peace through non-violence. Eminent proponents of peace have continued to highlight that the culture of peace should be the foundation of the new global society.
Simply put, the Culture of Peace as a concept, as a motivation means that every one of us needs to consciously make peace and nonviolence a part of our daily existence.
To make progress in this direction, in 1997, the UN proclaimed the year 2000 as the “International Year for the Culture of Peace” and in 1998, it proclaimed the period of 2001-2010 as the “International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-violence for the Children of the World”. Then in 1999 came the seminal, forward-looking Declaration and Programme of Action
UN High Level Forum on The Culture of Peace:
Mandated by the UN resolutions, the Presidents of the General Assembly have been convening the annual high-level forums attracting the attention of Member States and civil society since 2012.
The Forum also has been the only UN gathering which was addressed by the largest number of women Nobel Peace laureates – six times out of eleven Forums. Also, the Forum’s panelists were always gender-balanced, on most occasions with more women.
Education for sustainable peace is the key:
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations in its sustainable development goal (SDGs) number 4 and target 7 includes, among others, “promotion of culture of peace and non-violence”, “women’s equality” as well as “global citizenship” as part of the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development.
Targeting the individual is meaningful because there cannot be true peace unless every one of us value peace and non-violence and practices the culture of peace in our actions. Connecting the role of individuals to broader global objectives, Dr. Martin Luther King Junior affirmed that “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” The UN programme on the culture of peace pays special attention to the individual’s self-transformation.
Focus on children:
I believe that early childhood affords a unique opportunity for us to sow the seeds of transition from the culture of war to the culture of peace. We need to use this window of opportunity to instill the rudiments that each individual needs to become agents of peace and non-violence from an early life.
UNICEF has taken the lead by integrating many elements of the culture of peace into its work, including with the Early Childhood Peace Consortium (ECPC) formed in 2013. In response to this realization, the UN’s sixth High Level Forum in September 2017 focused on the theme “Sowing the Seeds of the Culture of Peace: Early Childhood Development is the Beginning”. That attracted high profile attention from the UN community.
Women’s role and contribution to peace:
It is my strong belief that unless women – half of world’s seven plus billion people – are engaged in advancing the culture of peace at equal levels with men, sustainable peace would continue to elude us.
In various parts of the world, women have shown great capacity as peacebuilders. At the grassroots and community levels, women have organized to resist militarization, to create space for dialogue and moderation and to weave together the shattered fabric of society.
As has been rightly said, without peace, development is impossible, and without development, peace is unachievable, but without women, neither peace nor development is even conceivable.
At the global level, the Global Movement for The Culture of Peace (GMCoP), a coalition of civil society organizations, have been spearheading advocacy initiatives effectively since 2011 as well as in organizing the annual High Level Forums on The Culture of Peace convened by the President of UN General Assembly.
Prioritization by the UN:
Often, I am asked how the UN is doing in the implementation of the Programme of Action adopted by the General Assembly in 1999. I believe that the Organization should own it fully and internalize its implementation throughout the UN system. Also, the Secretary-General should prioritize the culture of peace as a part of his leadership agenda. He should make good use of this workable tool that the UN possess to advance the objective of sustainable peace. Not using the UN’s own available and workable tool of the culture of peace is behaving like a person who needs a car to go to work and has a car… but with a minimal interest in knowing how to drive it.
Major role of the Cities and the Communities:
I believe very strongly that cities have the potential to shape the future of humankind and to win the battle for sustainable peace and development. As such, the leadership role of mayors and city governments is of fundamental importance, as they and the communities they serve are at the frontline of all major challenges facing humanity. To tackle those challenges successfully, the culture of peace is an essential tool for the cities and their communities
In September 2021, invited by the President of the UN General Assembly, President of Mayors for Peace, Mayor Matsui in his virtual participation at the United Nations High Level Forum on The Culture of Peace announced that “On the 7th of July this year, Mayors for Peace adopted its new Vision, titled: “Vision for Peaceful Transformation to a Sustainable World”. One of the objectives set forth by the new Vision is to “Promote the Culture of Peace”, in addition to the other two ongoing objectives, “Realize a world without nuclear weapons,” and “Realize safe and resilient cities.”
Way forward
Let us remember that the work for peace is a continuous process. Each one of us can make a difference in that process. Peace cannot be imposed from outside; it must be realized from within.
I continue to emphasize that The Culture of Peace is not a quick fix. It is a movement, not a revolution! Peace is not just the end of war or conflict. Real peace means also the end of discrimination, prejudice, injustice, and inequality.
Let us embrace the culture of peace for the good of humanity, for the sustainability of our planet and for making our world a better place to live.
One voice creates a ripple—many ripples make a wave—collectively, our voices for the culture of peace can transform the world.
*Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury is Founder of the Global Movement for The Culture of Peace (GMCoP), Permanent Representative of Bangladesh (1996-2001) and Under-Secretary-General and High Representative of the United Nations (2002-2007). [IDN-InDepthNews]
Image: Designed by the Friends of the United Nations, Asia-Pacific (FOUNAP) based in Tokyo.
