david In his analysis of the Arab spring on CPNN, the journalist John Mayton concludes that the Egyptian revolution “can, through a culture of peace, set a precedent not only for their own country but for the whole region.” Even further, we ask in the discussion question “Can the Arab Spring inspire democratic movements around the world?” … Read more
Regions where wars are raging are also regions where there is a strong movement for peace, as described in several cases in this month’s CPNN bulletin. This is not new. During the 19th Century, In his extensive notebooks called the “Grundrisse”, Marx made a note that “War attains complete development before peace.” One may assume that … Read more
Latin America continues to take the lead in the transition to a culture of peace. As indicated by this month’s CPNN Bulletin, the continent was the first to establish city culture of peace commissions, as well as city commissions for components such as human rights in Sao Paulo and sustainable development in Aguascalientes. Also the … Read more
There is good reason why the free flow of information is one of the eight key areas of the culture of peace, as defined by the UN Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace. On the one hand, it is essential for the consciousness-raising and networking that can make the transition possible from … Read more
Women’s equality is essential to the culture of peace. When we sent the draft Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace from UNESCO to the UN General Assembly in 1998, we made it clear that the linkage is essential between women’s equality, development and peace: “Only this . . . can replace … Read more
As described in this month’s CPNN bulletin, the youth participants at the Budapest training were inspired to continue their activism for a better world. I, too, was inspired, and it has led me to imagine a roadmap for the global transition from culture of war to culture of peace. I see a tremendous multiplier effect in … Read more
My ten years working in the United Nations system left me with a sweet and sour taste. The sweet side was the universality of the UN, both its staff and mandate, and its great significance for raising the consciousness of the peoples of the world. The sour side was the jealousy of the Member States … Read more
When I went to work in Mozambique on behalf of UNESCO to help develop a national culture of peace program in the early 90’s, my African friends criticized the European notion of building a culture of peace. “No, they told me, you don’t build a culture of peace. You cultivate it.” The culture of war, on the … Read more
It is not by accident that there is so much news from Africa for a culture of peace (see CPNN bulletin for August). It reflects their cultural history. Like people on other continents, the Africans always had culture of war at a tribal level, but with the exception of the Nile River Valley, they did … Read more
The events surrounding Rio+20 last month, the huge meeting of governments that was called together by the United Nations, can be seen as a window into history as it is occurring. The nation-states are failing and new institutional frameworks are growing up to take their place. Most commentators agree that the meeting was a failure … Read more