News

The publication ‘Long walk of peace: Towards a Culture of Prevention’ will be launched at the Library of the United Nations in Geneva on 24 May 2018 at 12:30 pm. Under the leadership of UNESCO, 32 UN entities have worked together on a research project, studying progress and challenges for the UN Peace Agenda, 70 years after the creation of the United Nations and UNESCO. It is also the result of UNESCO collaborating with the Abat Oliba CEU University in Barcelona, Spain.

“Building peace is a continuous process. This work requires constant attention and effort, taking into account specific contexts and adapting swiftly to changing realities on the ground,” says UNESCO Director-General, Audrey Azoulay in the foreword. “It is my profound hope and conviction that “Long Walk of Peace: Towards a Culture of Prevention” can inspire all of those who know that the walk may be long, but walking it together is vital for building stable, thriving societies.”

Divided in three parts, the book shows the evolution of a peace approach in the UN system, how UN entities carry out peace work within and across their respective areas of competency, and the experiential insights, lessons learned and recommendations to enrich on-going efforts to revitalize the UN peace agenda. Through an in-depth theoretical analysis, combined with a presentation of innovative practices across 32 UN bodies, it explores the long, steady haul towards peace and provides inspiration for the way forward.

Peacekeeping, post-conflict reconstruction and peacebuilding remain as important as ever andstrengthened focus must be oriented towards conflict prevention. This involves operating in a more integrated manner across the continuum of different peace and security tools, and with the development and human rights pillars, as well as the humanitarian system.

The emerging consensus equates peace not only with the absence of conflict, but also with the synergetic presence of diverse vectors that prevent and transform conflict in a peaceful and constructive manner. Nurturing peace in today’s interconnected world thus requires a broader canvas that along with the imperatives of human rights and development also entails a vibrant focus on education for peace, global citizenship, cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue.

The launch event, moderated by Nada Al-Nashif, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences, will open with a short presentation by Michael Møller, Director-General of the United Nations Office in Geneva. This will be followed by a high-level panel discussion animated by Professor Priyankar Upadhyaya, Chairholder of the UNESCO Chair for Peace and Intercultural Understanding; Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy, United Nations Deputy Special Envoy for Syria; and Christian Guillermet-Fernández, former Chairperson-Rapporteur of the UN Open-Ended Working Group on the Right to Peace.

The research study is a major contribution to the implementation of the International Decade for the Rapprochement of Cultures (2013-2022) for which UNESCO is the coordinating lead agency.

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We invite journalists who would like to have access to the publication before the launch event to contact us at the e-mail indicated below.

Contact: Bobir Tukhtabayev, b.tukhtabayev@unesco.org

Twiiter: #CultureofPrevention

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List of 32 UN bodies:

• Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and Department of Field Support (DFS)

• Department of Political Affairs (DPA)

• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

• International Labour Organization (ILO)

• International Organization for Migration (IOM)

• International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

• Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)

• Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO)

• The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAID)

• The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN Habitat)

• United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC)

• United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

• United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA)

• United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI)

• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

• United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

• United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women)

• United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment)

• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

• United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR)

• United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)

• United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (ODA)

• United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR)

• United Nations Office of Counter Terrorism (UNOCT)

• United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)

• United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP)

• United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)

• United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD)

• World Food Programme (WFP)

• World Health Organization (WHO)

• World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

• World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)

URL:

https://en.unesco.org/news/launch-publication-long-walk-peace-towards-culture-prevention?language=en