Intercultural Understanding and Human Rights Education ... - APCEIU

| Summary of the presentation|
- Mr. Georges Tsai
Can we teach peace Can we learn
peace Is Education for Peace just wishful
thinking, or is it a powerful tool that can
help humanity build peace in a
sustainable manner for future
generations The answer is obvious - yes,
peace can be achieved through
education. On the other hand, others may
be tempted to argue that trying to achieve
peace through education is, at best, a
well-intended but essentially ineffective
activity, at worst, a totally misguided
objective and a waste of resources.
Leaving aside the theories about the
psychology of violence, or the theories of
Pavlov and Tchakhotine about basic
instincts, elaborating a little bit on the
issue of relationships between groups
which have a long history of reciprocal
distrust or hatred, which have opposing
claims, whether based on history or
religion, on territories or rights, or which
have been unable to heal the wounds of
past wars can explained this.
One aspect of these destructive
relationships which is striking is the fact
that the groups involved seem to be
unable to recognize the legitimacy of the
otheror even its right to exist.
Individual human rights are indeed very
important in building open and tolerant
societies, but the so-called collective or in
many cases minority rights are equally
important to the harmonious coexistence
of groups with different religions,
speaking different languages, or having
different values. Education for Peace is an
investment which requires vision and
patience. It offers the opportunity, at a
relatively low cost, to build peace on a
solid and long-lasting foundation. (please
refer to page 78 for full text)
International Symposium on a Culture of Peace 21