Heritage

Contents111V. ANNEX I – UNESCO and Peace EducationIn this annex, we will look at the genesis and functioning of the United Nations andits Specialized Agency, UNESCO, in relation to the growing interest in peace education.From League of Nations to United NationsMajor conflict also gave birth to reform. Due to the atrocities of the two World Wars,world leaders came to understand that the preservation of peace in the world shouldbe the first objective in the future. In the aftermath of the First World War, WoodrowWilson, then President of the United States, took a first initiative in that direction.Under his chairmanship, the allied countries gathered for the first time inParis on 14 February 1919, leading to the foundation of the League of Nations. TheLeague of Nations was taskedwith peacefully solving internationalconflicts in the future.To the disappointment of theAmerican President, his countrydid not follow his ideas. Asa result of the decision by theUS Congress not to ratify theTreaty of Versailles, the UnitedStates never joined the Leagueof Nations. Consequently, theThe League of Nations at its opening session inGeneva, 15 November 1920, Geneva, Switzerland. ©UN PhotoLeague of Nations lost much ofits potential power and credibility.The efforts of the League ofNations did not succeed in removingthe major obstacles topeace which occurred in the early 1930s, and it was eventually powerless in the face ofthe rise of Fascism and ultimately the Second World War.In spite of its political failure, the intellectual legacy of the League of Nations lateremerged in the majority of the specialized institutions of the United Nations. Thisis certainly true for the field of education, and more specifically for peace education.Indeed, the end of the First World War brought powerful support for international