Heritage

Contentsannex i – unesco and peace education113human rights, to offer help in the case of natural disasters and to find solutions formajor economic, social, cultural and humanitarian world issues. Today almost everycountry in the world, 192, has ratified the Charter of the United Nations.On 10 December 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was proclaimedby the United Nations. It is intended to introduce more freedom, equality,justice and peace into the world. In the declaration, a prominent role was granted toeducation, specifically in Article 26: ‘Education shall be directed to the full developmentof the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamentalfreedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among allnations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nationsfor the maintenance of peace.’ The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and thetreaties resulting from it, establishes a strong basis for human rights and peace education.UNESCO and Peace BuildingThe agency within the UN system that was tasked to hold the pre-eminent responsibilityfor education, culture and science, is the United Nations Educational, Scientificand Cultural Organization (UNESCO).Peace building and peace education are central to the constitutional mandate of UN-ESCO. The Preamble to its Constitution (1945) commences by noting that, ‘as warbegins in the minds of individuals, so too should the defences against war be constructedin the minds of individuals.’UNESCO shares a fundamental commitment to international peace with the otherUnited Nations organizations, but is unique in its mandate to operate through themedium of education, science and culture.The wide diffusion of culture and the education of humanity for justice, liberty andpeace were considered indispensable to the dignity of all humanity. It was singled outas a sacred duty of all nations. The States created UNESCO as an organization for thepurpose of advancing international peace and the common welfare of humankind.The integration of a human rights-based approach into all of its programmes andactivities was, from the very beginning, set as a priority for the Organization.Sixty years after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UN-ESCO strives daily to improve knowledge and understanding of all human rights,