UNESCO. General Conference; 30th; Records ... - unesdoc - Unesco

(51.1) Mr ALI (Algeria) (Translation from the Arabic):
Thank you, Madam President. Ladies and gentlemen, to begin with, I should like to express my
appreciation for what the Commission’s report has to say about a culture of peace. My delegation fully concurs,
and I wish to state that we propose to cooperate with UNESCO in the matter. My delegation participated in the
discussions relating to a culture of peace in all the commissions, and made it clear that the President of the
Republic ardently desires peace and supports the peace plan that UNESCO is following and applying. Madam
President, the International Year for the Culture of Peace proclaimed by the United Nations coincides with a
massive effort on the part of Algeria to bring about peace within the country by putting an end to the horrors of
terrorism, to which tens of thousands of Algerians have fallen victim, including people from all walks of life,
intellectuals, journalists, farmers, workers, children, and anyone who raised the banner of enlightenment.
Responding to a courageous initiative on the part of the President of the Republic, the Algerian Parliament passed
the Civil Reconciliation Law, the aim of which is national reconciliation and a national truce, followed by the
establishment of genuine stability and the return of the security that has been so severely shaken. This will lead to
the reinvigoration of the various areas of the development sector. Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, my
country is looking forward to the serious dialogue between civilizations for which UNESCO is calling, provided
that that dialogue includes among its aims recognition of the other as he or she really is. We must all live together
on the earth, and consequently cooperation and mutual respect are essential.
(51.2) Madam President, Algeria is currently heading the Organization of African Unity, at a time when there
are a number of points of tension that are urgently in need of being defused. We are hoping for success in bringing
peace and reconciliation to the region to which we are proud to belong, and which we hope will steadily progress
and flourish. Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, in Algeria the 1999/2000 school year opened with studies on
peace, humanity’s need for peace and the rejection of violence by any means, on any pretext, beginning with verbal
violence. The study of history plays a supporting role, since it furnishes instructive examples and helps ensure that
the mistakes of the past and humanity’s tragedies will not be repeated. These studies have been most beneficial. It
is a lovely thing to hear schoolchildren explaining to their friends how important peace is for a happy and
meaningful life. We have become our own children’s pupils at home: it is they who explain peace and
reconciliation to us.
(51.3) Madam President, we in Algeria have a plurality of parties in a pluralistic Parliament. There was a time
when we thought as blocs: each bloc was quite sure that it alone held the key to solutions to the country’s
problems. But as time passed and we engaged in dialogue, we have come to realize that we need each other.
Consequently, our views have changed, and we have instituted what we call interaction with one another. Little by
little we have agreed on common denominators in finding a solution to a multifaceted problem that is complicated
by the fact of terrorism. We all stand behind the President of the Republic in his extraordinary effort to bring about
peace and civil and national reconciliation, all the more willingly because we are sure of being on the right track:
the President of the Republic consulted the people in a referendum on civil reconciliation, and the answer was a
great gift from the people, which put an end to uncertainty and created consensus among the country’s political
forces. Peace is indeed beautiful, and forgiveness is more beautiful still. This is what the Civil Reconciliation Law
has to offer, and it is now being applied in Algeria. Thank you.
52. The PRESIDENT:
I thank the distinguished delegate of Algeria most sincerely. I now call upon the last speaker on my list,
the representative of Equatorial Guinea.
53.1 Sr. EDJO OVONO (Guinea Ecuatorial):
Gracias, señora Presidenta. En este punto de la discusión sobre el Proyecto “Hacia una cultura de paz”,
querría señalar algo muy curioso que he podido observar en el último número de “El Correo de la UNESCO”. En
la página 27 se dice, entre otras cosas, que en la Carta Magna japonesa existe una disposición que afirma que la
paz y la armonía deben respetarse porque son muy importantes para las relaciones entre grupos. Ello nos hace
pensar en la necesidad de existencia real y efectiva de la cultura de paz y no violencia.
53.2 El pueblo ecuatoguineano, pacífico por naturaleza, huye de la violencia y trata de ejercitar al máximo la
convivencia pacífica. Proteger y preservar la paz que conoce actualmente Guinea Ecuatorial es una de las
mayores aspiraciones del Gobierno de la nación, razón por la cual promueve iniciativas que ayuden a alcanzar
este macroobjetivo. La creación del Comité Nacional de Derechos del Niño y la del Centro de Estudios y
Promoción de Derechos Humanos, así como la propuesta de creación de un Parlamento Subregional en Africa
Central, constituyen algunas de esas iniciativas. La Universidad Nacional de Guinea Ecuatorial ha creado, con
ayuda de la Organización, una Cátedra UNESCO de “Educación para la Paz, el Respecto de los Derechos
Humanos y la Democracia”, cuyos objetivos son: inculcar los derechos fundamentales, promover su respeto y
luchar contra la discriminación; formar ciudadanos, recuperando el acervo de valores que nos hacen más
pacíficos, tolerantes y solidarios; contribuir a la consolidación del proceso de democratización del país; potenciar
637
21