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

el pluralismo cultural y el diálogo interétnico; y promover la concertación y los hábitos de prevención de
conflictos.
53.3 Por todo ello mi país apoya resueltamente el Proyecto Transdisciplinario “Hacia una cultura de paz”. La
iniciativa de hacer del año 2000 el Año Internacional de la Cultura de Paz goza también del apoyo de mi país,
que, dicho sea de paso, se hace extensivo también al proyecto de resolución que ha sido sometido a esta sesión
plenaria.
53.4 Señora Presidenta: Como dijera el Jefe de nuestra delegación en esta sala: “La verdad no duele, sino que
no tiene remedio. Será difícil, por no decir imposible, disociar el nombre de Federico Mayor Zaragoza de los
grandes logros y realizaciones de la Organización en este fin de siglo y de milenio. Unos lo recordaremos como
un hombre con especial predilección por la causa de los pobres, los analfabetos, las mujeres y los jóvenes; en una
palabra, como defensor de la causa de los más desfavorecidos y vulnerables. Otros trataremos de conservar el
mayor tiempo posible el fervor español de sus discursos y el recuerdo de alguien que legó a la UNESCO y a la
comunidad internacional una visión del mundo y un proyecto de sociedad”. Queremos aprovechar esta ocasión
para desearle salud, larga vida y éxito en sus futuras funciones. Muchas gracias, señora Presidenta.
(53.1) Mr EDJO OVONO (Equatorial Guinea) (Translation from the Spanish):
Thank you, Madam President. At this stage of the discussion on the project “Towards a culture of peace”,
I should like to refer to something very interesting that I saw in the last issue of the UNESCO Courier. On page 27,
it says, among other things, that there is a provision in the Japanese Magna Carta which states that peace and
harmony must be respected because they are very important to relations among groups. This inspires reflection on
the need for the real and effective existence of the culture of peace and non-violence.
(53.2) The people of Equatorial Guinea, peaceful by nature, shun violence and do their utmost to practise
peaceful coexistence. The protection and preservation of the peace that now prevails in Equatorial Guinea is one of
the highest aspirations of the national government, and it therefore promotes initiatives that contribute to the
achievement of this overarching objective. The establishment of the National Committee on the Rights of the Child
and of the Centre for the Study and Promotion of Human Rights, as well as the proposal to establish a subregional
Parliament in Central Africa are some of those initiatives. The National University of Equatorial Guinea has
established, with the Organization’s assistance, a UNESCO Chair in “Education for peace, respect for human rights
and democracy”, with the objectives of: inculcating basic rights, promoting respect for them and combating
discrimination; providing civics education to safeguard the critical mass of values that make us more peaceful,
tolerant and supportive; contributing to the consolidation of the country’s democratization process; strengthening
cultural pluralism and inter-ethnic dialogue; and promoting dialogue and conflict prevention practices.
(53.3) My country therefore resolutely supports the transdisciplinary project “Towards a culture of peace”. The
initiative to make the year 2000 the International Year for the Culture of Peace also has my country’s support,
which, I say this in passing, also extends to the draft resolution that has been submitted to this plenary meeting.
(53.4) Madam President, as the Head of our delegation has said in this room: “Truth does not hurt, but it cannot
be cured”. It will be difficult, if not impossible, to dissociate Federico Mayor Zaragoza’s name from the
Organization’s great achievements and accomplishments at the close of this century and millennium. Some of us
will remember him as a man with a special predilection for the cause of the poor, the illiterate, women and youth;
in a word, as the champion of the cause of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable. Others will try to keep in mind
for as long as possible the Spanish fervour of his speeches and the memory of someone who has bequeathed
UNESCO and the international community a vision of the world and a blueprint for society”. We wish to take this
opportunity to wish him health, a long life and success in his future endeavours. Thank you very much, Madam
President.
54.1 The PRESIDENT:
I thank the representative of Equatorial Guinea most sincerely. Mr Director-General, Sir, you will
certainly be happy with the response that you are hearing at this particular meeting.
54.2 Now, I should like to make a remark, if I may - not a general remark but a very specific one. It pertains
to the report which was given by the Chairperson of Commission V, dealing with the media and communication.
I think that entertainment in the media, which is dealt with less often than other parts of the media, plays an
important role in shaping public opinion and setting values, and I am very much afraid, and I say so repeatedly,
that most of the videos and movies produced set standards of human values that are totally irreconcilable with the
true culture of peace. I should therefore like to propose work on a project - not for this biennium but for the
next - which would establish a UNESCO prize financed from extrabudgetary resources, and I already have one
tentative promise of a contribution from a large bank, for visual entertainment on television or film which would
have the five “Es”. I am sorry, this will perhaps not translate into Arabic or Russian, but it may work in French
and Spanish: it would enlighten, educate, enrich, encourage the human individual and at the same time entertain.
So I am just using this opportunity to ask for support and for cooperation from the Member States for this idea
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