A/HRC/17/39 Annex III UNESCO: Brief history of the concept of a culture of peace A. Origin of the concept at UNESCO 1. The concept of a Culture of Peace arose at the end of the Cold War. For the first time, the objective for which the United Nations was founded, the abolition of war, had become feasible. The United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture, UNESCO, had engaged in activities to promote a Culture of Peace from its beginnings, when it was founded in the aftermath of the Second World War to construct the defences of peace in the minds of men and women. 2. The concept of a Culture of Peace was formulated by the International Congress on Peace in the Minds of Men that was held in Africa (Yamoussoukro, Côte d'Ivoire, 1989). In its final declaration, the Congress invited “States, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, the scientific, educational and cultural communities of the world, and all individuals to “[...] help construct a new vision of peace by developing a peace culture based on the universal values of respect for life, liberty, justice, solidarity, tolerance, human rights and equality between men and women.”a 3. The term peace culture was inspired by the 1986 educational initiative Cultura de paz in Peru and by the Seville Statement on Violence, elaborated by scientists from around the world, which stated scientifically and categorically that war is not determined by genes, violent brains, human nature or instincts, but was rather a social invention. Therefore, “the same species that invented war is capable of inventing peace.” b B. National programmes for a culture of peace 4. In 1992, UNESCO's Executive Board requested a specific programme for a Culture of Peace as a contribution to United Nations peacekeeping efforts. Reasoning that peacekeeping operations alone might assure the absence of war but could not by themselves bring a positive, dynamic peace, UNESCO argued in 1992 that this could be done best by engaging those who had been in conflict in common ventures of human development. Acting primarily in the fields of education, science, culture and communication, UNESCO offered its services in post-conflict peace-building. National programmes were undertaken in a number of countries of Central America and Africa, as well as in collaboration with the Government of the Philippines. C. UNESCO's medium term strategy 5. A major turning point came in 1995 when the General Conference of UNESCO dedicated the Organization’s Medium-Term Strategy for the years 1996 – 2001 to a Culture of Peace. The General Conference stated that a b http://www.unesco.org/cpp/uk/declarations/yamouss.pdf, Part II a), retrieved 22 Oct 2010. http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.phpURL_ID=3247&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html, retrieved 22 Oct 2010. 35