Posted: April 05 2005,04:39 |
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PROGRESS: Has your organization seen
progress toward a culture of peace and nonviolence in your domain of
action and in your constituency during the first half of the Decade? |
YES.
We observe that more and more people are asking themselves what they
can do for peace and betterment of human society. There is a worldwide
awakening of consciousness happening on the individual level, and that
is the most important aspect in bringing about a shift toward a culture
of peace.
The growing number of young people participating in
our Essay Contest; increased opportunities to bring our work into the
formal education system; and the expanding network of likeminded
individuals and organizations are some of the indications of the
progress made through our activities to build a culture of peace.
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OBSTACLES: What are the most important obstacles that have prevented progress?
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Key difficulties encountered include the following:
- Language barrier The
International Essay Contest can only accept entries in English, French,
German, Spanish and Japanese, due to our limitations in handling other
languages. Having to prepare all our information both in Japanese
(for our domestic audience) and English (for our international
audience) is also time and resource consuming.
- Sharing our work with others While
we often have great material resulting from our Essay Contests,
Symposia and other programs that could inspire and benefit many people,
we lack the means to disseminate them widely.
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ACTIONS: What actions have been
undertaken by your organization to promote a culture of peace and
nonviolence during the first half of the Decade?
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Our activities to promote a culture of peace include the following:
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Declaration for All Life on Earth launched by the Goi Peace Foundation
on the occasion of the International Year for the Culture of Peace is
disseminated around the world to promote shared values and universal
principles for a culture of peace. Symposia and lecutures are organized
regularly by the Foundation and its supporters in various regions to
promote the culture of peace in the context of the Declaration. The
document is listed on UNESCO website as a "Declaration Relative to the
Culture of Peace."
- International Essay Contest for Young
People is organized annually since 2000. It has been held under the
banner of the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and
Non-Violence for the Children of the World since 2001. Each year, the
contest adopts a theme relevant to the culture of peace, such as
"Harmony", "Respect for Life," and "Caring for Our Planet." A
Collection of Essays from the contest is published in a booklet.
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School lectures by diplomats are organized at elementary through high
schools throughout Japan as an educational program to promote
international understanding and cultural diversity. (Ongoing program
since 2001)
- International Day of Peace Educational Program is
promoted in elementary through high schools throughout Japan as an
occasion to engage in education for peace and non-violence. The program
is co-sponsored by the Goi Peace Foundation and UNIC Tokyo. (Annual
program since 2003)
- Goi Peace Chair on Peace and Conflict
Science is held at the Munich School of Political Science. (Ongoing
program since May 2004)
- Public Service Announcement was
produced and broadcast worldwide on CNN International with Message of
Peace and Nonviolence from the Children of the World (2003)
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Creating Peace satellite TV program series is produced and broadcast
biweekly to help build a culture based on spiritual values. A video
series with the same title is also produced.
Pupils celebrate the International Day of Peace at Honjo-Higashi Elementary School in Saitama, Japan.
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ADVICE: What advice would you like to
give to the Secretary-General and the General Assembly to promote a
culture of peace and nonviolence during the second half of the Decade? |
Promotion
of a culture of peace and nonviolence is fundamentally a question of
values, consciousness and will of each human being. We must deal
squarely with the problems arising from human hearts if genuine world
peace and human happiness are to be attained. It is time for the United
Nations to seriously take up this intangible realm of work.
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PARTNERSHIPS: What partnerships and
networks does your organization participate in, thus strengthening the
global movement for a culture of peace? |
We
have created partnerships internationally and among various fields and
actors. One of our mission is to promote cooperation among individuals
and organizations in all fields, including science, education, culture
and the arts, building a peace network to stimulate the global trend
toward a culture of peace.
For example, we co-organized Peace
Pole dedication ceremonies to promote a culture of peace with the
following intergovernmental organizations (2001 - 2004): ASEAN, OSCE
Secretariat, International Organisation of the Francophonie, UN Office
at Nairobi, OAS, League of Arab States, The World Bank Group, OSCE
Parliamentary Assembly, CIS, Pacific Islands Forum, WTO, UN General
Assembly President's Office, SAARC, IMF, OPEC, IAEA, WHO, UNHCR, OHCHR.
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PLANS: What new engagements are
planned by your organization to promote a culture of peace and
nonviolence in the second half of the Decade (2005-2010)? |
In addition to the ongoing projects listed above, the following new projects are in the planning:
-
Earth Kids Space will be launched at 21 locations across Japan to offer
a place for children to gather after school and on weekends, where they
can learn about peace and nonviolence, respect for all life and our
environment through games, stories and interactive workshops. (Starting
April 2005)
- Lecture series "Peace Building in Today's
World" at the Gunma Prefectural Women's University, Faculty of
International Communication. Lectures offered by diplomats from various
countries and NGO representatives are intended to offer education for
peace building, cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue.
(Starting May 2005)
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Postal address of organization
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1-4-5 Hirakawacho Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0093 JAPAN
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E-mail address of organization
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info@goipeace.or.jp
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Website address of organization
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www.goipeace.or.jp
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Highest priority action domain of a culture of peace
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Education for a culture of peace
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Second priority action domain of a culture of peace
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Understanding, tolerance, solidarity
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Highest priority country of action (or international)
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International
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Second priority country of action (or international)
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