| Posted: April 26 2005,15:54 |
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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? |
Following
our Actions, we consider what follows as evidence of the progress made
by the UNESCO Chair / Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
towards the promotion of the Culture of Peace:
1. Increase
of the "Chair’s" co-operations with Institutions, Networks,
Universities and individuals such as academics, teachers, artists,
students and citizens. A key principle of the UNESCO Chair is expanding
its activities in order to reach and sensitize as many Target Groups as
possible to global and the Culture of Peace issues.
All the
activities of the "Chair" are interdisciplinary / pluridisciplinary; as
a consequence its partners are Professors of several Schools and
Faculties of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and other Greek
and European Universities, Higher Education Institutes such as the
School of National Defense, National and International IGOs and NGOs
(UNICEF, U.N. International Centre of Information, Amnesty
International, Institute of Education for Peace, Médécins du Monde
etc.), Scientific Societies, Schools and educators all over Greece, etc.
2.
The participation of the UNESCO Chair in European Projects and Networks
has opened the way to a closer co-operation among the UNESCO Chairs of
Europe and of the Balkan Region.
3. The activities of the UNESCO
Chair have also a strong impact on the students of A.U.Th. The fact
that approximately 1100 students have attended the Chair’s courses
during the period 2001-2005, participating in the course’s demanding
examinations as well, illustrates the Chair’s ability to draw their
interest to Culture of Peace and Human Rights issues.
4. The
creation of the National Network of Schoolteachers for a Culture of
Peace and Non-Violence has added a significant perspective to the work
of the UNESCO Chair. Due to the national scope of the Network, a great
number of schools, teachers and pupils are involved and work towards a
Culture of Peace and Non-Violence.
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OBSTACLES: What are the most important obstacles that have prevented progress?
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We
consider that the main obstacle in our activities for the promotion of
the Culture of Peace and Non-Violence has been the insufficient
financial support with all the self-evident consequences. Therefore,
almost all our activities towards a Culture of Peace have been realized
by volunteers in all social levels (academics, students, teachers etc.).
In
addition, the Ministry of National Education in Greece has still not
included Culture of Peace in its official educational politics and
actions, although we have been implementing many activities (see
Actions) towards a Culture of Peace, together with teachers from all 3
levels of Education, for the past ten years.
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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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During
the first half of the "Decade" (2001-2005) the UNESCO Chair of
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (A.U.Th.) has undertaken the
following actions for the promotion of the Culture of Peace.
I. ACADEMIC PROGRAMME at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (A.U.Th.)
We
succeeded to introduce the topic of the Culture of Peace and
Non-Violence in the academic teaching of Aristotle University of
Thessaloniki, as follows:
A. Undergraduate level
1.
Interfaculty Interdisciplinary Programme on Education for Human Rights
and Peace (title: "Contemporary World Problems and the Scientists’
Responsibility" - Academic Responsible: Professor Dimitra Papadopoulou).
The Programme is dedicated in both semesters of each academic year to the "Decade".
The
UNESCO Chair offers the above Programme to undergraduate students of
all Schools of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki since the academic
year 1993-1994; in 1997 the Programme developed into an UNESCO Chair at
A.U.Th. on Education for Human Rights, Democracy and Peace.
During
the period 2001-2005 (total number of academic semesters: 9) more than
40 Professors of the A.U.Th. and other Greek Universities, as well as a
Lieutenant General, an official of UNICEF and representatives of
several NGOs, have taught in the Programme.
The academics came
from 18 University Schools such as Psychology, Medicine, Law,
Philosophy, Physics, Chemistry etc. They gave lectures on
different subjects such as:
Culture of Peace - Basic
Concepts and Programmes of Action -Forms of Non Violence and Peace
Research - UNESCO - Programmes of Education for Human Rights and Peace
- The Contribution of Youth to the Culture of Peace - International
Protection of Cultural Heritage - Violence on Children: Protection of
their Rights - Women and Citizenship: Dimensions of Democracy and
Equality in Education - Military Science and Art in the 3rd Millenium -
International Institutions and the Peaceful Settlement of Disputes -
Migration and Cultural Identity - New Biotechnologies and Genetically
Modified Organisms - Bioethical Questions - Peaceful uses of Nuclear
Physics - Terrorism and Asymmetrical Warfare - Multicultural society
and school: the need of intercultural education - Religions and the
message of Peace - Bio-terrorism-Contemporary reality of the biological
threat, etc.
(Please, see www.unesco.auth.gr)
During
2001-2005 around 1100 students coming from various Schools of the
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki have been enrolled in the above
Programme.
2. Social Psychology and Peace (School of Psychology, A.U.Th.)
Some of the topics-object of this course are the following:
Culture
of Peace. Basic concepts, international activities - The contribution
of Social Psychology to Peace - Aggression and violence. Social
psychological theories - Conflicts (Interpersonal, Intergroup,
International) - Non-Violence (types of) - M. Gandhi, M.L.King - UNESCO
and the Culture of Peace - The Seville Statement on Violence and
the Manifesto 2000 of UNESCO: social-psychological analysis, etc.
B. Post-graduate level
European’s Master’s Degree in Human Rights and Democratization
This Programme is organised with the cooperation of 37 Universities
from all member-states of the European Union and coordinated by the
European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratization,
(EIUC, Italy). The UNESCO Chair/A.U.Th. has been participating in this
Programme since 1998.
During 2001-2005, 20 Professors coming
from 7 Schools of A.U.Th. have taught in this Interdisciplinary
Programme. The courses refer to topics such as:
Education
for Human Rights, Democracy and Peace: Towards a Culture of Peace -
Human Rights in Education - Women's Rights and Democratic Education:
Discussing about Gender - Democracy and Citizenship - Multiple
discrimination in Gypsy minority women - Multiculturalism and
Intercultural Education - Immigration and Human Rights : National
Issues - Nationalism and National Identity in Everyday Life: A
Discourse Analytic Perspective - Civic Participation, Health
Inequalities and Change in Deprived Communities, etc.
(Please, see:www.emahumanrights.org)
II. The UNESCO Chair / A.U.Th. organised a National Interdisciplinary
Conference on "The Role of Teachers in the Culture of Peace and Human
Rights" (Thessaloniki, 14-16 December 2001).
The Conference was dedicated to the "Decade" (2001-2010) and to the U.N. Decade for Human Rights Education (1995-2004).
Main
objective of the Conference was to make widely known the Culture of
Peace values to teachers of Primary and Secondary Education and invite
them to undertake, together with their pupils, activities for the
implementation of these values in the classroom.
Fifty nine (59)
speakers participated in the Conference which was attended by more than
550 participants, teachers of all 3 levels of Education, coming from
all specialties and all over Greece.
III. The UNESCO
Chair / A.U.Th. established (December 2001) the National Network of
Educators for a Culture of Peace and Non Violence.
The purpose
of the Network is to promote the principles of the Culture of Peace in
primary and secondary Education Schools. The Network members, more than
550 teachers of primary and secondary education, from all specialties
and in all regions of Greece, have been working actively in order to
diffuse the values of respect, tolerance, democracy and the Culture of
Peace in the minds of hundreds of children.
A broad
range of notable activities has been organized by teachers and schools
of the Network, approaching diverse issues related to the Culture of
Peace. Through projects, lessons, artistic events, information
activities, conferences, educational interventions, multimedia
presentations, discussion panels, communication with schools of foreign
countries and publications, a nation-wide mobilization has been
developed with the aim of involving the Greek students in the core of
the Culture of Peace. The issues addressed by the above activities,
include the following:
* Peace, non violence
* The rights of the child, child abuse, violation of children’s rights
* (Anti)racism-xenophobia, intercultural education, diversity-tolerance and cooperation
* The consequences of war, humanitarian aid
* Respect, solidarity
* Respect / protection of the environment
The
National Network of Schoolteachers for a Culture of Peace and
Non-Violence, created by the UNESCO Chair, is a major instrument of
cooperation of the ‘Chair’ with primary and secondary education
teachers all over Greece.
IV. Among the various activities
of the UNESCO Chair of the A.U.Th., is also the ‘Chair’s’ collaboration
with the Greek Armed Forces:
The UNESCO Chair has a constant
collaboration with the National Armed Forces, since 1998. The
collaboration consists in the delivery of lectures and documents
concerning issues of Education for Human Rights and Peace, as well as
the Culture of Peace, to Armed Forces personnel, soldiers and the
public.
A number of lectures has been delivered by the UNESCO
Chair at the School of National Defence (Athens) and the Higher School
of War (Thessaloniki). The issues discussed in the above lectures
related to subjects such as: "UNESCO and Education for a Culture of
Human Rights and Peace", "The Contribution of UNESCO in Peace Building
Processes", etc. The lectures were dedicated to the 50th
Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the
International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non Violence for the
Children of the World (2001-2010).
V. The
"Chair" has recently published a collective interdisciplinary volume
under the title "Towards a Culture of Peace. Education for Peace in
Schools" (Ed. Dimitra Papadopoulou), Thessaloniki 2005, p.530.
The
authors of the book (48) come from all 3 levels of education and from
many scientific fields (Theology, Mathematics, Biology, Psychology,
Medicine etc.) A Lieutenant General and a former Vice Secretary General
of the U.N. are among the writers. The Seville Statement on Violence
and the Manifesto 2000 are also included in the volume.
VI. Participation in Meetings and Conferences
The
director of the UNESCO Chair, A.U.Th. and many other academic members
of the "Chair" have participated and gave lectures on the Culture of
Peace and non- violence and on the "Decade" in a great number of
Conferences and Meetings organized by Organizations other than the
UNESCO Chair, all over Greece as well as in other European countries.
The
aim of this activity was to spread widely the objectives and values of
the "Decade" in as many settings as possible all over Greece and
sensitize members of various social groups and Associations.
Some of the topics presented in this context are the following:
UNESCO’s
contribution to the Culture of Peace (12.11.2001) - Human Rights
Education after September 11th (24.01.2002) - Education for a Culture
of Peace (18.05.2002) - Violence Prevention and Free Time. The Presence
of the UNESCO Chair at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 23 -
25.5.2002 - Education for Human Rights and Peace. Towards a Culture of
Peace and Non-Violence. Round Table, 19.12.2002 -The role of the UNESCO
Chairs to the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and
non-violence (20.09.2002) - Culture as an instrument for conflict
prevention (27.11.2003) etc.
The purpose of all the activities
of the UNESCO Chair/A.U.Th. is the greatest possible promotion of the
Culture of Peace and Human Rights values. In order to reach and
sensitize many and diverse target groups to global problems and issues
of the Culture of Peace, the UNESCO Chair a) developed a broad
interdisciplinary framework of studies regarding multiple contemporary
issues, b) based all its activities on a wide range of cooperations
with various Institutions, Networks, Universities, and individuals such
as academics, teachers, students and citizens.
It is worth
noting that the UNESCO Chair’s activities are not limited inside the
academic community but extend to the rest of the society as well.
Through its various Conferences, cultural events, Round Tables,
educational interventions etc, the UNESCO Chair manages to attract a
variety of audiences and to raise public awareness as to the above
mentioned issues.
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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? |
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PARTNERSHIPS: What partnerships and
networks does your organization participate in, thus strengthening the
global movement for a culture of peace? |
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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)? |
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Postal address of organization
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P.O. Box 48
541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece
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E-mail address of organization
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dipeace@psy.auth.gr
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Website address of organization
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www.unesco.auth.gr
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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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Human Rights
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Highest priority country of action (or international)
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The
UNESCO Chair is at the same time national as an academic unit of the
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece and international as a
unit of UNESCO and member of the International UNESCO Chairs’ Net.
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Second priority country of action (or international)
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