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Posted: Sep. 17 2006,07:34 by David from
INTERNATIONAL - Fundacion Cultura de Paz |
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a)
What changes in youth policies do you think the
government/leadership in your country should make to promote a
CoP?
Costa Rica has a rich tradition of non-violence and
peaceful practices as evidenced by the fact that it constitutionally
abolished its army in 1948. However many issues continue to
challenge a culture of peace for the youth of the country. The
impressive growth of the eco-tourism industry has meant that more
and more students are being trained in schools to seek jobs for
financial gain instead of developing critical skills to work towards
a culture of peace. The government might do more to critically
reflect on what the influx of tourists has meant for this country
and the effects that it has had on local infrastructure in both
formal and non-formal educational settings in the interest of
ensuring equitable sustainable development for the country.
Another issue of great importance for Costa Rica and for its
youth is Nicaraguan immigration. Many Nicaraguans have come to this
country in search of greater opportunities, but this has created
cultural tensions, in particular among the youth of both countries.
The Arias Government has pledged to help ensure that these
immigrants are treated with respect, but more can certainly be done.
UPEACE is involved in a local initiative to assist the people of a
particular Nicaraguan refugee community in gaining recognition and
support from the Government. We focus our efforts on the local
elementary and high schools by having our students develop projects
that engage these students at the classroom level in an effort to
have them embrace multiculturalism. Our hope is that the new
Government will make this kind of work a priority and follow through
on their pledges for creating a culture of peace through education.
b) What CoP youth activities/initiatives do you think the UN
should do?
A culture for peace includes such themes as
solidarity, democracy, sustainable development, human rights gender
equality, peace education, etc and these are exactly the types of
subjects, many of which are the focus of Master´s Degree Programmes
at the University for Peace (UPEACE). UPEACE is a UN
affiliated University and while it works closely with the UN and its
various branches, it maintains its own institutional autonomy.
Our hope for UPEACE is to achieve intercultural solidarity and
lasting peace through education. We are a small microcosm of the
world here with 140 Master´s students from some 40 countries
studying in 7 different MA degree programs: peace education;
international law and the settlement of disputes; international law
and human rights; gender and peacebuilding; environmental security;
media, conflict peace and security; and international
peace studies. We also have a two-year masters program with American
University in Washington D.C. in natural resources & sustainable
development and international relations. In addition to our courses
in Costa Rica we extend our mission through activities in other
parts of the world and have offices in Toronto, New York, Addis
Ababa and Geneva with plans for further work in other places,
including Hungary, Korea, Jordan, Brazil and elsewhere.
In
sum, we believe the UN must do more to support the participation of
young people in global institutions. We believe the most
effective way to encourage this type of engagement is through
education at the elementary, high school and university levels. More
can also be done to include young people in the formal channels and
dialogues of UN decision making through internships, panel
discussions, and advocacy opportunities. That is why this Youth
Advocacy team is so important. So many students are not familiar
with how the UN works, let alone their ability to help foster
change, so it is crucial that organizations and advocacy groups
lobby on their behalf for the empowerment of young people
everywhere.
8. My response to this questionnaire is my
personal opinion although I believe it reflects the philosophy of
UPEACE.
Name of organization: University for PEACE (UPEACE)
Contact Person: Nick Martin
Email: ncmartin@gmail.com
Telephone
and fax: 011 506 877
5421
*************************
Fecha: Wed, 6 Sep 2006
09:09:54 -0600
De: "Julia Marton-Lefevre"
A: "Alicia Cabezudo"
CC:
Dear
Alicia,
Below I try to respond to some of your questions,
although please note that I am not a citizen of Costa Rica, nor can
I really respond on behalf of UPEACE. This is why it has
taken me some time to get back to you.
I am, however,
responding as Rector of UPEACE, and hopefully my responses represent
the thinking in this institution.
Best
regards,
Julia
Julia
Marton-Lefèvre
Rector
University for Peace
P.O. Box
138-6100
San José, Costa Rica
Tel: (506)-2059000
direct
line (506) 2059011
http://www.upeace.org/ |
