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Explore the 8 Actions to Promote a Culture of Peace.

Actions to Promote a Culture of Peace

foster a culture of peace through education;

promote sustainable economic and social development;

promote respect for all human rights;

ensure equality between women and men;

foster democratic participation;

advance understanding, tolerance and solidarity;

support participatory communication and the free flow of information and knowledge;

promote international peace and security.

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Join us to celebrate the Friendship between people, countries, cultures and individuals; May our friendship inspire peace efforts, build bridges between communities and create a loving peaceful world together.

The Federation of World Peace and Love (FOWPAL) will host a virtual event in celebration of United Nations International Day of Friendship on July 30, 2023.

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Friendship amongst nations.

The study highlights how instrumental friendship was for describing and legitimising a range of political and legal engagements with foreign countries and nations. It emphasises contractual and political aspects in diplomatic friendship based on the idea of utility. It is these functions of the concept that help the world stick together when collective institutions are either embryonic or no more.

This is the first book-length study of the role that friendship plays in diplomacy and international politics. Through an examination of a vast amount of sources ranging from diplomatic letters and bilateral treaties, to poems and philosophical treatises, it analyses how friendship has been talked about and practised in pre-modern political orders and modern systems of international relations.

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The UNESCO Constitution, written in 1945, links the possibility and hope of peace to strong bonds of trust and friendship.

The International Day of Friendship lends itself to action on behalf of the Culture of Peace in ways that:

Promote sustainable economic and social development

Ensure gender equality

Foster democratic participation

Advance understanding, tolerance and solidarity

Support the free flow of information and knowledge

Promote respect for all human rights

Use education to foster peace

Advance international peace and security

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Foster a culture of peace through education.

Establishing a culture of peace and sustainable development are at the heart of UNESCO’s mandate. Training and research in sustainable development are among the priorities, as well as human rights education, skills for peaceful relations, good governance, Holocaust remembrance, the prevention of conflict and peace building. Read more

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Advance interreligious dialogue and combat all forms of discrimination based on religion and belief.

The meeting highlighted the UNAOC’s progress made in 2021, namely, engagement with faith actors and religious leaders across the faith spectrum within the framework of its mandate to advance interreligious dialogue and combat all forms of discrimination based on religion and belief; progress made on the implementation of the UNAOC High Representative’s mandate as the United Nations focal point for monitoring antisemitism and enhancing a system- wide response; and coordination and implementation of the United Nations Plan of Action to Safeguard Religious Sites. The Group of Friends received updates on the UNAOC programming activities across 5 pillars and new crosscutting projects which were launched or completed within 2021. In 2022, the UNAOC’s priorities include strengthening and reinforcing the prevention portfolio both within and beyond the United Nations; bolstering engagement and interaction with Member States and regional organizations to maintain the momentum on multilateral cooperation; expansion of the UNAOC’s geographical presence and visibility, and contributing to the United Nations Secretary-General’s priorities outlined in his report “Our Common Agenda”.

Summary reports from UNAOC Group of Friends Meetings.

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Promote sustainable economic and social development.

Sustainable development is the international community’s most urgent priority, and the core aim of the 2030 Development Agenda for sustainable development. ECOSOC operates at the centre of the UN system’s work on all three pillars of sustainable development—economic, social and environmental. It is the unifying platform for integration, action on sustainable development and follow-up and review.

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Support participatory communication and the free flow of information and knowledge.

The Free Flow of Information plays an important part in the UN’s Culture of Peace Initiative

The UN’s Culture for Peace Initiative depends greatly on participatory communication and the free flow of information and knowledge. The original UNESCO document stated that freedom of opinion, expression and information is needed to replace the secrecy and manipulation of information which characterise the culture of war. The free flow of information is essential to a well-informed society.

Accurate and well-distributed information underpins the free market, improves human capital, provides transparency of government decisions, and improves judicial and government decisions. The free flow of information is an attempt to account for the degree of access to information as well as the independence of that information from vested political and economic interests. In this respect, freedom of the press is also helpful in countering corruption, as greater transparency can provide a means for increasing the oversight of resource distribution by the media. Therefore, the media can be a powerful partner for the construction of a culture of peace. Its technological advances and pervasive growth have made it possible for every person to take part in the making of history, enabling a truly global movement for a culture of peace. On the one hand, it is essential for the consciousness-raising and networking that can make the transition possible from the culture of war to a culture of peace, especially in the hands of the young generation.

On another side, however, the media is sometimes misused to create and disseminate enemy images, violence and even genocide against other ethnic and national groups, and to portray and glorify violence in many forms. The control of information by the state and its commercial allies has become the chief weapon of the culture of war. Also, secrecy is on the increase, justified in terms of national security and economic competitiveness, whereas in fact more transparency is needed in governance and economic decision-making.

In many fragile countries, fact-based, independent, transparent, accountable, and impartial reporting does not exist because of the business and political interests of media owners and the lack of pay and training for journalists. In others, it is often subject to increased censorship, regulation and attack from parties that want to undermine its influence. Media can be an instrument of conflict, used to incubate hatred and fan violence. It can reinforce the politics of division and identity rather than fostering social cohesion. It can bolster currently held belief systems rather than enlighten, inform and emancipate. Anyone anywhere has the potential to play a role on a global scale with a local tweet or Facebook post or a blog. With that comes the obvious danger that irresponsible, ill-informed, inflammatory comment can ignite violence.

There are many challenges we face in this area of the culture for peace, especially for independent media. Many conflict- or transitional environments constitute a disabling, rather than enabling, environment for independent media to flourish - corruption is rampant, pay is low, sources (official and unofficial) often refuse or are afraid to talk to journalists, unions and associations, if existent, are usually weak and the regulatory and legislative environments are more punitive than supportive of freedom of expression and freedom of the press.

Media ownership and the diversity of ownership models (private, state/public, community) as well as alignment with political parties and/or ideologies, are likely to have implications for the roles media are able to play. State media that serves as a mouthpiece for a regime cannot hold leaders to account. Private media, while technically independent, may become highly factionalised when influenced or co-opted by political or business figures with an interest in manipulating editorial coverage.

Ideally, legal and regulatory frameworks should support a system conducive to freedom of expression, pluralism and diversity of the media, but regulatory bodies are often aligned or connected in some way with the state. These regulators can have undue influence on the work of journalists, they can restrict what is broadcast or published or even shut down media outlets. Social media is increasingly being subjected to government regulation, especially as government agencies monitor online sites in their effort to identify would-be extremist attackers. Governments have called for internet platforms to remove accounts and/or content that promotes or supports extremism. They have also expanded surveillance efforts and called for restrictions on encryption – whether in the name of the war on terrorism, extremism or simply xenophobia.

Internet access is still low in conflict-prone countries. For all the talk about the rapidly shifting sands of the media landscape, ‘traditional’ media, often remains the best way to reach people in conflict- affected countries in the least developed world because it is widely accessed and tends to be more trusted than other media. For instance, according to BBC Media Action research, radio is the most accessed media platform for information and the most trusted in Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania. In Afghanistan, radio was still the most popular source of information in 2016. In 2016, 90% of Nepalis listened to the radio and 83% watched the TV, while in the Palestine Territories, TV was the dominant medium (98%) with radio trailing (43%). Syria is also a TV oriented country, with access to satellite television being almost ubiquitous, even in refugee camps.

Going forwards, there are many developments for those who work towards the free flow of information:

Our first proposal is that UN agencies, state and civil societies should promote and help to build linkages between media and other institutions at all levels to enhance the collaboration and effectiveness especially in the post-conflict environments.

Much of the work with media in conflict management to date has focused on the media sector itself rather than examining its interplay with other sub-systems and the greater system overall. It is crucial to build key linkages between peacebuilding and state building institutions and media institutions, thereby supporting more effective media development in post-conflict environments, especially within areas that internet access is particular low and traditional media is heavily relied on. For example, media-military dialogues can be useful for building trust and understanding between those two sectors and beyond to the communities they serve.

Our second proposal is that UN and governmental organisations to promote regulatory reform as part of peace settlements and their implementation. To implement this, media regulation has to be part of the political settlement in any fragile state. The regulatory framework needs to include rules for proportionate political coverage of parties and mechanisms for including minority political and cultural interests. It must also include transparent guidelines for setting licences for stations under terms that allow all media actors, including small and independent ones – to participate.

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Friendship Importance Around the World: Links to Cultural Factors, Health, and Well-Being.

Prioritizing friendship is associated with many health and well-being benefits. However, to date, there have been relatively few studies that have examined cultural moderators of the link between friendship and important outcomes. In other words, is prioritizing friendships more beneficial in some contexts than others? In the current study, we examined how culture- and country-level factors were associated with the importance people place on friendships and the benefits derived from this importance. The sample comprised of 323,200 participants (M = 40.79 years, SD = 16.09 years) from 99 countries from the World Values Survey. Multilevel analyses revealed that women, people with higher levels of education, and people living in countries that are more economically equal and high in indulgence placed more value on friendships. Prioritizing friendships in life was associated with better health and well-being, but these associations depended on many cultural factors. The findings are discussed in the context of the ways in which friendships can enrich health and well-being across different settings.

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Shaping a better world: Building Cohesive and Inclusive societies in a challenging COVID-19 environment.

Summary reports from UNAOC Group of Friends Meetings.

Webinar: “An Intergenerational Conversation: The Future They Want”

Webinar: “Racism, Xenophobia and Discrimination: The Tearing of Our Societies”

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Promote respect for all human rights.

To promote human rights, you first need to understand the issues. Many people have good intentions, but if they lack accurate information, their efforts can make things worse. Commit to thorough research from credible sources, such as the United Nations, the World Health Organization, and news organizations with good track records. Bear in mind that no source is perfect and even reliable organizations can miss the mark. It’s your responsibility to read widely, listen to people’s stories, and recognize that learning is a continuous process.

Research human rights issues

Change your shopping habits

Connect to human rights movements

Vote in every election

Put pressure on those responsible for upholding human rights

Protest inequalities

Support mothers and parents

Take action when you see discrimination

Support economic rights

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Ensure equality between women and men.

Gender equality is intrinsically linked to sustainable development and is vital to the realization of human rights for all.

The overall objective of gender equality is a society in which women and men enjoy the same opportunities, rights and obligations in all spheres of life. Equality between men and women exists when both sexes are able to share equally in the distribution of power and influence; have equal opportunities for financial independence through work or through setting up businesses; enjoy equal access to education and the opportunity to develop personal ambitions, interests and talents; share responsibility for the home and children and are completely free from coercion, intimidation and gender-based violence both at work and at home.

Within the context of population and development programmes, gender equality is critical because it will enable women and men to make decisions that impact more positively on their own sexual and reproductive health as well as that of their spouses and families. Decision-making with regard to such issues as age at marriage, timing of births, use of contraception, and recourse to harmful practices (such as female genital cutting) stands to be improved with the achievement of gender equality.

However it is important to acknowledge that where gender inequality exists, it is generally women who are excluded or disadvantaged in relation to decision-making and access to economic and social resources. Therefore a critical aspect of promoting gender equality is the empowerment of women, with a focus on identifying and redressing power imbalances and giving women more autonomy to manage their own lives. This would enable them to make decisions and take actions to achieve and maintain their own reproductive and sexual health. Gender equality and women’s empowerment do not mean that men and women become the same; only that access to opportunities and life changes is neither dependent on, nor constrained by, their sex.

Frequently asked questions about gender equality

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Pedagogies for Building Cultures of Peace.

Pedagogies for Building Cultures of Peace explores how normalizations of violence are constructed from the perspective of young adults and how pedagogies can be created toward building cultures of peace. Findings show the diverse ways in which enmity (or the dehumanized other) is constructed, including through socialization processes, associating difference as deficient, systems of exclusion, disengaged citizenship, and cultures of competition and rivalry. Results also show how critical adult education can reveal hidden forms of power embedded within normalizations of violence, creating opportunities for peacebuilding education. By collaboratively engaging in peace research with youth, and by explicitly exploring power as a central component of violence, violence transformation and peacebuilding education led by youth become imaginable. Pedagogies for Building Cultures of Peace

Challenging Constructions of an Enemy.

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Building Bridges: Using Soft Power to Promote a Culture of Peace.

Summary reports from UNAOC Group of Friends Meetings.

On 28 September 2018, the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) held a Group of Friends meeting at the level of ministers of foreign affairs and heads of international organizations. The event focused on the theme “Building Bridges: Using Soft Power to Promote a Culture of Peace”.

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Promote greater respect among civilizations, cultures, religions and beliefs.

The Group of Friends welcomed the summary report of the implementation of UNAOC’s Strategic Plan covering the period 2013-2018, and noted progress made across the Alliance’s four pillars of work – youth, education, media and migration. The importance of UNAOC programmes and initiatives in promoting greater respect among civilizations, cultures, religions and beliefs could not be overstated.

Assessment of the implementation of the UNAOC (2013-2018) Strategic plan.

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Foster democratic participation.

The fifth programme area of the Programme of Action for a Culture of Peace is democratic participation. In the original draft sent from UNESCO, it was pointed out that:

The fostering of democratic participation and governance is ... the only way to replace the authoritarian structures of power which were created by and which have, in the past, sustained the culture of war and violence ... As stated by the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development, '....democracy and transparent and accountable governance and administration in all sectors of society are indispensable foundations for the realization of social and people-centred sustainable development [which, with social justice] are indispensable for the achievement and maintenance of peace and security within and among our nations'.

The close inter-relationships between the different programme areas for a culture of peace are especially evident here. Democratic participation, at the same time, both depends on and contributes to human rights, the free flow of information (transparency), the equality of women and men, and international peace and security.

The emphasis needs to be on participation, since all too often governments gain their power through political systems that bear the name "democracy" but which allow very little participation by the ordinary citizen. In fact, the actions of governments are often so secretive (usually in the name of "national security", i.e. the culture of war), that citizens are not even able to participate in knowledge of what their government is doing.

Participation is key to the strategy of the global movement, in order to make it an effective force for historical transformation.

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Youth Engagement: The Nexus to Building Inclusive Societies and Sustaining Peace.

Summary reports from UNAOC Group of Friends Meetings.

On 22 September 2017, the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) held a Group of Friends meeting at the level of ministers of foreign affairs and heads of international organizations. The event focused on the theme “Youth Engagement: The Nexus to Building Inclusive Societies and Sustaining Peace”.