Paris, September 14 {No.99-190} - The International Year for the Culture of Peace - proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations for the year 2000 at the initiative of UNESCO - was launched today in ceremonies at Organization Headquarters in Paris and at the UN in New York.

In another event in Paris - at the Eiffel Tower, proclaimed on this occasion "Culture of Peace Messenger Site" - UNESCO Director-General Federico Mayor launched a solemn appeal "to create a global movement for a culture of peace and non-violence."

In New York, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan launched the Year in the name of the entire United Nations system. Ringing the Peace Bell - a traditional ceremony which takes place yearly on International Peace Day, at the opening of the General Assembly - Mr Annan declared: "Let us all join in working for a culture of peace and in implementing the programme of action adopted yesterday by the General Assembly. And let us make sure that the message of the bell of peace is heard as far and wide as possible, today and throughout this year."

The Secretary-General also addressed the afternoon ceremony at UNESCO. In a video message, he stressed that "the culture of peace is an idea whose time has come. For the United Nations," he said, "there remains no higher goal, no deeper commitment and no greater ambition than preventing armed conflict." He added: "true peace is far more than the absence of war. It is a phenomenon that encompasses economic development and social justice. It means safeguarding the global environment and curbing the global arms trade. It means democracy, diversity and dignity, respect for human rights and the rule of law; and more, much more."

In his opening address, Mr Mayor welcomed the adoption yesterday, by the General Assembly of the United Nations, of the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace. He declared that it is not enough "to be peaceful, not even to be pacifists, but to be peacemakers." He recalled that although UNESCO has several mandates - education, science, culture and communication - it has but one mission: to build peace."

Two Nobel Peace Prize laureates who took part in the drafting of the Manifesto 2000 for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence also took the floor. Shimon Peres, one of the architects of the Arab-Israeli Oslo Peace Agreement, declared that the young had the right "to divorce from our past" and said: "I am not sure we can be proud of our history, it is too full of blood and wars." He added that since Western Europe "turned its back on history and went over from politics to economy, from the past to the future, it has known no war. I think this is an agenda that can cover the whole world," he declared.

Rigoberta Menchu Tum for her part declared: "Do not remain silent in the face of injustice. Structural changes need to be made, changes of behaviour will not suffice. [...] Let us dream together to try to realise the hope of peace which all of humanity wants."

Numerous other personalities were present at UNESCO Headquarters. Eduardo Portella, President of UNESCO's General Conference stressed the political implications of the culture of peace, declaring: "Peace must be stimulated, elicited, provoked, with infinite patience and impatience [...] Neither an abstraction, nor a barren idea, peace is the embodiment of human dignity." Abbé Pierre, founder of Emmaus movement for the homeless, defined peace saying: "You suffer, I ache." He stressed that "those who have suffered much can teach us much." The President of the Interparliamentary Union, Najma Heptulla, emphasised the close co-operation between UNESCO and her Union, insisting that "peace and democracy are complementary" and that "in peace-building establishing representative institutions is essential."

Fred van Leeuwen, the Secretary-General of Education International which brings together 350 national teachers' unions representing 23 million teachers world-wide, declared: "We talk of a culture of peace but live in a culture of war. We educators share the responsibility for conveying the culture of war from one generation to another, for keeping its practices alive and for all too blindly following misguided instructions." Mr van Leeuwen went on to pledge his organisation's support for the culture of peace and spoke of initiatives to work in conflict areas with teachers "of all sides," notably in the Balkans and the Middle East, to revise educational curricula with the aim of eradicating hateful contents. He pledged to "struggle against prejudice, hatred, national, religious and racial discrimination everywhere."

Addresses were also given by French Armed Forces General Bernard Norlain, the Chief Executive Officer of Radisson-SAS, Kurt Ritter, the President of the NGO - UNESCO International Conference Monique Fouilhoux, the head of the French ministerial committee in charge of celebrations of the year 2000, Jean-Jacques Aillagon, and Ibrahim Mohamed, Mayor of Tombouctou (Mali), laureate of UNESCO's Mayors for Peace Prize.

The afternoon ceremony at UNESCO also featured an artistic programme with the participation of Miguel Angel Estrella, Chico Bouchikhi, Amine Kouider with the International Philharmonic Orchestra, Georges Moustaki - named UNESCO Artist for Peace on this occasion - the rap group Prime Essence, Neneu Liberalquino and UNESCO's Choir.

In the evening, another ceremony, organised by UNESCO and the City of Paris, took place at the Eiffel Tower. The most celebrated monument of the French capital was then proclaimed "Culture of Peace Messenger Site" by Mr Mayor in the presence of Paris Mayor Jean Tiberi. "I suggest that there should be a square or historic monument - like the Eiffel Tower - designated in every country and city as a messenger of peace symbolising the political will and the will of the people to serve the cause of peace and non-violence," said Mr Mayor in an appeal for the mobilisation of all in favour of the culture of peace.

In his message, Mr Mayor also said: "May the new century and the new millennium be a new departure, the setting of a new scene for human endeavour, locally and world-wide! Let us take up the challenge and together let us shape a new future by joining in the movement for the Year 2000, International Year for the Culture of Peace and Non-Violence." Mr Tiberi for his part declared that his city "is fully aware that peace must first be built in everyday life and that this never-ending task requires much perseverance and imagination."

For the full texts of the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace visit the UNESCO Internet site: http://www.unesco.org/opi/paix2000/res.htm

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