Reaffirming that culture should be regarded as the set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of society or a social group, and that it encompasses, in addition to art and literature, lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs,
Noting that culture is at the heart of contemporary debates about identity, social cohesion, and the development of a knowledge-based economy,
Affirming that respect for the diversity of cultures, tolerance, dialogue and cooperation, in a climate of mutual trust and understanding are among the best guarantees of international peace and security,
We have yet to meet the challenge posed by the Charter of the United Nations ‘to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war’. In considering how to achieve this supreme goal, we have come to realize that sending peacekeeping forces to separate warring parties is not enough. Nor is it even enough to conduct preventive diplomacy. We need to act at a deeper level for the prevention of violent conflicts before they arise. We need a culture of peace.
The first and fundamental principle of such a culture must be tolerance. This means welcoming and celebrating the differences that make our planet such a varied and richly textured place.
We must also broaden our view of what is meant by peace and security. Peace means much more than the absence of war. Human security can no longer be understood in purely military terms. Rather, it must encompass economic development, social justice, environmental protection, democratization, disarmament, and respect for human rights and the rule of law. Many of these pillars of peace can be identified through the process of dialogue across cultures that is the essential component of a culture of peace.