Student Observance of the International Day of Peace in New York highlights disarmament education in Nepal: “Learning Peace”

September 18th, 2013
Fear and empty classes is what Subita recalls from her first year at school: “One of our teachers was killed during the conflict that is why school was closed for a long time and it affected our studies very much”. A decade of conflict in Nepal left over 13,000 people dead and a country yearning for lasting peace. The civil war ended in 2006 yet Nepal is still in a transitional phase and tensions could flare up again.

 

Disarmament Education in Nepal: “Learning Peace Produced by the Office for Disarmament Affairs’ UN Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific

 

http://unrcpd.org/

 

 

 

Conflict is not inevitable and can be avoided by raising the next generation’s awareness on peace practices they can use in their everyday life. That is the objective of the project “Peace and Disarmament Education Teaching Tools in Nepal” led by the Office for Disarmament Affairs (ODA) through its Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD).

In a short video shown at the Student Observance of the International Day of Peace in New York on 18 September, UNRCPD showed how children recovering from armed conflict are learning non-violent ways of settling disputes and building a sustainable peace. Education for Peace is the theme chosen for this Observance, in support of the Secretary-General’s Global Education First Initiative [http://www.globaleducationfirst.org].

Twenty-two cents per child: this is the cost of the initial phase pilot that aims at reaching annually about 300,000 eighth graders who will receive practical skills for dealing with conflict as well as training teachers and developing set of teaching tools. UNRCPD ensured the project’s sustainability by working through existing structures, such as the Nepal Curriculum Development Centre. The project provides the expertise requested by the Government of Nepal so that peace and disarmament education can effectively reshape norms of violence into a culture of peace.

“The Government has already embraced the concept of education for peace and our project provides them with the expertise they need to deliver it by weaving in peace and disarmament education into existing curricula” says Sharon Riggle, Director of UNRCPD.

Written by Juliette Raimbault and Elias Oberkirch

 

Remarks on the Occasion of the Student Observance of the International Day of Peace By Angela Kane, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Delivered by Virginia Gamba, Director and Deputy to the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs

Photos from the Event

Audience at the Student Observance of the International Day of Peace at UN Headquarters
Virginia Gamba, Director of the Office for Disarmament Affairs, introducing the film, “Learning Peace”
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Mrs. Ban with students 
Ban Ki-moon with John Ashe from Antigua and Barbuda who will be President of the General Assembly for the 68th Session (with spouse), the film actress Monique Coleman, and Jan Eliasson