Conference on “Education for Peace”

Director-General Tuck
High Commissioner Zeid
Dear Colleagues and Friends:

I am honoured to be with you to speak on a topic that is vital not only to me personally but to the Secretary-General and to the United Nations as a whole – “Education for Peace”.

We are here to celebrate two birthdays - the 90th anniversary of the International School of Geneva and the 70th anniversary of the United Nations. The histories of our two institutions are intertwined, linked by the League of Nations - a fact that we mark every year when we host the Students’ League of Nations here at the Palais des Nations. And we maintain a link through the Permanent Representative of the United Nations to the Governing Board of the school.

But our two institutions have more than longevity, origins and practical collaboration in common – we share a deep-seated commitment to education, to dialogue and to understanding across cultures and boundaries.

Education drives progress in every society, and is much more than a simple entry point to the job market. Helping young people to realize their potential is arguably one of the most important things we can do together to build a sustainable future and a better world.

It is therefore essential that education policies promote peace, respect for others, and for our planet. This task is more urgent than ever. We have all been shocked at the terrorist attacks in Paris, in Yemen and in Nigeria over the past weeks. And I extend a special welcome to cartoonist Hani Abbas, here representing Geneva-based organization “Cartooning for Peace” – a long-standing friend of the United Nations who has been touched especially by the events in Paris last week. I know that I am joined by all here in expressing our solidarity and support.

The recent attacks have reinforced a growing sentiment that our right to question, to think critically and to express ourselves freely is threatened. Schools have become targets of choice or been caught in the line of fire, whether in Pakistan, in Syria, in Nigeria, in Gaza or in the United States.

With the rise of extremism and ideologies that promote hatred of the other and contempt for the different, it is clear that there is no investment today more crucial to tomorrow’s peace than an education that fosters tolerance, openness, inclusion and respect for human rights. As the Secretary-General said recently, “schools should be gardens of global citizenship – not battlegrounds of divisive ideologies”.

And as technology empowers the greatest generation of youth that the world has ever known, we have a shared responsibility to ensure that they are educated to embrace the opportunities and use them for the common good.

Yet, almost 58 million children of primary school age are denied their right to education. 250 million children are unable to read, write and count even after four years of schooling. Taken together, these numbers give us 308 million reasons why the United Nations Secretary-General launched his Global Education First Initiative – to put every child in school, to improve the quality of learning, to foster global citizenship and advocate for education to be at the heart of the post-2015 development agenda.

Many countries have made major strides in education, driven by a combination of political will and focused investment. But Governments are only part of the solution – we also need educators and schools, such as yours, to use their experience and expertise. And across the world, we take heart and hope from the courage, determination and vision of students themselves – from the inspirational example of Malala to the students who are with us today to present their Peace Manifesto.
The International School of Geneva is leading by example in fostering tolerance among its students, drawing on the backgrounds of its diverse student population to teach youth to become committed global citizens, willing to take an active part in making our world a better place. In that effort, the Guiding Principles published by the School in cooperation with UNESCO’s International Bureau of Education, are a strong foundation - and they show how on a very practical level how the United Nations family and the International School work together to promote a shared vision of peace.

The United Nations counts on the International School of Geneva, and on schools and students across the world, to help lead the way – so that millions of children across the world may realize their potential and bring about a more peaceful world - for our generation and for generations to come.

Thank you very much.