Page 14 - DIVA_1_2020

i n t e r n a t i o n a l

and future civil servants to acquire the appropriate tools to mandate entrusted to it from the General Assembly, namely: “The
guide their actions on peace laws. Based on agreements, University for Peace should contribute to the great universal task
UPEACE cooperates with the Secretariat of the Gulf of educating for peace by engaging in teaching, research, post-
Cooperation Council, Prince Saud Al Faisal Institute for graduate training and dissemination of knowledge.”
Diplomatic Studies (IDS) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
ADA (Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy) University and the In these troubled times it seems that peace is difficult to
Diplomacy Academy of the Republic of Turkey. In fact, I achieve. Why?
am a visiting scholar of IDS, with which I cooperate in the The aspiration to create a society in which war plays little or
preparation and training of diplomats and civil servants on no part in the life of our fellow human beings has fired the
international law and the United Nations system. human imagination throughout the history of humankind.
The champions of peace have achieved only half-triumphs
On 28 October 2019, UPEACE signed an agreement of in their attempts at reaching a more peaceful world, because
cooperation with the Lateran Pontifical University, commonly “peace” has always incited to war.
known as the “Pope University”, represented by the Secretary
of State of the Vatican. It was the first time ever that the Vatican Since 1945, peace has been always linked to the notion of
signed an agreement with a United Nations entity, which security. In this vein, within the Charter of the United Nations
shows our common strong commitment to work jointly for there is only one provision in which peace is conceived of
peace and dialogue in the world through education, research in a positive way. Article 1.2 states that the purpose of the
and advocacy. His Holiness Pope Francis sent a message United Nations is “...to take other appropriate measures to
praising this future and promising cooperation. strengthen universal peace”. In every other instance, peace is
seen through the lens of security.
We are deploying efforts to sign more agreements of
cooperation with other diplomatic academies in the region. However, we should also remember that seventy-five years
In this vein, UPEACE will travel soon to inestable areas to ago, the United Nations Charter established the three
discuss with diplomats on the prospects of peace education. founding pillars of the United Nations: peace and security,
On 24 February, UPEACE signed a cooperation agreement human rights, and development. These pillars have provided
with European Public Law Organization (EPLO) and the the framework for the United Nations to tackle important
King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz …. in order to prepare and challenges. We cannot pick and choose which pillar the
implement an ambitious project for combating hate speech United Nations should support, nor can we focus on one to
and violent extremism. the detriment of the others. To do so would be to invite future
conflicts. Consequently, promoting peace at the expense of
Additionally, through the new Chairmanship of the Non- ignoring human rights and development is a useless effort,
Aligned Movement (NAM), UPEACE will cooperate with the which further generates the conditions to ignore the lessons
Republic of Azerbaijan to strengthen the pillar of peace and of the past 75 years.
security alongside multilateralism and the approach to other
relevant regional/political groups within the United Nations. Resolution 60/251 of the Human Rights Council adopted by
the General Assembly on 15 March 2006 recognised in its
Through our regional offices in Addis Ababa, Manila, The Hague, Preamble Paragraph 6 that, “peace and security, development
New York, Geneva and Beijing, UPEACE will faithfully fulfil the and human rights are the pillars of the United Nations system

D I VA - I N T E R N AT I O N A L D I P LO M AT