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of peace. With close to 800 million illiterates
in the world and a post-pandemic growing
number of out-of-school children, we are
far from providing the right to relevant,
quality education for all. There is also an
enormous gap in the resources we use for
the prestigious military academies and what
we use for peace education, helping students
learn the tools of non-violent conflict
resolution. Teachers are the linchpins of any
educational system. The status and working
conditions of teachers are important for the
education of future generations. Integrating
peace education in teacher training is a must.

The UNESCO Associated Schools Project
(ASP) forms a wonderful network around
the world of cooperating schools, working
on peace, human rights, the environment
and the United Nations. The ASP should
be further strengthened to counterbalance
the very dangerous present polarization
between “us” and “the others”.

Q: You have a long and outstanding career
in UNESCO, where you were the Director of
Women and a Culture of Peace Programme.
What exactly did you do in these jobs?
I feel most fortunate to have worked in
and for UNESCO in different capacities.
As Secretary General of the Norwegian to the Women’s Conference was finalized,
National Commission for UNESCO, I found I was given the opportunity to build up
my most fruitful was to be in a position to a program on Women and a Culture of
bring back to Norway the latest thinking Peace, thereby also being a part of the broad
and achievements within UNESCO’s fields program Towards a Culture of Peace.
of competence and to bring to UNESCO the
best we had in education, science, culture The culture of peace vision emphasizes peace
and communication, including good people. not only as the absence of armed conflict
Being deputy to the Norwegian member or war, however important that is, but
of the Executive Board, Ingrid Eide, was focuses on the content and the conditions
a tremendous four- year-long learning of peace. It also requires a positive, dynamic
experience in dialogue and negotiations participatory process where dialogue is
with eminent people from different encouraged and conflicts are solved in a spirit
continents and cultures. In 1993, at the end of mutual understanding and cooperation.
of this period, I was hired as Special Advisor
to the Director General on women and The priorities of the Women and a Culture of
gender issues. The most challenging part of Peace program were to:
this task was the responsibility to coordinate – support women’s initiatives for peace;
UNESCO’s preparation of the United – empower women for democratic
Nations Fourth World Conference on participation in political processes and to
Women, which took place in Beijing in 1995. increase women’s capacity and impact in
The Beijing Platform for Action remains the economic and security issues;
most comprehensive document on gender – contribute to gender-sensitive socialization
issues guiding the work of both the United and training for non-violence and egalitarian
Nations, countries and institutions. Once the partnerships with a special focus on young
report and the UNESCO follow-up strategy men and boys.

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