Draft Culture of Peace Programme in Mozambique 13
IV. HOST COUNTRY'S COMMITMENT
In July, 1993, a delegation from Mozambique, headed by the President of the Republic and including the Secretary-General of the National Commission for UNESCO (NCUM) met with the Director-General of UNESCO and requested that the Organization undertake a programme of culture of peace in that country. A more detailed proposal was presented by the NCUM Secretary-General at the Round Table on UNESCO's role in United Nations peace-building which also took place in July 1993.
The NCUM, which has autonomous standing in the Mozambique Council of Ministers, has provided the primary impetus for the Culture of Peace Programme since its inception. The first phase of the Programme was designed and administered by the NCUM with assistance from UNESCO beginning in February 1994. It was the NCUM who convened the Steering Committee of the Programme under the Presidency of Ms. Graça Machel.
The Government has expressed its commitment to the goals of the Programme and the principle of wide participation and this commitment has been expressed concretely through the participation of representatives from the key ministries on the Steering Committee.
In a recent speech marking the award of the Hunger Project prize to President Nelson Mandela of South Africa, Mozambique President Joaquim Chissano cited the importance of developing a culture of peace in his country.
