The Seville Statement on Violence is a scientific statement which says peace is possible, because war is not a biological necessity. The Statement was written by an international team of specialists in 1986 for the United Nations sponsored International Year of Peace and its followup. The Statement was based on the latest scientific evidence, and it has been endorsed by scientific and professional organizations around the world.
The Seville Statement says there is nothing in our biology which is an unsurmountable obstacle to the abolition of war and other institutional violence. It says that war is a social invention, and that peace can be invented to replace it. The Statement consists of an introduction, five propositions, and a conclusion. Each of the five propositions challenges a particular mis-statement that has been used to justify war and violence.
The Statement was adopted by Unesco in 1989. This brochure is part of Unesco's effort to disseminate the Statement for use in programs of education for peace and international understanding. It is designed for use by secondary school teachers, youth leaders, and others who want to work for peace by challenging the myths used to justify violence and war.
In the following pages the various parts of the Seville Statement are presented on the left side of the brochure and commentary is presented on the right side. First, however, two other sections are needed: The Seville Statement in Plain Words; and Why a Statement on Violence is Needed.
