Early History of the Culture of Peace

As a consultant, I had always argued that the culture of peace should be considered as an inter-sectoral project. But this was not the point of view of the Social Science Sector and finally on 27 May 1993, I received a formal memo from the ADG/SHS stating "In order to ensure a proper coordination of the Sector's activities related to Culture of Peace, I would ask you to report directly to Mr. Symonides, Director SHS/HRS, who is responsible for the whole programme in this field." My relations with the Social Science Sector went from bad to worse, resulting among other things, in the disastrous consequences for the Round Table of Eminent Experts described above. At one point I was shown a private telephone message from the office of the ADG of Social Sciences saying, "Be careful with Adams; he is working with the enemy." The enemy, in this case, was the UNESCO Education Sector.

Waiting until after the General Conference of 1993 had given firm support to the culture of peace, the Director-General issued an official note to establish the Unit for a Culture of Peace on 11 February 1994. It put the Unit under the direct authority of the Director-General and named Leslie Atherley as its Director. I had previously suggested Mr Atherley to the Director-General back in July 1993 in a note about administrative authority for the Mozambique pilot project.

The Director-General gave the new Unit extraordinary authority: "I have decided that this Unit will have the authority to operate house-wide in carrying out its tasks. In particular, the Director of the Unit has the authority to deal directly with ADGs and, through them, with other Directors and Chiefs of Units concerned." The Unit was given seven responsibilities:

* National programmes

* Fund raising for the programmes

* Development and refinement of methodology for culture of peace

* Integration of ongoing UNESCO activities for a culture of peace

* Data bank on UNESCO activities for a culture of peace

* Coordination with UN, IGOs and NGOs

* Decentralization as much as possible of activities

As for my own role, I had previously gone to see the Director-General on 3 September stating that I would like a staff position. He advised me against this, saying that I could remain his counselor. He would propose for me a UNESCO Chair in the culture of peace. "You can be the head of an advisory board for the culture of peace. I will propose you to receive a medal of honour. In that way, you will be better paid, and you will have direct access to me. If, instead, you insist on a staff position in the organizational structure, you can no longer see me, for it will mean that you have gone over the head of your superior officer." Not fully realizing what awaited me, I continued to insist on a staff position, and in December 1993, only a few days before the final ultimatum from my university to return or be fired, I received notice of a P5 post beginning in January 1994.

As a result, I went to work under Leslie Atherley and together we determined the priorities for 1994, which are reflected in reports that were provided to the Director-General for meetings with him on 20 June and 28 July 1994:

* National programmes - not only El Salvador and Mozambique, but now explorations for programmes in Guatemala, Burundi, Congo and the Philippines (much of the work on this expansion was carried out by two new staff members added during 1994, Mirta Lourenço and Edouard Matoko).

* The First Consultative Meeting on a Culture of Peace involving experts to take place 27-29 September 1994 in El Salvador. In addition to participants from national programmes, participants were invited from key NGO partners.

* Networking with major external partners was also assured through my participation at the International Peace Research Association meetings in Malta and the International Peace Academy in Vienna and by Mr Atherley at the annual meeting of NGOs of DPI in New York.

* A series of children's festivals for a culture of peace, undertaken with the Associated Schools Programme and coordinated by Myriam Karela who had been my assistant prior to establishment of the Unit.

* Working relations with the Bureau of Extra-budgetary Resources headed by Mr Keller in order to find funding for the national programmes, in particular through donors meetings for El Salvador and Mozambique.