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• National Peace Secretariat. A broad set of regional and local peace committees were established throughout the country, uniting representatives from political organizations, trade unions, business, churches, police and security forces to resolve disputes at local and regional levels. This was the part of the Accord which directly engaged people on a grass roots level throughout the country.
The work of the regional and local peace committees was at the heart of the Accord. It directly engaged people in conflict management on a grass roots level throughout the country. At their peak, there were 11 regional committees and over one hundred local peace committees, with an annual budget of almost $12 million which enabled the hiring of full time staff for regional offices.
In view of their personal roles in this process, Nelson Mandela, leader of the African National Congress, and F.W. de Klerk, President of South Africa, were together awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. Prior to that, in February 1992 they received jointly the first Houphou�t Boigny Peace Prize at UNESCO (see box). In awarding the prize, UNESCO Director General Federico Mayor said. 'Thus Nelson Mandela and President De Klerk have arrived, by different paths and from different directions, at an area of common ground where dialogue based on the mutual recognition of freedoms can take place. They have set in motion a dynamic of democracy that, if it can be sustained, could ultimately derive enrichment from the very diversity of its sources. They have wagered on freedom when decades of history and ingrained habit could have condemned them to a continuum of violent conflict.'
The path trod by Nelson Mandela was worn smooth by generations of activists for social justice in South Africa. Two of his predecessors were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts: Chief Albert Lutuli in 1960 and Archbishop Desmond Tutu in 1984.
The Middle East
The Middle East peace process, launched with the Washington Agreement of September 13 1993 between Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization, has illustrated many aspects of a culture of peace. As in the case of South Africa, it required a process of dialogue at all levels, including the leaders of both sides who had to resist internal pressures against the necessity of compromise.
For their role in the dialogue the 1994 Nobel Prize was awarded to Yasser Arafat, Chairman of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, and Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres of Israel. In announcing the award, the Nobel Committee said they had made substantial contributions to a historic process through which peace and co operation can replace war and hate'.
Earlier, the three leaders were honoured with the 1993 Felix Houphou�t Boigny Peace Prize. UNESCO Director General Federico Mayor presented the prize not only to the initiative of the three outstanding leaders, but also to the communities they represent (see adjoining box). In December 1993 UNESCO hosted Israeli, Palestinian, Arab, European and American intellectuals in a Round Table dedicated to the theme, Peace, The Day After'. Their dialogue led to a rich set of recommendations for common actions that can foster a culture of peace in the region.
Peace accords, to be effective, must lead to concrete actions which better the lives of the people concerned. For that reason, the UNESCO programme of assistance to the Palestinian People, constructing peace' has been given special priority. The programme covers all aspects of the educational system and educational and cultural institutions. Specific projects that are already underway include rehabilitation of schools, opening of a kindergarten, establishment of a curriculum centre, training for educational policy formulation and management, establishment of Palestinian television, university exchanges and projects for the restoration of historic sites in Jericho and Bethlehem.
In South Africa and in the Middle East leaders have resisted internal pressures in order to arrive at an area of common ground where dialogue can take place based on the mutual recognition of freedom.