National development assistance for a culture of peace

A number of national governments are revising their criteria for development assistance in a way that coincides with the concept of a culture of peace. The following example is drawn from Germany, although it could equally apply to a number of other European countries, especially those of Scandinavia. In 1991, the Germany Ministry for Economic Co operation formulated new policy criteria, based on two new elements:

• Development policy in the 1990s must focus on people, including the fight against absolute poverty and the promotion of education;

• Such a strategy requires conditions which include not only an economic system based on market principles, but also a political climate characterized by respect for human rights, popular participation in political decision making, and the rule of law. In particular, the new criteria demand that the recipient government must give priority to improving the economic and social situation of the poorer sections of the population, preserving natural life-sustaining resources and taking appropriate action to limit population growth. At the same time, the recipient country must limit its military spending to a reasonable ratio with respect to spending on education and health. The principles are further elaborated in a recent discussion paper. The paper, written in 1995 by a member of the Ministry, suggests that priority should be placed on 'participatory development' in which government bodies work together with self help groups and there is a complementarity of action by governmental and non governmental organizations. Since this Ministry is supporting the first funded project of the El Salvador National Culture of Peace Programme, the radio project for rural women, discussions are underway to

evaluate that project as an example of such 'participatory development'.

Other national initiatives

National Commissions for UNESCO are especially active in promoting a culture of peace. Often they help to stimulate such activities by member schools of UNESCO's Associated Schools Project (ASP) as illustrated by the following examples:

• In the Russian Federation, students at Angarsk Secondary School No. 27 have undertaken a simulation of the United Nations to deal with national conflicts in former Yugoslavia. In order to play their assigned roles the students had to research the problem by studying encyclopedias, yearbooks, and other historical, cultural and economic sources. At School No. 1016, students have participated in several drawing contests for peace, have worked on ecological problems in the surrounding city, and have taken part in courses on human rights and ecology. And students from many Russian schools joined others from the Ukraine and Germany at the International Children's Computer Camp hosted by the Russian Academy of Sciences. One of the projects presented at the camp is a computer linkup between Russian and Japanese schoolchildren in which the students exchange stories and legends and ecological awareness as well as friendly correspondence.

• In Zaire teachers and students at the Lyc�e Motema Mpiko, are working together to define and understand tolerance, and to express it through essays, drawings, and a theatre project concerning the family, egoism, school and phaseur' (street children). The primary school Mgr. Bokeleale has organized colloquia and seminars which included parents and specialists as well as teachers and which resulted in the publication of a book entitled For a Democratic School.