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The principles and methods are based on the Central America tradition of peace promoters ( promotores de paz'). For a generation now, young people in the region, from the churches, from the schools and the universities, have been engaged in social activism and human development campaigns, providing a dynamism which is now being harnessed into non violent change.
Mozambique
In response to the Rome Peace Accords of October 1992, the people of Mozambique responded with spontaneous actions to build a culture of peace. The Peace Accords put an end to more than 25 years of armed struggle, first for national liberation from the Portuguese colonial power and second in an armed conflict supported by foreign powers. The United Nations assisted in the demobilization of the two conflicting armies, the preparation of the national elections of October 1994 and the administration of humanitarian aid.
Within the context of these events, UNESCO's Culture of Peace Programme was designed to support the grass roots initiatives for peace of the Mozambican people in a multi stage process. The first phase, organized by the Mozambican National Commission of UNESCO (NCUM), began with support for Mozambican NGOs working in this area. This phase was advised by a steering committee representing a broad range of interests ranging from government ministries to non governmental organizations and international agencies.
In the first stage of the programme, which took place in 1994, NGOs received support for projects of national and community mobilization and for the gathering and dissemination of materials concerning the Mozambican experience with peacemaking. Community mobilization projects were conducted by the organizations of women and of musicians, while the NCUM organized a seminar on culture and democracy and peace involving political, religious and intellectual personalities from all provinces of the country in preparation for the national election campaign. Gathering and dissemination of materials (traditional stories of reconciliation, life history research, radio plays on peace in seven national languages) was conducted by associations of writers and social scientists.
culture of peace programme
• National and participative programme. Mozambican actors are engaged fully at all levels of planning and implementation, and local control is emphasized at the community level.
• Cross cultural, cross conflict and multi language programme. To ensure that development is equitable as well as endogenous, projects engage people in a common task from different ethnic and language groups and from all sides of the previous conflict.
• Long term programme of education and training. The emphasis is to be placed on education, both formal and non formal, of the general population, especially youth, and the training of peace promoters,' teachers, women activists, demobilized soldiers, social workers, media workers, development workers, etc. who ensure the cross cultural, cross conflict and multi language participation in development projects.
• Programme of endogenous capacity building. The Programme supports existing governmental and non governmental institutions, providing additional training to their personnel, based on both universal and Mozambican traditional methods of peace making.
• Programme with well defined priorities. Projects target those with the potential to change the altitudes of the entire country from a culture of war to a culture of peace: demobilized soldiers, media workers, community and elected leaders, teachers, women, youth, development workers and scientists. Emphasis is on training at a local level, especially in rural areas.
• Holistic and systematic programme. At every level, from the National Steering Committee to the linkage of peace promoters in local as well as national networks, the Programme is designed to provide a constant interchange of experience and inspiration.
• Programme with an international dimension. Projects are designed to facilitate linkages with related sub regional, regional and global initiatives, with a special emphasis on exchange with other countries of the Southern African sub region.
National culture of peace programmes give support to grass-roots initiatives by which the people are striving to fulfill the promise of peace accords.