For security reasons pleaseRSVP by January 26, 2004 to: jainb@ruderfinn.com or by phone at (212)715-1595
Dear HonorableSpeakers,
Esteemed Swami VedaBharati,
Greetings and all good wishesgo out to you and your family. We are honored and privileged to haveyou address the upcoming conference on"FIGHTING ANDPREVENTING TERRORISM: EDUCATION AND PARENTING FOR PEACE AND GLOBALETHICS." We hope thatthe New Year will bring with it hope for a more peaceful futurethrough our efforts towards "EDUCATION AND PARENTING FOR PEACE ANDGLOBAL ETHICS".
Enclosed please find theinvitation to the conference for you to forward to your friends andcolleagues if you wish to invite them to participate in theconference and to spread the information about our upcomingconference at the UN Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium onWednesday, 28 January 2004.
We shall be indebted to you ifyou could kindly forward this invitation to your colleagues, as wellas to your friends and contacts within the NY /NJarea.
Please find as well attached,for your information, the announcement concerning official UNESCOsponsorship for the conference.
We will be contacting you earlynext week with updates and further details concerning theconference.
Bawa Jain, SecretaryGeneral
World Council of ReligiousLeaders
I am glad to inform you thatUNESCO will extend its sponsorship to the Global Conference onEducation and Parenting for Peace and Tolerance to be held on28 January2004 at UNHeadquarters.
UNESCO is convinced, as you are, that theprevention of terrorism must go through active preventive measures inthe field of education and parenting.
While we are not aware of the details of yourearlier May conference and its results, we consider that theConference now being prepared fits particularly well with UNESCO'sdesignated role as lead agency for the 2001-2010 International Decadefor a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of theWorld. You may wish to refer to the recent brochure entitled "UNESCO:mainstreaming the culture of peace", which is available athttp://www3.unesco.org/iycp/uk/uk_sum_cp.htm. As recalled by UNESCO'sDirector-General in its preface:
"By focusing on our children, we implicitly pledgeourselves to
education for all, a concept that combines formaland non-formal education and seeks to promote quality basic educationthat is grounded upon the universal values - and practice - of aculture of peace and non-violence.
Such a task must engage every one of our fellowcitizens in all dimensions of life: in schools, workplaces, the home;at the national and at the community levels; in the public, privateand voluntary sectors. Above all, children themselves must beempowered to become actors, not mere spectators,in shaping their ownvisions and futures."
This brochure contains many recommendations whichare of direct application to education for peace and tolerance, suchas: revising curriculum materials, particularly history textbooks, topromote mutual understanding and remove bias or stereotypes; creatingnew curriculum materials addressing peace, non-violence and humanrights; producing and disseminating educational materials andtextbooks on education for a culture of peace and human rights;developing public-awareness campaigns targeting children in thefamily and the local community; promoting multicultural andmulti-ethnic events in arts and sports to promote mutualunderstanding (festivals, artistic exchanges, competitions); creatingsupport for parents, teachers and local associations with an aim toprotect children from violence in the media (television, press,cinema, video games and the Internet).
In this connection, you may also wish to visitUNESCO's dedicated web-page on the subject of UNESCO's action againstterrorism at the following (unwieldy) address:http://portal.unesco.org/unesco/ev.php?URL_ID=13001&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201&reload=1055861079.It contains a Position paper prepared by UNESCO for an inter-agencymeeting of 26-27 February 2003 (with detailed approaches to theOrganization's related activities in the field of education),together with the Director General's speech on that occasion, thetext of a Resolution by UNESCO's General Conference and some relatedmaterial.
I trust that you will kindly advise Mr. Bawa Jainof the contents of this communication. Let me wish you all successfor this important Conference.
Sincerely,
Hans d'Orville
Director, Bureau of Strategic Planning
UNESCO