Family Literacy: A Proposal for a Global Family Literacy Peace Initiative

Family Literacy: A Proposal for a Global Family Literacy Peace Initiative

(The following is an excerpt from the full report. Download the full report below)

The President of the UN General Assembly On Global Cooperation For Conflict Prevention and Building A Sustainable Peace

“It is important that we respond to the big and important questions,” the President of the UN General Assembly, H.E. Miroslav Lajčák said in his opening address at the conference “Sustaining Peace: Partnerships for Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding” convened by the UN and Columbia University (December 8, 2017). 

“There is no room for complacency,” President Lajčák said. He spoke of “too many local and regional conflicts” and of the need to “sustain peace – a peace that lasts for generations.” He talked about “conflicts within and between countries,” and he said, “We do not have a good mechanism for dealing with them.” 

President Lajčák also talked about the need to stay ahead of potential conflicts, and of the UN’s resolution to do so. He emphasized the need for: conflict prevention; predictable and sustainable financing of prevention; more coherence in the UN support for peace; and partnerships with civil society with the intent of sustaining peace. He repeated several times that local knowledge and participation of the local people in peace initiatives is of vital importance. 
“What tools do we have at our disposal?” President Lajčák asked at the end of his address. “And, how can we give greater visibility to sustaining peace?” 

It is worth repeating that local knowledge and participation of local people in peace initiatives is of vital importance, and that unrecognized local peace building efforts are already well established in most UN Member States. A strong argument can be made for reconsidering the significant role that family literacy programs can have as conduits for local peacebuilding initiatives that enhance the lives of vulnerable people in every UN Member States, including economically advantaged countries. Download the full report.

More on Family Literacy: Visit the Family Literacy Hub

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