Read a Peace Report- Development of Peace Thinking and Peace Education by NGOs in Russia

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Development of Peace Thinking and Peace Education by NGOs in Russia
an article by Dr.Valery Guerguel, director of Museum of Peacekeeping Operations, Moscow

Readers of CPNN may be interested in the following results of a survey I recently made concerning peace activities by NGOs in Russia.

I found the following seven initiatives which are listed along with the name of the NGO that is conducting them:

1. Publication of series of books on Culture of Peace (1996-2006) by the Non-commercial NGO - "Center "Ethnosphere"

2. Draft convention on Peace Education (2003-2006) by the International Movement "Teachers for Peace and Mutual Understanding"

3. Assemblies of Generations (2000-2006) by the International Movement "Teachers for Peace and Mutual Understanding" in collaboration with RUSMOL and others

4. "Model United Nations" Project by the UN Association of Russia, Moscow International High School

5. "Young Ambassadors of Peace" Project (2004-2006) by the "Children of Russia" Fund, Federation of Peace Funds in collaboration with Government of Moscow and others

6. Training Course of Peace Builders by the Institute of Culture of Peace in Kazan (Republic of Tatarstan)

7. Museum of Culture of Peace by the "Aspects of Education" school

If CPNN readers know of other initiatives that I have missed, I would appreciate their replies.

DISCUSSION

Question(s) related to this article:

Do you know of other initiatives for culture of peace in Russia?,

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LATEST READER COMMENT:

An article in Russian on the culture of peace, dated 2008, was just pointed out to me, and I find it relevant, not just to Russia, but to the entire world where it seems that the culture of war is on the rise. The question is raised as to whether a culture of peace can be effective, or is it just a form of surrender?

I provide the last few paragraphs here in my own rough English translation. I have underlined a phrase which I think is especially useful, that the culture of peace is concerned more with post-conflict reconstruction than it is with conflict prevention.

The full original may be found at www.conffstud.ru/content/28/2/.

In the extreme form we can observe the tendencies in our own country. The reforms in Russia are leading us to take part in the process of globalization in an American way, as a significant component of this mega-project, directed toward the repartition of world resources. Specifically, in the context of a similar repartition it is worthwhile to today examine the destruction of the Soviet Union, and the degradation of Russia, and the existing plans of the subsequent breakdown of the Russian Federation, and dramatic events in Chechnya. Under similar conditions of the increasing structural violence and escalation of the culture of war, it is urgent for the adoption of the culture of peace by peoples, which became the victims of external expansion. But does it not resemble a one-sided moral disarmament before the strong pressure of aggression?

It seems to us, that the maxims of the culture of peace, which indicate the preferability of unforced and nonviolent solutions, remain valid with all other conditions, minimizing the possible expenses of conflicts. Furthermore, they indicate the essential superiority of the ideals of a defensive nature. . ...more.

This report was posted on June 12, 2007.