Conference Promotes Education for a Globalized, yet Peaceful Future
By: Cristian Cuatzo
After decades of being at the forefront of global security and diplomacy, this year the United Nations (UN) marks 70 years of creating a better world for all mankind. The United Nations now looks back at its accomplishments while setting high standards for the future. In honor of this milestone, the Committee on Teaching about the United Nations (CTAUN) held its 16th annual conference, The UN at 70: Making a Difference, on January 30. The event reunited hundreds of teacher, scholars, and students from 23 countries to focus on promoting global citizenship and understanding in the classroom.
The morning began with a heartfelt summary on the origin of the United Nations by Bob Clark, Acting Director of the Franking Delano Roosevelt Presidential Library in New York. Going through a chronological series of events, Clark was able to picture the visionary spirit with which FDR established the organization. Although, FDR died before he could see the UN become a reality, his wife Eleanor demonstrated the same values with which her husband built the organization. Today the United Nations continues to work diligently, giving children like a young Clark, hope for a “bigger and better future.”
A MORNING OF PEACE
“The world is changing, and the UN is changing.”
– Henk-Jan Brinkman
Moving forward, the morning panel, Striving for Peace and Security, focused on how the UN continues to fight for the major issues the world faces today, regardless of its critics. Patience W. Stephens, Special Advisor on Education at the UN Entity for Gender, admitted that while efforts to maintain world peace face continuous attacks, truly sustainable peace lies in quality education for all. As we live in a more challenging world she shares that education “needs to prepare children for a world of peace” and motivating educators to assess if “their education builds of provides the basis for division or […] global citizenship.”
Sri Lanka’s UN ambassador, Palitha Kohona spoke to the audience of the United Nation’s hand in the advancement of his nation, and how the “small” changes made a huge impact in the lives of ordinary people. During years of inner conflict, the United Nations provided necessary supplies to Sri-Lankans, even those ripping the country apart. With a 98% literacy rate, a decreased morality rate, and industries growing, Kohona expressed his sincere gratitude to the UN and all of the work that often goes overlooked.
Bringing the panel to the end, Henk-Jan Brinkman, Chief of Policy, Planning and Application Branch of the Peacebuilding Support Office in The UN Secretariat, expressed that “the world is changing, and the UN is changing.” Since the political and technological revolutions of 1989 like the Fall of Berlin Wall and the invention of The World Wide Web, Brinkman explained the fragility of our times, where the problems the UN faces are now multipolar. Responding to this complexity, coupled with terrorism, the UN has rapidly changed its peacekeeping operations. He stressed how the United Nations has worked on integration by presenting a united front to prevent the relapse of war and that 2015 would be a year where peacekeeping would be highly important.
Dr. Stephen Schlesinger presented his spotlight, UN Heroes, extracting lessons learned from two extraordinary men: FDR and Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold. Elaborating to Clark’s presentation, he presented FDR’s commitment to the UN and his insight to make it the reality it is today. Hammarskjold was “undoubtedly the finest this organization has ever seen” according to Schlesinger; his marveling abilities as a leader shaped world events yet his life was cut short during a plane crash in modern-day Zambia in the name of diplomacy.
READ MORE: Visit Dr.Schlesinger’s own website here to learn more about his amazing career.
After a string of intellectual discussion, it was time to recognize the noble efforts of educators and students. The 2014 Best Practices Awards were presented to educators that proactively integrated the theme “promoting peace through education” (CTAUN’s 2014 conference theme) into their schools. Principal Lisa Fernandez and Kate Judge Patton (PS 119- The Amersfort School of Social Awareness, Brooklyn, NY) were praised for their “Day of Peace” along with Karen Ager and Charlotte Mourlot’s (United Nations International School) “Mindfulness and Peacekeeper Project.” Winners of CTAUN’s poster contest were also recognized, with graduate students from the University of Bridgeport receiving merit certificates from CTAUN’s chair, Anne-Marie Carlson.
REAL WORLD PROBLEMS. REAL SOLUTIONS
Returning after the midday-recess, the conference went into full gear on issues that made for many memorable speeches. United Nations Association of the USA, an organization that works to help Americans learn more about the UN were represented by Chris Whatley and Troy Wolfe (UNA/USA Director of Education programs) during their spotlight, The Economics of Globalization. Whatley shared the challenges traditional teaching methods and the Common Care have posed to UNA-USA’s Model UN. Working with these changes a new curriculum has been created to allow more students to experience the Model UN at the classroom level, as Wolfe explained. Named the Economics of Global Development, it aims at creating financial literate students who understand how communal activities affect the global economy.
LEARN MORE: Visit the UNA/USA’s app for more information on the model UN. Download it now here.
The afternoon panel, Advancing Human Dignity, and Social Justice, was a symposium of speeches that dealt with issues related towards the formation of a better future for newer generations to come. Palau’s ambassador to the United Nations, Dr. Caleb Otto, started with a his speech on how climate change has affected the livelihood of countries like the Marshall islands and Tuvalu, where rising sea levels and stronger storms every year have made the “loss of:
- territories
- land
- people
- culture
- sovereignties
… a real threat. In other words the people of the Pacific islands are facing the possibility of having their lands being taken away. Otto addressed the position of these countries to initiate efforts towards conservation of costal and terrestrial area.
“The press is the guardian of freedom expression,” explains CBS UN Resident Correspondent and Hunter College Professor Pamela Falk during her vivid address in favor of protecting the press, “Freedom of expression is not an optional, but an inherent human right.” Even after a resolution was passed by all members of the General Assembly, Falk explained the press finds itself in a perilous situation with imprisonments, sexual assault, and death spiraling out of control. Nevertheless she explains that social media has the opportunity to challenge regimes and through humorous UN acronyms stressed the importance to get the message across to make a difference and influence the next generation.
On the infamous subject of nuclear weapons, the President of the Lawyer’s Committee on Nuclear Policy (LCNP) and Program Coordinator for the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace and Security, Guy Quinlan brought surprising stories and facts on these weapons of mass destruction that continue to pose a serious threat to humanity. He shocked the audience by retelling how a Norwegian research rocket was misinterpreted by the Russian government as a ballistic missile and nearly brought about a nuclear war. That’s also why he was happy to report the cooperative effort of non-nuclear countries and their youth to bring an end to these weapons. Quinlan ended with a call for action to all educators to bring awareness to this topic and its severity to ensure other goals like human rights and ending poverty have a future.
The symposium ended with the tale of a true UN Hero that reflected the ideals the organization stands for. Ken Payumo working in South Sudan during the 2011 civil war. When government official approached his refugee camp ordering him to allow them to enter he rose to the occasion and closed off the camp. His stand paid off, and saved the lives of 12,000 refugees fleeing for their lives. Payumo attended the event and received a standing ovation for his incredible act of heroism.
LEARN MORE: Check out Payumo’s amazing tale of Heroism in the video below.
THE BIG PICTURE
“Think locally and act globally”
– Ramu Damodaran
Surely after a whole day of eye-opening talks and moving speeches that urged everyone (not just educators) to make a change, Ramu Damodaran’s (Chief of American Impact Secretariat and Deputy Director for Partnerships and Public Outreach) keynote speech engrained the conference into the minds of all of the 496 present. He began by commemorating FDR’s contributions in creating the UN were remarkably influential for the UN, but also his ability to avoid being seen as a “someone who lost his head or lost his temper.” He was referring to the UN as a sanctuary for embracing sustained peace, pushing arms and political ideologies aside. To truly demonstrate the different changes that have come about through UN he divided its 70-year lifespan into five eras of 14 years which coincidently come together to form the acronym CTAUN:
“Think locally and act globally”were Ramu Domodaran”s concluding words for the CTAUN conference, encapsulating its overall message. Attendants of the conference were delighted to have spent a day that both informed and empowered. The UN may be 70 years old but it seems that now, more than ever, it is presenting a collaborative effort to ensure the prosperity for all. With that in mind this conference has done its job in making that positive future a reality.
Writing For Interactive Media 