Ei-iE

The Education International First World Congress, meeting in Harare (Zimbabwe) from 19 to 23 July 1995:

Notes that:

1. 1995 marks the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II, the liberation of Nazi camps bringing an end to the Holocaust against the Jews, deportations and the wide-scale extermination of populations. Since then there have been attempts to blur or deny the truth and responsibility for what this period really was, and a resurgence of neo-Nazism can be seen.

2. Furthermore, the existence of centres of war, and the dangers of their being extended, conflicts of ethnic dominance, and the 1994 genocide which occurred in Rwanda mean that we must find a peaceful means of resolving such conflicts.

3. 1995 is also the 50th anniversary of the use of nuclear weapons during the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The nuclear non-proliferation treaty has been ratified by 165 countries since 1970. It is up for renegotiation this year, as its term has come to a close. It is clear that the only way to ensure that the treaty is extended and respected by all countries is the concerted and controlled elimination of nuclear weapons, along with a definitive halt to nuclear tests, following the current moratoria respected by the great powers (with the exception of China), and a end to the development of new weapons of mass destruction.

4. 1995 represents 50 years of action by and development of the United Nations and of those international bodies linked to the UN, particularly UNESCO and UNICEF. Under difficult conditions, these last two have furthered all over the world the ideas and actions of international cooperation and solidarity, cultural exchanges and the preservation of our global heritage in all its senses. The actions and role in Education for Peace of UNESCO, an organisation which intercedes on behalf of children, education and culture, must be stressed. The United Nations has named 1995 the "Year of Tolerance".

Recommendations

5 . Education International will remind its members of the memory and history of all aspects of World War II, and the massive exterminations which characterise it, and calls on its member organisations to do the same. We must be vigilant about the content of educational programmes and didactic materials on this issue. EI calls for awareness of any resurgence of neo-Nazi ideology or groups.

6. EI will follow and publicise the work and conclusions of the International Tribunal on Genocide in Rwanda, based in The Hague.

7. EI will support peace efforts the world over, in its respect for the rights of peoples. EI calls on its member organisations to support the forces of peace and trade unions, particularly education trade unions, which work towards this goal in countries where there is conflict. EI expresses its solidarity with teachers, education personnel and students who are victims of these situations.

8. Education International calls for all countries, especially nuclear powers, to take significant steps along the path towards the non-proliferation, reduction and definitive ban on nuclear weapons, and the elimination of all weapons of mass destruction.

9. Education International commits itself firmly to international peace activities linked to education in the field of human rights and promoting democracy. EI calls on its member organisations to further their actions in this field, working closely in line with UNESCO's aims and recommendations and its Charter, the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Recommendation on Education for International Understanding and Cooperation and Education regarding Human Rights and Basic Liberties. This educational action concerns the content of education and training, educational resources and material, school and university life, initial and ongoing training for teachers, research, and ongoing training for young people and adults. EI supports the initiatives of the peace education movement which is in keeping with these principles, and invites its member organisations to do the same.