By Shimali Senanayake

NEW YORK, 11 April 2013 – Teaching children to make peace in the classroom, on the playground, at home and in their communities can have a lasting impact on children to live in a world free of violence and conflict, said Grace Akallo, activist, formerly associated with an armed group.

Ms. Akallo spoke to UNICEF Television after a recent meeting on ways to end violence against girls in school.

By Chris Niles

©UNICEF/NYHQ2010-2742/Ramoneda
Girls attend class at a UNICEF-rehabilitated school in a village in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. UNICEF plans to educate more than 3,000 children affected by conflict in Pakistan with the European Union's Nobel Peace Prize donation.

NEW YORK,19 December 2012 – The European Union is donating part of its Nobel Peace Prize money to UNICEF’s work educating children in northwestern Pakistan.

The European Union (EU) was awarded the prize earlier this month in recognition of its more than 60 years of work advancing peace and democracy in Europe.

“We are deeply grateful to the European Union for its generosity,” said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake.

By Rudina Vojvoda

©UNICEF/NYHQ2012-0149/Brian Sokol
Boys displaced by inter-ethnic violence play volleyball, outside a UNICEF-supported child-friendly space, in South Sudan. The space provides recreational activities for over 200 children, serves as a temporary learning centre and also offers psychosocial support.

NEW YORK, 26 November 2012 – Engaging young people in education policies and programmes is crucial to building peace and promoting social transformation, according to a global policy forum hosted by the International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) Policy Forum in Paris, France, last month.

UNICEF podcast moderator Femi Oke spoke with two of the 250 forum participants – Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports in the Republic of South Sudan Dr. Cirino Hiteng Ofuho and youth activist and Director of the African Youth Initiative Network in Uganda Victor Ochen – about the links between education and peacebuilding and the challenges to ensuring active youth participation.

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Education for peacebuilding – thinking beyond the classroom

According to Dr. Hiteng, youth make up the vast majority of the population in the Republic of South Sudan, the world’s newest country.

Born out of war, South Sudan faces many challenges as a new nation, despite government efforts to engage youth at the community and national levels, Dr. Hiteng added.

“We are struggling to put infrastructure in place. To reach many people in South Sudan is very difficult, so the only areas where we can easily engage youth are the urban areas. But most of the people are in the rural areas, so there are a lot of challenges,” Dr. Hiteng said.

Mr. Ochen emphasized that it is important that government support youth involvement in peacebuilding and education programmes. “Education for peacebuilding requires thinking beyond the classroom. Governments respond to the needs of communities; governments ensure the good governance; governments need to commit to unite the country,” said Mr. Ochen.

Explaining the ties between education and peacebuilding, Mr. Ochen said, “Whether you are educated formally or informally, you are part of the society and of the development that you are looking for. So, the link between education and peacebuilding is: how do we use the peace we have at hand to promote education, and how do we use education to promote peace?”

The Policy Forum, held 16–18 October 2012, closed with commitments from participants and global leaders to promote meaningful youth engagement in education. Dr. Hiteng’s commitment was to request that South Sudan’s parliament contribute US$1–2 per barrel of oil produced to youth activities.

To learn more about the IIEP Policy Forum, please visit: http://www.planwithyouth.org/.

NEW YORK, USA, 20 September 2012

Photo courtesy of Save the Children
Katerina Thanasi during Children, Youth and Peacebuilding event organized in New York, September 2012.

Katerina Thanasi is a fifteen-year-old girl from Gjirokastra, Albania. Supported by Save the Children, Katarina is working to promote peace and conflict resolution in her country. She recently participated in a Children, Youth and Peacebuilding event in New York organized by Save the Children, the International Peace Institute and the Permanent Mission of the Norway to the United Nations. In the lead up to the International Day of Peace on the 21 September 2012, UNICEF interviewed Katerina about her projects and the importance of using education as a tool for peace.

© UNICEF Nepal/2012
Participants attend the opening session of the 'Schools as Zones of Peace' seminar in Kathmandu, Nepal.

By Rupa Joshi

KATHMANDU, Nepal, 16 May 2012 – Participants from five countries and various ministries and international NGOs gathered in Nepal last week to learn about the ‘Schools as Zones of Peace’ (SZOP) programme.

© UNICEF/NYHQ2012/Malli Kamimura
From L to R: Susan Durston, Associate Director, Education Section; Colin Kirk, Director, Office of Evaluation; Alan Smith, University of Ulster; Mario Novelli, University of Sussex; Zeena Zakharia, Columbia University

By Shimali Senanayake

NEW YORK, 14 February 2012 – Education can play a crucial role in peacebuilding in all phases of conflict, a UNICEF-commissioned study has concluded, outlining how education can help prevent conflict and contribute to long-term peace.

A fundamental human right of a quality education for all children is most at risk during conflict situations. It is precisely at these times that education can impart knowledge and skills that provide protection and access to life-saving abilities. In the longer term, education can provide values and attitudes that offer the basis for addressing the multiple drivers of conflict.