The International Institute on
Peace Education
IIPE 2006 - Thematic Background
Toward a Planetary Ethic: Shared and Individual Responsibility
(The highlighted and underlined links below
will guide you to the sponsoring organizations' websites for the various frameworks
and educational initiatives. The supporting documentation can be downloaded
at the bottom of the page under resources.)
IIPE 2006 will explore the theme of “Toward
a Planetary Ethic: Shared and Individual Responsibility,” recognizing
that the global community has reached key areas of consensus regarding the
challenges we are facing, the shared ethical frameworks of values, norms
and principles for meeting them, and in particular the contributions that
education should fulfill. In doing so, the IIPE will critically examine various
interdependent UN based educational initiatives and normative frameworks
that provide a global basis for an holistic approach to peace education: the
Millennium Development Goals, the
International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-violence for the Children
of the World, Education
for All, the
Decade for Literacy, and the
Decade for Sustainable Development Education. It is assumed that these frameworks
and related programs of action reflect not only commitments by governments
but also of the citizens of their nations.
Through the coordination of UNESCO, the Decade for Sustainable
Development Education in particular offers an opportunity to engage with the educational
goals of all of these frameworks in an integrated way . It is also worthy
to note that the UNESCO General Conference on October 16 th, 2003, adopted
a resolution recognizing The Earth Charter as “…an
important ethical framework for sustainable development, and acknowledge[s]
its ethical principles, its objectives and its contents…[and thus]
affirm our intention, as Member States, to utilize the Earth Charter as an
educational instrument, particularly in the framework of the United Nations
Decade for Education for Sustainable Development…”
The vision of peace presented in the Earth Charter demonstrates
the critical importance of a holistic ethical approach to peace education that
integrates ecological integrity, social and economic justice, democracy and
nonviolence. The main theme of IIPE 2006 is inspired by the principle of universal
responsibility, stated in paragraph five of the ‘Preamble’ of The
Earth Charter, which is of fundamental importance in meeting the critical
challenges of the 21 st Century. It provides a necessary complement to the Universal
Declaration of Human Right’s recognition of each person as worthy
of equal respect and dignity and with accompanying ‘duties’ to
the international community. From an ethical perspective, ‘universal
responsibility’ can be interpreted as having two key implications: a)
each and every person is equally responsible to the whole Earth community and
b) the scope of our ethical responsibility impinges on our relationship to
the Universe as a whole.
In inquiring into future possibilities key questions should be addressed:
are the U .N . educational initiatives based on ethical principles actually
shared by citizens? How can we educate within the related action programs such
as the Decade for Sustainable Development Education recognizing possible
tensions that may exist in balancing principles of cultural diversity and integrity,
personal autonomy, national sovereignty, and universal norms? Is The Earth
Charter a suitable ethical framework to meet our critical challenges?
What pedagogies are required to foster a consciousness of universal responsibility?
The sub theme, Shared and Individual Responsibility, refers
to one of the most significant challenges entailed in giving practical meaning
to the principal of universal responsibility in a world of asymmetric real
freedoms and power. These asymmetries lead to “differentiated
responsibility,” based on differing capacities to respond in meeting
planetary challenges. This notion is stated in complementary principle 2b of
the Earth Charter: “Affirm that with increased
freedom, knowledge, and power comes increased responsibility to promote the
common good.” Through interactive plenaries, practical workshops, reflection
groups, and visits to community projects, IIPE 2006
will inquire into how education can foster responsibility, balancing respect
for personal autonomy while at the same time addressing the need for meeting
our common challenges as members of local, national, and planetary ethical
communities.
It is fitting that this global theme be emphasized with respect to its implications
for intra-hemispheric relations in the Americas, given that the Institute is
being jointly organized by the Peace
Education Center at Teachers College Columbia University (USA) and the University
for Peace (Costa Rica), a treaty organization
established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1980, which will also
act as its host . Moreover, in the 2006-07 academic year, the University for
Peace’s third cohort of its M .A. in Peace Education Program will engage
in a unique educational opportunity: The first five months of the Program will
be held in its headquarters campus in Costa Rica, the following five months
will be held in its Toronto Center with a capstone period culminating in Costa
Rica in July 2007. Thus the IIPE will also provide an opportunity to establish
and strengthen networks and partnerships for emerging peace educators, particularly
in the Americas.
Resources
Click on the links below to download supporting documentation.
*Many of the documents above are in .pdf format. You will need adobe acrobat
reader to view these files.
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