By Ibrahim Karim Bangura (Tanko)
The Ministry of Information and Civic Education in Sierra Leone in cooperation with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural organization, is set to embark on a massive civic education in peace building, citizenship and other areas of state developments.
Since wars can begin in the minds of men, the preamble to UNESCO’s constitution states that it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed.
In 1945, UNESCO was created to promote the firm belief in nations’ pride forged by two world wars in less than a generation whose tragic events later pointed to the fact that political and economic agreements are not enough to build a lasting peace.
Speaking to some journalists in Freetown, Cecilia Barbieri, who is attached at UNESCO’s Section of Global Citizenship and Peace Education, says peace must be established on the basis of humanity’s moral and intellectual solidarity; and that UNESCO strives to build series of networks among nations. Through that a spirit of solidarity among nations could be achieved.
UNESCO’s purpose as a member of the United Nations UN family of organizations is to contribute to global peace building and security by promoting partnership among nations through civic education, science and culture.
This is done in order to further promoting universal respect for justice, for the rule of law and for human rights and fundamental freedoms which are affirmed, by the UN Charter which Sierra Leone is a party to, for the peoples of the world, who, without distinction of race, sex, language or religion, can be marginalized.
She said that the mobilization of persons on civic education is vital as it creates an understanding that every child, boy or girl, needs to have access to quality education as a fundamental human right and as a prerequisite for human development.
Adding that peace building, gender equality, woman’s empowerment and intercultural understanding through protection of heritage and support for cultural diversity are key development themes in nation building. Meanwhile, UNESCO has thought of the idea of world heritage – to protect sites of outstanding universal value in a bid to pursuing scientific cooperation among countries on trends such as climate early warning systems for tsunamis or on trans-boundary water management agreements – done to strengthen ties between nations and societies.
Protecting freedom of expression is an essential condition for democracy, development and human dignity at all levels, she emphasized.
“With the cooperation of the media, UNESCO will progress in the near future.
“This is an opportunity for Sierra Leoneans especially for the school-going kids and for university students in the country,” Cecilia says.
In a related development, many are calling for a national civic education policy to be in force in a bid to promote and sustain the programs and interventions of UNESCO in Sierra Leone.