Conference on Higher Education for Peace
Tromsø Kulturhus, Thursday 4 May 2000
Distinguished Delegates
Ladies and Gentlemen
On behalf of the Norwegian
government, it is a great pleasure for me to welcome you to Tromsø.
And to this Conference on Higher Education for Peace. Tromsø is the
northernmost university town in Norway - with a lively academic
life. The impressive attendance at the Conference testifies to the
importance of the issues we are going to debate.
The Ministry of Culture is in
charge of UNESCO-affairs in Norway and therefore has an interest in
all UNESCO-related activity, whether it be within the area of
education, science, culture or communication.
The idea of arranging this
conference came up at the UNESCO
World Conference on Higher Education in Paris in October
1998. Inspired by the debate on Promoting a Culture of Peace
members of the Norwegian delegation discussed how institutions of
higher education in Norway can play a more active role in the
promotion of human rights and peace. One of the members of the
delegation was professor Ole D. Mjøs from the University of Tromsø.
His efforts to realize the idea convinced the Norwegian government
to strongly support the conference.
For the first time the institutions
of higher education in Norway are challenged directly on their role
as promoters of human rights and peace through a major conference.
I am happy to see so many representatives from academic
institutions among us. This is a sign that the intellectual
community is aware of vital contemporary issues.
Peace-building does not mean merely
avoiding the outbreak of armed conflict. It means above all
eradicating the causes of individual and collective violence which
are the breeding-ground of war. Peace cannot be brought about only
through treaties alone. It must be written in the hearts and minds
of men and women. The conditions for peace must be addressed by all
educational institutions, from primary through secondary school to
higher education.
Internationally, Norwegians have a
reputation as peace facilitators and mediators. Norwegian students
who want to study human rights and peace related issues have gone
abroad to find relevant studies. The aim of this conference is to
invite all institutions of higher education to analyse their own
roles and their potential as peace builders and promoters of human
rights.
The Constitution of UNESCO sees
conflict as having its origins in idea-systems. Wars
begin in the minds of men. Among
the causes of conflict are ignorance of each other’s ways of life,
denial of the democratic principles of dignity, equality and mutual
respect. The antidote it prescribes to conflict and war is the wide
diffusion of culture, and the education of humanity for justice and
peace.
To me, it is therefore essential to
talk of culture and education as forces promoting integration and
peaceful co-existence of people in societies. Cultures have at
their core knowledge and values. They evolve and grow in a process
of creative interchange. Art and culture - in all its forms - is
not only about tradition, but also about creation. This is why they
have a role to play in pre-empting conflict.
Education and culture are, as I see
it, essential to meeting the challenges of diversity and modernity.
Education is fundamental not only to the transmission of culture
but to preparing the ground for its continuous renewal. By
promoting creativity and humane values, education becomes the ally
of cultural responsiveness.
The ethical role of higher
education has never been more important than today. Education is
the gateway to knowledge and understanding. It is the key to
empowerment and thus sustainable development, sustainable democracy
and sustainable peace.
We need knowledge to reduce the
asymmetries in wealth, power, knowledge and gender participation,
which are today at the heart of conflicts and violent behaviour.
Higher learning institutions can contribute to peace by fostering
the active, informed citizenship which is the basis of real and
lasting democracy. Institutions of higher education have an ability
to anticipate, to generate or incorporate new knowledge and new
ways of thinking. In their forward-looking role, these institutions
must serve society, and be permanently part of the struggle to
defend human dignity.
The success of this conference will
to a large extent be measured through its follow-up. We do hope
that the universities and colleges in Norway will integrate UNESCO
perspectives in their curricula. We look forward to seeing good
initiatives coming out of the creative processes that we are sure
will start during these three days in Tromsø. Furthermore, we hope
that the institutions themselves will come up with concrete steps
in launching new initiatives for human rights and peace
education.
May this Conference make the
academic world more responsible and more relevant in addressing
contemporary world issues and in preparing young people to be
active promoters of peace and human rights in the future.
Finally, it is my pleasure to
declare this Conference on Higher Education for Peace as opened. I
wish you a successful conference in Tromsø – my hometown.
Thank you for your attention.
