До роботи круглого столу "Мир. Безпека. Освіта", що відбувся 14.07.2023 року на базі Харківського національного педагогічного університету імені Г.С. Сковороди в партнерстві з ГО «Об’єднання миротворців ООН, учасників міжнародних операцій та інвалідів війни» долучилися - учасниця місії ООН у Ліберії, юрист, педагог, співробітниця Червоного хреста Бельгії – Фландрія, Юлія Юревич-Рупасінхе, та гуманітарний дипломат, співробітник департаменту миротворчих операцій ООН в Африці, Азії, Європі, лауреат премії Golden Аster у галузі світової літератури (2020), регіональний експерт із психічного здоров’я у Східній Європі, клінічний психолог Прамудіт Данажа Рупасінхе.
The invitees, My Colleagues former Blue Barrettes! The Faculty, The organisers and the students!
Good morning ! Happy International Peacekeepers day.
Once Mahatma Gandhi said “If we want to achieve sustainable peace in this world, we should start educating children”, as the education is the most powerful weapon that can be mobilised to change the world into better place for everyone. Unfortunately, the world where we stand today, in the 21st century, we don’t clap when a match draws, we produce more films of heroism, and war than the that of peace, and we have had more human lives lost, in conflicts fragmented across the world, than two world wars combined. Here we are in 2023, and out of 195 countries in todays world, only a number of countries that can be shown with fingers of my hands have introduced elements of peace education in the curricula targeting the children of formative age— isn’t that frightening?
The fact is there is no peace without education that fosters peaceful coexistence, and without peace there is no opportunity for education—and security, and sense of security have a dynamic interaction with the two above mentioned.
My colleagues, as peacekeepers you well are aware that the peace education is both a proven strategy for peace building, and prevention of violence. Ukrainian peacekeepers, your work across the world demonstrate your unyielding desire, attitude and endurance towards sustainable peace, and hundred thousands of people affected by conflicts in the countries you have served, must still remember you for your service. Now it is time. The time is now; unless we, as peacekeepers don’t do it with our own people now, nobody could do it.
While peacekeepers contribute as educators in the communities, strengthen the local systems, the teachers, play a vital role by cultivating the seeds of peace among the children from their formative age so they would grow up as adults who are equipped with right eduction for creating the peaceful world we dream of. It starts from your classroom. Your consciousness and understanding that unless you produce generations of peaceful citizens, they guns never fall silent, and rockets continue to fall on schools—you won’t teach maths, science, or any other subject.
Coming from a country where 30 years long civil conflicts shattered dreams of several generations, working with UN department of peace keeping nearly a decade, having witnessed the human suffering from all major conflicts and calamities of past 2 decades and having served them as a humanitarian, I will leave simple massage with you.
I am quoting one of my books written on a war zone— Liberia, Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast—where I met most of the Ukrainian peacekeepers.
“Millions of dreams of children prematurely die in the schools, before they are killed in the battle field or caught in cross fires, a teacher could have prevented both”
—Behind the Eclipse—
With this remark, I warmly welcome all of you the round table, and looking forward to see a tide-changing discussion.
Thank you!
