EDUCATION KEY TO GLOBAL PEACE, WELL-BEING, SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL IN ADDRESS TO AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EDUCATION
Press Release
SG/SM/6165
EDUCATION KEY TO GLOBAL PEACE, WELL-BEING, SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL IN ADDRESS TO AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EDUCATION
19970224 Following is the address of Secretary-General Kofi Annan, entitled "The Imperative of Education and the Indispensable Role of the United Nations", delivered to the American Council on Education in Washington, D.C., on 24 February:It is a privilege to address this distinguished gathering of college and university leaders from the United States and abroad. The American Council on Education has a long tradition of international action and links with national and international associations of higher education. It is fitting, therefore, that the United Nations finds a place in your deliberations.
I attach great personal importance to the topic of education. In fact, it was education that first brought me half way around the globe from my native Ghana to this country. As some of you may know, I studied economics at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Over the years, I have maintained a personal commitment to education. For nearly a decade, I was Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the United Nations International School in New York City, and before that a Governor of the International School in Geneva. I have also had the honour of serving my alma mater, Macalester College, as a member of its Board of Trustees.
As I begin my new job, I would like to seize this opportunity to assure you that I will be your staunch ally in our common efforts to promote education as a global priority. Imagine leading a complex organization into a new century, while facing shifting demands from disparate constituencies. Imagine misunderstandings and conflicts, fiscal crises, conflicting mandates. Imagine questions about the validity of the fundamental mission of the institution. Imagine the need to manage many component parts, each with their own agenda and all with very little patience for a new leader stepping into the post.
Imagine being part captain, part educator, part cheerleader, part fund- raiser. Imagine all of that. I have -- and that is why I am glad that I am not a college or university president today. I salute you, the leaders of higher education. We have much in common, and I believe we can help each other greatly in the years ahead.
Today, I would like to share with you some of my thoughts on three main themes: the role of education in the twenty-first century, the role of the United Nations in promoting "education for all", and the role that education plays in fostering understanding and support for the United Nations.
My many years of service with the world Organization have convinced me that the first ingredient of political stability is an informed citizen. The first ingredient of economic progress is a skilled worker. And the first ingredient of social justice is an enlightened society. Education is, thus, the key to global peace and well-being.
You are probably familiar with the proverb: "Give a man a fish and he can eat for a day. But teach the man to fish and he will never go hungry." Fair enough -- but what does he do once he has eaten? We have to look beyond the traditional concern with subsistence if we are to prepare people to participate in the globalized economy of the twenty-first century.
The world has changed. It is increasingly interdependent. More and more, the problems we face require cooperation across national boundaries, and solidarity beyond individual differences.
Cultures, religions and peoples are collaborating and colliding with ever greater frequency and in ever more complex situations. I am not one of those who foresees an inevitable clash of civilizations. Rather, working at the United Nations has convinced me that values such as tolerance and acceptance of diversity are vital to the future of humanity -- that we must cooperate across the distinctions of race, language and creed. We have long since passed the point at which a leader, politician or businessperson can afford to think in only local terms or assume that there is only one way of doing things.
But with such dramatic transformations -- in the workplace, at home and at all levels of government -- the way we educate the youth and leaders of tomorrow must also change. Young people need more help than ever in interpreting and understanding the civil, political and economic environments in which they live. And in preparing themselves to assume their roles as responsible adults and citizens. This is true of developed and developing countries alike.
Fortunately, trends such as democratization and economic liberalization have opened up new perspectives for education. An increasing number of nations -- including many which have experienced ethnic conflict and civil strife -- are searching for educational content and methods that will help them reach a number of interrelated goals: strengthening respect for human rights and the practice of democracy; defeating poverty; protecting the environment; and improving the prospects for international peace and understanding.
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This may seem an ambitious list. But as the world stands poised at the dawn of a new millennium, we must seize the moment to liberate and mobilize minds to face these challenges with strength and purpose.
Towards these ends, the United Nations has an indispensable role to play. We act in accordance with the Charter, which endows the world Organization with a unique moral authority in world affairs. And also on the basis of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which declares that everyone has the right to education.
Our aim is to promote a culture of education in which access to education is universal. In which education promotes understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups. In which education helps people develop themselves to their full potential. And in which the nations of the world share their knowledge, technology and experience for the common good.
Our efforts must be seen in the larger context of our wide-ranging work to enhance human security in all its dimensions. "National security" and "national interests" can no longer be thought of in narrow terms, or as solely a question of military preparedness and might. Rather, our definition of security must encompass economic well-being, social justice, environmental protection, good governance and the rule of law.
In the broadest sense, we seek to establish a culture of peace. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), a leading international voice on behalf of education and literacy for all, is founded on the premise that "since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed". (The minds of women, I might add in these more enlightened times, are already well oriented towards peace.)
Education is the principal agent in efforts to build these pillars of human security. But as we all know, the obstacles are enormous, particularly in developing countries. Conditions of poverty work against promoting universal access to quality education. A lack of resources means that schools are not built, teachers are not hired and access to new technologies is limited, if not impossible.
Cultural factors mean that girls are often not allowed or encouraged to attend school and that curriculums are manipulated for political or ideological ends. Socio-economic realities mean that children must work to supplement the family income and even those who attend school often leave by a very young age.
For these and other reasons, developing countries risk being marginalized even further in a world ruled by technology and defined by
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advances in information and communications. We risk creating a new divide between the information-rich and the technology-poor. Only education can bridge that divide, provided the resources are found -- material and human -- for education itself.
And these resources must be spent where they are most needed. We know that there are sizable imbalances in educational opportunities between States. But these also exist within States: between rich and poor people, between urban and rural areas, between different ethnic groups, and between men and women. We cannot redress every injustice. But we must work within our countries, as well as internationally, to provide educational opportunity for all -- particularly those on the margins of the world's classrooms.
The World Bank is keenly aware of this. They are organizing an international conference in Toronto in June on the theme of "knowledge for development in the information age". The conference will analyse the global knowledge revolution and explore ways to help developing countries, and particularly the world's poor, access and harness new information and communication technologies, so as to promote empowerment, enable life-long learning and reduce poverty. It is an initiative undertaken with a broad range of public and private partners, including the Government of Canada and several agencies of the United Nations. The academic community will be well represented, along with the private sector, development banks, scientific and training institutions, and the media. I am sure you will find the proceedings worth following.
A similar coalition of educators, governments and non-governmental organizations will take part in the World Conference on Higher Education that UNESCO is scheduled to convene in the fall of 1998. The Conference will examine a range of difficult issues facing universities today. These include: coping with a great influx of students seeking useful degrees; struggling with budget cuts imposed in the name of less government involvement; and reinforcing the ability of universities to contribute to development and democracy. In light of the profound transformations occurring in society today, it seems to me extremely timely that a conference be held to examine the mission of higher education.
If the United Nations is responsible for contributing to the promotion of education, I submit that educators, too, have certain responsibilities towards the United Nations. Some citizens have lost faith in the United Nations, owing in part to ignorance, misinformation and myth. In order for the Organization to meet the world's expectations, it needs the support of the Member States. Support can come in many forms: political, military, moral, financial. But the surest support finds its roots in knowledge about the United Nations and its work.
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This is why you and your institutions are especially valuable. Although a number of high schools hold model United Nations programmes, very little material on the United Nations is included in formal curricula. Most students enter college without even a rudimentary background knowledge about the United Nations.
Your colleges and universities can fill the gap. Your institutions can cultivate in young people an understanding of the United Nations -- of its functions, potential and limits and its direct impact on their lives and futures -- upon which its continued service to humanity can be built. The interest and support of your students, the leaders of tomorrow, are critical to the future of the United Nations, which is critical to the future of the world.
We are approaching the end of a century which has been described as the most bloody and destructive in history. Education is both the antidote and the key to creating a world of progress, solidarity, understanding and respect for diversity. Through education we can cultivate a citizenry prepared to thrive in the knowledge-based, interdependent society of the future.
Let us rise to this challenge. United States President William Clinton has made education "the number one priority" for his new administration. I salute his foresight, leadership and lifelong commitment to education.
For my part, I am committed to reforming the United Nations so that it is more efficient, effective and better able to serve the world of tomorrow. And I expect to have frequent contact with students at all levels. Just last week, I met with two Swedish students who had won an essay contest; two days later, I was interviewed by a smart pair of New York City high-schoolers. Such encounters are among the most enjoyable parts of my job. But their questions were also more difficult than those I receive from my peers.
I am not complacent about the problems we face. The goals of "education for all" and "education for peace" are still far from being attained. But to define a goal is to take the first step towards achieving it.
I am grateful for this occasion to share my views and hopes with you. I welcome your ideas and look forward to maintaining close contact with the academic community. You are essential partners of the United Nations. Let us press forward together.
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