PRESS CONFERENCE ON 1999 PEACE AND COOPERATION SCHOOL AWARD

Press Briefing

PRESS CONFERENCE ON 1999 PEACE AND COOPERATION SCHOOL AWARD

The 1999 Peace and Cooperation School Award, sponsored by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from Spain and the United States, was launched this afternoon at a Headquarters press conference sponsored by Spain. The contest will draw entries from students and educators around the world, based on the theme "The right to a culture of peace and non-violence".

The President of Peace and Cooperation -- an NGO based in Spain -- Joaquin Antuna, explained that the contest had been held annually for the past 15 years, with an overall participation of more than a million teachers and students worldwide. This year's theme had been inspired by the General Assembly's proclamation of the year 2000 as the International Year for the Culture of Peace.

This year, the contest was being co-sponsored by Airline Ambassadors, a network of flight attendants and volunteers who delivered humanitarian aid and helped children worldwide, he said. The contest was also backed by the Spanish Government, a number of foreign embassies in Madrid, the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and other groups. Last year's contest, co-sponsored with the World Tourism Organization, had focused on "The right to travel in a world without frontiers". Some 10,000 entries had been received from 62 countries. Two years ago, with a theme of "Food for all" and co-sponsored by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the contest had drawn 60,000 entries from 55 countries.

If war was created in the minds of human beings, as the preamble to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) constitution said, then it was also possible that peace, love, justice and inclusivity could be fostered in people's minds, he said. The contest was directed towards cultivating the vision of a different human being and a world of peace, through drawing, writing, poetry, drama, posters and slogans. Yesterday, he had spoken to UNESCO's Director-General, Federico Mayor. Peace and Cooperation hoped to have UNESCO's backing for the contest, and was hoping the award ceremony would take place on the International Day of Peace in New York. The best entries were to be displayed at the young people's congress being organized in Hawaii by Peace Child International in October.

He then introduced Ambassador Inocenio Arias, describing him as a career diplomat from Spain, actor, and the former manager of Real Madrid. Ambassador Arias said that, despite great improvements in the human condition in the past years, much remained to be done in the next century. Education was far from universal, and many people lived in extreme poverty. The world needed peace in order to tackle the enormous problems facing it.

The work of Peace and Cooperation and Airline Ambassadors was inspiring, he said. Young people must be made aware of the problems facing the world, such as discrimination and HIV/AIDS. It was equally important that their views and reactions be considered. He was proud to support the two organizations, and encouraged them to continue their efforts.

Actor/Director John Amos, speaking for Airline Ambassadors, said that while much attention was being paid to technological problems anticipated with the new millennium, the problems of the world's children were even more important. He had been involved with charitable groups for many years, travelling in 1980 to Somalia and Ethiopia and then appealing to the United States Congress to increase appropriations to help the suffering in those countries.

Never before, however, had he seen anything as impressive as the work of the Legion of Good Will which worked with abandoned children in Brazil, he said. During a recent trip to Brazil, he had seen that the problems facing children in the United States and other countries could in fact be resolved. The formula was simple, it was predicated on spirituality and on placing children ahead of financial or other concerns. He proposed to offer his help to the Legion in any way he could.

For the last seven or eight years, in between other professional projects, he had been on a world tour of a one-man show called "Halley's Comet", Mr. Amos continued. He portrayed an 86-year-old man who had lived to see Halley's Comet twice and observed dramatic changes in the world, including the demise of the family structure, and the increase in problems faced by children of all races and ethnic backgrounds. The solutions the character offered were similar to those of the Legion of Good Will: by reapplying spirituality, the world could become a positive place for those "coming behind us". He would be performing the piece at the New Jersey Performing Art Center from 24 to 27 February. He encouraged all to see the play, saying he had long ago learned that the most eloquent way he could address such issues was by applying his art.

The flight attendants of the Airline Ambassadors were able to see first hand the problems children faced throughout the world, he said. They were committed to projects to improving conditions for young people, and he was pleased to be involved in their efforts, since the world's children were its most important asset. He encouraged efforts to remedy the problems of today so all young people could have a decent world to grow up in.

A correspondent asked how Spain had become the lead agent in the contest. Ambassador Arias answered that Peace and Cooperation was based in Spain. The organization was private, but it did good work, promoting peace and understanding among children, and the Government felt duty-bound to support it.

Asked for more information about the work of the Legion of Good Will, Mr. Amos said that he considered it to be a model of what could be done

Spain Press Conference - 3 - 10 February 1999

worldwide. The problems faced by Brazil's children, such as hunger, homelessness and lack of education, were also to be found in New York or West Africa. The world could study the Legion and emulate its practices.

Did Peace and Cooperation have other projects? a correspondent asked. Mr. Antuna explained that it had field projects in 20 countries -- including South Africa, India, Jordan, Palestine, Colombia and Peru -- and an international awareness campaign. It had sponsored the past three school awards with the United Nations. The field projects originated in the community and focused on different issues according to need. For example, in Colombia, the project focused on street children; in Bethlehem, on disabled persons; and in South Africa, on women.

When the same correspondent asked about Peace and Cooperation's funding, Mr. Antuna said that the organization's annual budget of $1.5 million came from the European Community, private donors and the Spanish Government. All Spanish cities devoted money to development. The organization's campaigns were not expensive. Its primary expense was printing posters.

Responding to a correspondent's request for highlights of campaigns to date, Mr. Antuna said the contests had generated a number of interesting ideas. The gender aspect was particularly noteworthy. About 80 per cent of entries came from girls, and it was interesting to note from the entries that even in countries where gender discrimination limited girls' access to jobs, young women often envisioned themselves in careers outside the home.

A correspondent asked what support was provided by Governments. Mr. Antuna said that Spain's Foreign Ministry sent contest posters to Spanish embassies worldwide and foreign embassies in Madrid. Peace and Cooperation also had good relations with NGOs and United Nations information centres. It was wonderful to have the flight attendants from Airline Ambassadors spreading leaflets and posters across the globe. Those efforts were instrumental in obtaining broad participation by teachers and students.

Asked about the contest's overall goal, Mr. Antuna said the idea was to reach many people. The project was undertaken with very little money. For example, today's representatives had paid for their own lunch, and he had paid for his trip to New York. "We are all volunteers. We should be humble to be great", he said.

The United Nations representative of Airline Ambassadors, Sharrye Moore, thanked participants for their efforts and stressed that "we are all in this together", forging partnerships to create a better world for children.

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