In order to avert the earliest stages of genocide, it is essential to generate an atmosphere of global tolerance and multicultural citizenship during child development and into adulthood. Through the efforts of civil society, academia, governments, NGOs, and other global actors, human rights, peace, and culture based education projects try to encompass the necessary optimism and work ethic needed to tackle the challenges of building an all-inclusive and comprehensive curriculum for the purpose of genocide prevention. Providing accessible education initiatives allows students of all ages to learn from legal, political, sociological, anthropological, historical, and other relevant backgrounds.

Teaching guides have been created by Amnesty International, UNICEF, UNESCO, and other organizations to gain better understandings of human rights instruments and abuses; along with creating accessible and non-discriminatory education for minority and indigenous populations. The UN Cyberschoolbus, for example, implements a Peace Education program, targeting the “teacher as learner” and “learner as teacher” to promote the values of UN instruments in classrooms. UNESCO has created various education projects on sustainable development, non-violence, and human rights, along with an association of schools, and various activities through its Culture of Peace program.

Establishing a human rights, peace, and culture based curriculum has become an imperative key to developing a conceptual framework for understanding human rights issues and avoiding the beginning stages of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. Programs have been used in elementary schools, colleges, and universities, in teacher training, developing countries, refugee camps, war-torn countries, amongst other areas – and are still developing into a major component of genocide prevention.

Resources

UN Documents

NGO Documents

Other Documents and Links