Power of Peace / La Fuerza de la Paz.

Power of Peace. Building Peace through Communication and Information/
La Fuerza de la Paz. Construyendo la Paz mediante la Comunicación y la Información.

Así se titula el Foro Global que la UNESCO, en asociación con el Gobierno de Indonesia ha organizado en Jimbaran, Bali, del 21 al 23 de Enero 2007-01-23

Piedra con las primeras frases de la Constitución de la UNESCO

(Foto: Unesco)

About the Forum…

since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed.

These words framed in the constitution of UNESCO half a century ago are no less striking today. We experience war and terrorism with alarming regularity and scale, but we also now have at our disposal new and dramatic means to influence the minds of men and women, “where the defences of peace must be constructed.”

The mass media of television and radio and the new on-line digital tools of information and communication (ICTs) have huge influence. They set social agendas and they legitimize what they carry and convey. There is a need to rethink how we might capture the best that these tools have to offer in support of cultural self-expression, awareness and mutual understanding.

With this in mind, UNESCO in association with the Government of Indonesia is hosting an International Forum in Bali, January 2007. Some of the best thinkers and practitioners will meet to strategize, form partnerships and put previous conference recommendations into concrete practice. In doing so the forum will seek practical application of the sustaining wisdom of UNESCO’s Constitution: …ignorance of each other’s ways and lives has been a common cause, throughout history of mankind, of that suspicion and mistrust between peoples of the world through which their differences have all too often broken into war…

Delegates to the Bali Forum drawn from the public and private sectors will review issues and opportunities in the framework of a proposition put before them. A new model for using existing available tools and digital systems will be demonstrated. Its purpose is to support local production and content development to be shared globally, and to provide training in new methods and technologies. Its proposed approach is an innovative, cutting-edge multi-media and ICT platform with the working title: Power of Peace Network or PPN. A unique not-for-profit business case will be considered for this bold initiative that will involve public and private partners and a range of paying clients served on-air and on-line by the proposed service.

Recommendations for an initiative of this kind have arisen in several conferences. There is recognition of the need for an operating system of scale and critical mass with presence and impact. Ongoing research and development and the necessary continuing support for local production and content is critical. The call for a concrete plan and committed partnership is a call for leadership. The Indonesian event is seeking to pull these elements together. UNESCO will convene recognized professionals and enablers as well as fresh new faces whose imagination and professionalism is needed in innovating breakthrough approaches. The ultimate aim is greater mutual understanding and peace.

Ref: http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/