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A Pan-African Forum for Innovative Youth Mobilization for the Culture of Peace in Africa

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From December 11 to 13, 2014, Libreville hosts the Pan-African Forum on "African Youth and the Challenge of Promoting a Culture of Peace in Africa". Organized jointly by the Omar Bongo Ondimba Foundation and the Gabonese National Commission for UNESCO, in collaboration with UNESCO, this international meeting aims to launch a network of youth organizations working to spread a culture of peace in Africa in through actions in favor of dialogue, tolerance and social inclusion. Young people will be at the forefront of the three-day forum organized by them, for them and with them. One hundred young people representing 45 youth organizations and African national youth councils will be gathered. All regions of the continent will be represented, including the Diaspora. To ensure that young participants have maximum autonomy and initiative, UNESCO made available to them three months ago an online platform which enabled them to take up the stakes of the debate.

Through this virtual forum, youth representatives have compared their views and expressed their ambitions for the network they are developing on their own. They will thus arrive in Libreville to finalize their work through two first days of exchanges devoted to exercises of anticipation and foresight based on participatory methods. These approaches will enable them to envisage their action for the culture of peace in the light of the future - a future where they can play a pivotal and decisive role for Africa and beyond.

After these first two days, the young people will meet the partners of their network. First, at the official opening ceremony scheduled for December 13, they will present the results of their work to their official supporters, the African Union, the Omar Bongo Foundation, the Gabonese government and UNESCO, represented by Ms Bokova, the Director-General. Then, the young people will meet a set of potential partners with whom to take concrete actions on the ground. UNESCO's Special Envoy for Peace and Reconciliation, Forest Whitaker, will be among their interlocutors. In particular, he will present a partnership project between UNESCO and its foundation, the Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative (WPDI). Focusing on the youth of fragile countries, this collaboration aims to train young people in mediation, new technologies and social entrepreneurship in order to build them into networks of peace and sustainable development in their communities. The closing of the Forum will be marked by the nomination ceremony of Pierre-Claver Akendengué, Gabonese singer, musician and poet, as UNESCO's Peacebuilding Artist. This ceremony will then be followed by a concert that will be given in particular to strengthen the impetus of young people towards a culture of peace for the future of the African continent.

By mobilizing African youth around the culture of peace, the Pan-African Forum intends to give substance to a number of ambitions that have emerged in recent years in Africa for peace and youth. The first is to contribute to the Plan of Action for a Culture of Peace in Africa and the campaign "Taking Action for Peace", resulting from the conclusions and recommendations of the Pan-African Forum "Africa: Sources and Resources for a Culture of Peace ", held in March 2013 in Luanda (Angola), co-organized by the Angolan Government, the African Union and UNESCO. The Forum will also be an opportunity to call once again for the ratification of the African Youth Charter by all the Member States of the African Union with a view to accelerating the implementation of the Plan of Action the African Youth Decade (2009-2018).

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Schedule of the Celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Culture of Peace

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Under the patronage of the President of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire

"Peace in the minds of men and women"

Celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Birth of the Culture of Peace Concept

Launch of Activities of the Network of Foundations and Research Institutions for the Promotion of a Culture of Peace in Africa

Yamoussoukro, September 21-22-23, 2014

Schedule

Sunday, September 21, 2014 - International Day of Peace

8:00 am - 10:00 am            Arrival and installation of participants

10:30 am - 12:00 pm          Celebration of Peace Day and Ecumenical Ceremony for Peace at the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace (Intervention of the Rector of the Basilica, the Imam of the Great Mosque of Yamoussoukro, a pastor and other representatives of religious communities )

1:00 pm - 2:30 pm              Lunch

4:00 pm - 6:00 pm             Visit of Yamoussoukro

8:00 pm                                Dinner hosted by the FHB Foundation

Monday, September 22, 2014

8:30 am - 9:30 am              Registration of participants

10:00 am -12:30 pm           Opening Ceremony

  • Tribute to Minister Joachim Bony, Former Secretary General of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Foundation for Peace Research
  • Address by Mr. The Mayor of the Yamoussoukro Commune
  • Address by Mr. Jean Noël Loucou, Deputy Secretary-General of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Foundation for Peace Research

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Culture of Peace

  • Video message from the Executive Director
  • Ms. Lalla Aicha Ben Barka, Assistant Director-General of UNESCO for Africa, representing the Director-General of UNESCO
  • HE Mr. Mohamed Sameh Amr, Chairman of the Executive Board of UNESCO and Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Egypt to UNESCO
  • Ms. Saran Daraba Kaba, Secretary-General of the Mano River Union
  • Mrs. Hiroute Guebre Sellassie - Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for the Sahel
  • Ambroise Niyonsaba, Special Representative of the President of the African Union in Côte d'Ivoire
  • Mr. Sibry Tapsoba, Director, Departments of Fragile States of the African Development Bank (AfDB)
  • Mr Federico Mayor Zaragoza, Former Director-General of UNESCO and President of the Foundation "Cultura de Paz"
  • HE Mr. Daniel Kablan Duncan, Prime Minister of the Government of Côte d'Ivoire

12:30 pm - 1:00 pm Opening Cocktail

1:00 pm - 2:30 pm   Lunch at the FHB Foundation

2:30 pm - 4:15 pm   Round Table: Review of the 25th anniversary of the Culture of Peace Program

Intervention

  • HE Mr. Ahmed Sayyad, Former President of the General Conference of UNESCO and Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Yemen to UNESCO
  • Ms Christine Desouches, Former Delegate for Peace, Democracy and Human Rights - International Organization of La Francophonie
  • Mr. David Adams, Former Director of the Unit for the International Year for a Culture of Peace at UNESCO
  • Ms. Ana Isabel Prera ​​Flores, Former Advisor to the Director-General of UNESCO on the Culture of Peace
  • Mr. Joseph Yaï, Former President of the Executive Board of UNESCO and Member of the Nigerian Academy of Arts
  • Mr Ahlin Byll-Cataria, Chairman of the Governing Board of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL)
  • Mr. Bienvenu Okiemi, Minister of Information, Communication and Media, Republic of Congo
  • Ms Diénéba Doumbia, Director of the Department for Peace Research - Félix Houphouët-Boigny Foundation for Peace Research

Moderator: Mr. Enzo Fazzino, Senior Program Specialist and Head of the Culture of Peace in Africa Program, Africa Department

4:15 pm - 4:45 pm   Coffee Break

4:45 pm - 6:30 pm  Round Table: Assessment of the 25th anniversary of the Culture of Peace program and Peace Culture History Project

  • Mr. Nestor Bidadanure, Journalist, writer, Ph.D. and researcher Université Paris 8
  • Mr. Doudou Diene, former Director of UNESCO's Division of Intercultural and Inter-religious Dialogue and Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance
  • Mr. Nureldin Satti, Chairman of the Fund for the Promotion of Culture at UNESCO and Former Special Advisor to the Director-General for the Culture of Peace in the Great Lakes Region
  • Ms. Ana Elisa Santana de Afonso, Former Secretary-General of the National Commission of Mozambique and Head of the UNESCO Office in Brazzaville
  • Mr Loïc Tribot La Spière, General Delegate of the Center for Studies and Strategic Prospective Studies (CEPS)
  • Mr Lezou Dago, Holder of the UNESCO Chair in the Culture of Peace
  • Mr Jens Boel, Head of Archives and UNESCO History Project
  • Mr. René-Pierre Anouma, Director of International Cooperation of the FHB Foundation

Moderator: Mr. Edouard Firmin Matoko, Director of the UNESCO Liaison Office with the African Union, Addis-Ababa

6:30 pm - 7:00 pm    Reading and adoption of the conclusions of the work

8:00 pm - 10:00 pm Official dinner offered by the FHB Foundation

                                      "Stepping stone for youth social entrepreneurship and the culture of peace" in the Ivory Coast by the CEPS

Tuesday, September 23, 2014 - Meeting of the Network of Foundations and Research Institutions for the Promotion of a Culture of Peace in Africa

9:00 am - 11:00 am   Definition of the Network action plan, modalities of cooperation and development

11:00 am - 11:15 am   Coffee Break

11:15 am - 1:00 pm     Definition of the Network's action plan, modalities of cooperation and development (continued)

1:00 pm - 2:30 pm     Lunch at the FHB Foundation

2:30 pm - 4:00 pm    Review and adoption of the statutes and rules of procedure of the Network of foundations and research institutions for the promotion of a culture of peace in Africa

4:00 pm - 4:30 pm    Coffee Break

5:00 pm - 6:00 pm    Closing ceremony

                                       Reading of the general report

                                       Presentation of the organs of the Network

                                       Closing speech by the Minister of National Education and Technical Education

8:00 pm - 10:00 pm  Closing dinner

Wednesday, September 24, 2014 - Consultation and organization meeting of the Biennale of the Culture of Peace (Luanda, September 2015)

9:00 am - 1:00 pm  Meeting of framing and exchange with the potential organizers / partners: UNESCO, African Union, Member States, Foundations, Universities, Private sector, Experts

3:00 pm                     Departure of the participants for Abidjan

2:30 pm - 6:00 pm  Restricted meeting of organization and programming UNESCO-Angola

Welcoming Remarks

You are welcome to visit the website of the Network of Foundations and Research Institutions for the Promotion of a Culture of Peace in Africa.

The Network was created at the end of the Addis Ababa meeting on September 20 and 21, 2013 with a view to "creating a continental and sustainable peace movement capable of mobilizing African States, the private sector, African artists and leaders, international organizations and regional development actors as well as NGOs and grassroots associations". It is currently composed of 44 African and non-African organizations listed here.

You will find on our website articles, publications, photos and videos concerning the promotion of the Culture of Peace on the African continent. We also keep you informed about upcoming events.

African Union

UNESCO