• by Federico Mayor
• Thursday, October 08, 2009
• Inter Press Service

The culture and economy of war and the hegemony of the "globalisers" have been a catastrophic failure and the cause of incalculable levels of suffering, hunger, and extreme poverty. A "new beginning" is needed urgently, writes Federico Mayor, president of the Culture of Peace Foundation and former Director General of UNESCO.

In this article, the author writes that many regions have incorporated the culture of peace into their constitutions and statutes to bring about the great transition from force to the word. It is very important that this trend spread, though even more important is the awareness among people that the moment has come to stop accepting the imposition of and blind obedience to power. Citizens are abandoning silence and fear and becoming agents of peace instead of vassals.

Much has been accomplished in these ten years. But the inertia of the vested interests and the resistance of the most prosperous to share more are an obstacle to the emergence of a culture of peace, the word, understanding, and the formation of alliances. But soon this will change. The hour has come.

(*) Federico Mayor is president of the Culture of Peace Foundation and former Director General of UNESCO.

//NOT FOR PUBLICATION IN PORTUGAL, SPAIN, LIBYA, JORDAN, MALTA, QATAR, AND BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA//

© Inter Press Service (2009) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service

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