Bearing in mind the Charter of the United Nations, including the purposes and principles contained therein, and especially the dedication to saving succeeding generations from the scourge of war,

Recalling the Constitution of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, which states that, since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed,

Recalling also its previous resolutions on a culture of peace, in particular resolution 52/15 of 20 November 1997 proclaiming 2000 as the International Year for the Culture of Peace, resolution 53/25 of 10 November 1998 proclaiming the period 2001-2010 as the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World, and resolution 55/47 of 29 November 2000,

Reaffirming the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace, recognizing that they serve, inter alia, as the basis for the observance of the Decade, and convinced that effective and successful observance of the Decade throughout the world will promote a culture of peace and non-violence that benefits humanity, in particular future generations,

Recalling the United Nations Millennium Declaration which calls for the active promotion of a culture of peace,

Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General on the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World, including paragraph 28 thereof which indicates that each of the ten years of the Decade will be marked with a different priority theme related to the Programme of Action,

Taking note also of Commission on Human Rights resolution 2000/66 of 26 April 2000, entitled "Towards a culture of peace",

Emphasizing the particular relevance of the special session of the General Assembly on children, to be held in New York during the fifty-sixth session of the General Assembly, the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, held in Durban, South Africa, from 31 August to 7 September 2001, and the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education, 1995-2004, for the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World, 2001-2010,

Taking into account the "Manifesto 2000" initiative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization promoting a culture of peace, which has so far received over seventy-four million signatures of endorsement throughout the world,

1.Reiterates that the objective of the International Decade for a culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World is to further strengthen the global movement for a culture of peace following the observance of the International Year for the Culture of Peace in 2000;

2.Invites Member States to place greater emphasis on and expand their activities promoting a culture of peace and non-violence, in particular during the Decade, at the national, regional and international levels and to ensure that peace and non-violence are fostered at all levels;

3.Commends the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization for recognizing the promotion of a culture of peace as the expression of its fundamental mandate, and requests it, as the lead agency for the Decade, to further strengthen the activities it has undertaken for promoting a culture of peace;

4.Also commends the relevant United Nations bodies, in particular the United Nations Children's Fund and the University for Peace, for their activities in further promoting a culture of peace and non-violence, including promotion of peace education and activities related to specific areas identified in the Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace;2

5.Requests the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to continue its efforts to disseminate in various languages, inter alia, through its national commissions, the Declaration on a Culture of Peace1 and the Programme of Action and related materials, in particular throughout the Decade;

6.Calls upon the relevant United Nations bodies, in particular the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund, to continue to promote both formal and non-formal education at all levels that foster a culture of peace and non-violence;

7.Encourages civil society, including non-governmental organizations, to continue and strengthen its efforts in furtherance of the objectives of the Decade, inter alia, by adopting its own programme of activities to complement the initiatives of Member States, the organizations of the United Nations system and other global and regional organizations;

8.Also encourages the involvement of the mass media in education for a culture of peace and non-violence, with particular regard to children and young people, including through the planned expansion of the Culture of Peace News Network as a global network of Internet sites in many languages;

9.Welcomes the efforts made by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to continue the communication and networking arrangements established during the International Year for providing an instant update of developments related to the observance of the Decade;

10.Invites Member States as well as civil society, including non-governmental organizations, to provide information to the Secretary-General on the observance of the Decade and the activities undertaken to promote a culture of peace and non-violence;

11.Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its fifty-seventh session a report on the implementation of the present resolution;

12.Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-seventh session the item entitled "Culture of peace".

37th plenary meeting
5 November 2001