Background
Although this is the declared UNESCO International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence of the World, as we look around at today’s multi religious and multi ethnic world we see that we are living in difficult times. Peace, human dignity, and human security are facing new challenges. This conference is convened to not only promote inter-cultural understanding and cooperation for peace and reconciliation, but to do this by building upon past, as well as, present success stories.
History, in fact does not necessarily ‘repeat itself’; it is the people who ‘repeat’ history. We do need to learn lessons from past mistakes but more importantly we need to recognize the wealth and richness of our world which is found in its key resource; that being its people.
It is people from many walks of life that can make and do make positive changes. They may not officially be labeled as change-agents or change-makers, peace advocates, or community champions; but these people are dedicated and active. Moreover, they deliver real change. The changes may be felt within education, non-formal as well as formal, and delivered by educators, professional or otherwise. The change may be delivered through recreational pursuits, like inter-community football matches that help bring together divided societies. In fact, in all areas of life, through the arts, sports, and education sectors, many people are working for change. Interested parties in the media and the corporate world also play a significant role in promoting and supporting these efforts, as well as, initiating some of their own.
With this in mind, the third, 3-day international conference in the Culture and Development series, on Culture and Development: Channeling Real Change, scheduled for November 2008, would allow the continuation of a dialogue which began in November 2002 with a first conference entitled Culture, Context, and Choice in Development, and followed up through a second on Culture and Development: Celebrating Diversity; Achieving Equity, in November 2005. Both previous conferences were supported by the Japan Foundation. During this period of time SEAMEO-SPAFA has also conducted 10 Workshops on the culture and development theme reaching 400 participants and recently hosted an International Symposium on Inter-cultural Understanding: Changing the Landscape and Building Bridges for Peace.
Speaker Highlights
