UNESCO welcomes signing of Colombian ceasefire agreement in Havana | WPN World People News

The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, on 24 June expressed deep satisfaction at the signing of a bilateral ceasefire agreement by the government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (FARC-EP) ending the armed conflict that has torn the country for more than half a century.

“The process that led to the historic signing of the agreement on 23 June in Havana, shows real commitment in favour of peace and human rights,” declared the Director-General. “This historic agreement goes right to the heart of the mission of UNESCO, which was created to build peace in the minds of men and women, and I warmly congratulate all those involved, President Juan Manuel Santos and the people of Colombia for this decisive step forward for the country, the region and the world.”

UNESCO has followed the peace process, which lasted several years, and monitored negotiations closely in its fields of competence. The promotion of a culture of peace, quality education, the teaching of history and the full enjoyment of freedom of expression and press freedom are central to the agreement and its implementation over the coming years. “UNESCO stands ready to cooperate with the Colombian government in this work,” the Director-General added.

UNESCO is very active in Colombia, where it is engaged in the promotion of cultural heritage to bolster social cohesion and dialogue. It is also involved in work concerning the protection of journalists, the promotion of literacy, notably with the Regional Centre for Book Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (CERLALC), and in the social sciences, which are very vibrant in Colombia.

“My thoughts today go to Colombian journalist, Guillermo Cano Isaza who lost his life to the quest for a more peaceful and democratic Colombia. This agreement is a tribute to his memory and to his work, thirty years after his assassinations,” the Director-General added, in reference to the man who gave his name to UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Prize.

The UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize, created in 1997, each year honours a person, organization or institution that has made an outstanding contribution to the defence or promotion of press freedom anywhere in the world, and especially when this has been achieved in the face of danger. In 1984, Guillermo Cano Isaza declared: “We need peace to lead civilized lives and not die prematurely as savages.”

Source: United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization