The pace of life has accelerated to such an extent that one wishes that there were thirty-six hours days replacing the twenty-four hour stalemate. The 'What's on' section of the newspaper shows nth number of activities happening simultaneously and one is left in a quagmire as to which ones to cover and which ones to pass.
The first invitation this week was from Unesco that had organized a discussion on a 'Culture of peace in a gender perspective.'Ms. Ingegorg Breines, Director/ Representative Unesco introduced a manual which has been translated into Urdu titled 'Non violent Conflict Resolution.' She hoped that students of the university level would use this tool in the non-violent resolution of conflict. She further said that it has been translated in all major languages and has been included in the curriculum of teacher training already within the established network.
Constructive critique from the participants in the forum would be taken into consideration. The education of culture of peace in a gender perspective has been launched in Pakistan and she was hopeful that it would be a useful for the educators of the country.
The second part of forum was the speech by Ms Ingrid Eide.The keynote speaker was a member of the Unesco executive board, member of very actively involved in the development initiative, the conference and the programme called 'Toward the Culture of Peace'.
The program started in the 90's in the Unesco which traveled far and wide to experts and governments and Unesco was proud that year 2000, the opening of the new millennium, was declared by UN initiative 'International Year for the Culture of Peace.'
There were high hopes that the new millennium would yield a peace dividend that would be used in the social sector. However, there has been disappointment in the fact that the culture of peace has not flourished as much as it was expected. Furthermore, it seems that the media is focusing too much on the negative side and not on the positive aspects where good experience could have given new energy to continue the everlasting fight for the culture of peace.
The decision for the title of the 'Decade for the Culture of Peace and Non-violence for Children of the World' was taken by the member states of the UN on Unesco initiative. The need of the hour is to work intensively for the culture of peace so as to secure it for future generations.
The draft for the plan of action for the culture of peace was again developed by Unesco, which consists of eight pillars such as human rights, gender equality, relevant quality education, and transparency in information & transformation and poverty alleviation etc. The resolution and the programme of action of the culture of peace have been translated into Urdu and it has been distributed in universities, to relevant departments in all the ministries in the federal and provincial level. A coordinated effort has to be made to work towards the above stated objective.
Ingrid Eide gave a comprehensive speech on the aforementioned topic. Later on there was an interactive question-answer session, which was enthusiastically involved the representatives of public/private national and international organizations, media representatives along with teachers and students. It was an informal gathering of intellectuals who put in their knowledge and comprehension towards evolving a plan for the culture of peace. Everyone helped himself or herself from the refreshment corner that was a pleasant change from being served.
The second invitation was again from Unesco to observe the World Press Freedom Day which is commemorated on May 3 but due to it being Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi, it was observed on May 8,2004. This year's theme for observation of the World Press Freedom Day is ' Support to Media in Violent Conflict and Countries in Transition.' Unesco organized it in collaboration with UNHCR.
Ingeborg Breines director of Unesco in Pakistan read out Koichiro Matsuura, Unisco Director-General's message. He emphasized the need of governments all over the world to respect media's vital input in establishing long lasting peace, democracy and development in the world. In his message he said that a free and independent press is responsible for professional standards of reporting. He co-related press freedom with economic development. He said that independent and pluralistic media facilitates dialogue in lieu of armed conflict that is essential for the development of constructive conciliation. Authentic reporting requires transparency in the rule of law whether there is peace or war. He further said that during conflicts, there is major need of the availability of reliable information to people .The panel discussion on 'Principles, Experiences and Examples' was very informative and interactive that was participated by representatives of public/private sector organizations, diplomatic missions along with teachers, students and professional media representatives.
My weekly write up is not complete without a visit to the Nomad. A group exhibition of paintings by Mansur Rahi, Abrar Ahmed, Nahid Raza, Mashkoor Raza, Anjum Ayub, Shehzad Zar and others was organized.
Attiya Hasan, who conducts workshop for students relating to environmental degradation, had her work on display. Background on her is that she has recently graduated from the University of Wollongong, Australia, with a major in drawing and painting. Her work is mainly inspired from the world of nature, with a strong interest in ambiguous spatial relationships. Moreover, she has participated in several group shows in Australia.
GN Qazi's exhibits were also on display. He has blossomed into a skilled and sensitive water colorist, painting street scenes, bazaar lanes and life in Thatta district, Sindh.Using his painterly skill, the graduate from Karachi School of Art brings alive the realities of life on paper. Qazi was born and brought up in the lanes of the surroundings he paints, which are a part of his personality, and through his work, he creates a harmonious mélange.
Ubaid Syed's work on nature can also be viewed. And he describes his work as 'In Lapland, the far north of Sweden the daylight at midsummer lasts up till what is midnight in other countries. It is a landscape bathed in light and filled with forms of infinite diversity. It is a landscape where forms are without edges, irregular, without any geometrical frames and where forms and light are bound together living and constantly changing in unlimited variations.'
Last but not the least was a visit to a photo exhibition organized by the ICRC at the PNCA. The photographs displayed were very informative and gave a historic overview of ICRC's contribution in conflict / disaster ridden areas. It was a well-organized exhibition with the ICRC representative present for conducting the tour of the exhibition. The photographs were alive and very moving. It was an excellent initiative to highlight the work of the organization. It is hoped that this event is a prelude to many more.
The week ended on a sobering note of doing ones bit in alleviating the suffering of humanity along with being actively involved in defending ones right to freedom of information.
Comments
Comments are closed.