The Mandate of UNESCO for Peace in the era of 「The Rise of Exclusionism」

Multilateralism has gradually been losing ground in the international community recently, owing to rapid changes in ideology, exemplified by the America First policy, Brexit, and the rise of many right wing parties. The growth of such ideologies in the hearts and minds of people, implies that diplomacy, a form of high politics between government bureaucrats, is no longer sufficient to guard the current order.

To respond to this challenge, the United Nations, the greatest symbol of postwar multilateralism, has set the reaffirmation of the UN‟s values worldwide as one of its priorities for 2019. UNESCO has a leading role to play in leading this effort, as the UN specialist organization mandated to build the defenses of peace in the minds of men and women through intellectual cooperation in the field of education, science, and culture. The aim of this session is to discuss various ways in which UNESCO can help to heal the divisions in people‟s thinking and contribute to peace-building in the current global context.