Resources
Explore a wide range of valuable resources on GCED to deepen your understanding and enhance your research, advocacy, teaching, and learning.
63 Results found
Learning to live together: an intercultural and interfaith programme for ethics education Year of publication: 2008 Corporate author: Interfaith Council on Ethics Education for Children | Arigatou Foundation (Switzerland) Learning to Live Together has been developed for use in different religious and secular contexts as a resource for everyone concerned with promoting ethics and values. The objective has been to develop a resource that is relevant on a global level and yet flexible enough to be interpreted within different cultural and social contexts. The resource has been tested in many different regions and cultural contexts to assure that it is relevant in regional and local contexts (see ‘We did it like this’, p.187).Test workshops have been held in 10 different countries, where the GNRC was able to bring together various religious and secular organisations working with children. During the test workshops, this resource manual was used to the benefit of more than 300 children and youth, representing African Traditional Religions, Bahá’í Faith, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, members of Brahma Kumaris and a number of people of secular thinking. Test workshops as well as input and comments from experts in the area of education, ethics, spirituality, intercultural and interfaith learning and child rights have contributed important experiences and opportunities for learning for the development of this resource. Learning to Live Together is already having an impact. In a GNRC programme in Israel, the resource material was used during a six-day journey made by a group of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim youth to the historical sites of Israel and Palestine, all of which have symbolic relevance to the conflict in their region. At each stop, youth participants discussed their values and their differing perceptions of their shared history.Learning to Live Together is an adaptable resource that can be used with children from many different cultural, religious and social contexts to nurture common values and a mutual respect for different backgrounds and traditions. The resource provides space for enhancing children’s innate potential for spirituality and hope for a better world, as a contribution to changing the situation for children worldwide. The Users Guide provides all necessary information for its use. UNESCO and UNICEF have been closely involved in developing Learning to Live Together and have endorsed the material as an important contribution to a quality education, which takes a multicultural and multi-religious society into consideration. UNESCO’s Guidelines for Intercultural Education underpin the philosophy and the approach of the resource: “Religious education can be described as learning about one’s own religion or spiritual practices, or learning about other religions or beliefs. Interfaith education, in contrast, aims to actively shape the relations between people from different religions”. 
Our creative diversity: report of the world commission on culture and development; summary version Year of publication: 1996 Corporate author: World Commission on Culture and Development This report is designed to address a diversified audience across the world that ranges from community activists, field workers, artists and scholars to government officials and politicians. We want it to inform the world’s opinion leaders and to guide its policy-makers. We want it to capture the attention of the world’s intellectual and artistic communities, as well as the general public. We aim to have shown them how culture shapes all our thinking, imagining and behaviour. It is the transmission of behaviour as well as a dynamic source for change, creativity, freedom and the awakening of innovative opportunities. For groups and societies, culture is energy, inspiration and empowerment, as well as the knowledge and acknowledgment of diversity: if cultural diversity is ‘behind us, around us and before us”, as Claude L&i-Strauss put it, we must learn how to let it lead not to the clash of cultures, but to their fruitful coexistence and to intercultural harmony. Just as in the tasks of building peace and consolidating democratic values, an indivisible set of goals, so too economic and political rights cannot be realized separately from social and cultural rights. The challenge to humanity is to adopt new ways of thinking, new ways of acting, new ways of organizing itself in society, in short, new ways of living. The challenge is also to promote different paths of development, informed by a recognition of how cultural factors shape the way in which societies conceive their own futures and choose the means to attain these futures. I have for some time been concerned with the “culture of peace”. There is now considerable evidence that neglect of human development has been one of the principal causes of wars and internal armed conflicts, and that these, in turn, retard human development. With government complicity and with the intention of raising export receipts, private businesses continue to sell advanced military technology, nuclear materials and equipment for the production of bacteriological and chemical warfare. The concept of state sovereignty which still prevails today has increasingly come under scrutiny. In the area of peace-keeping, the distinction between external aggression and internal oppression is often unrealistic. The predominant threat to stability are violent conflicts within countries and not between them. There is an urgent need to strengthen international human rights law. Many of the most serious troubles come from within states – either because of ethnic strife or repressive measures by governments. Conditions that lead to tyranny and large-scale violations of human rights at home sooner or later are likely to spill over into a search for enemies abroad. The temptation of repressive states to export internal difficulties is great. Consider the Soviet Union’s invasion of Hungary and Czechoslovakia after it had used domestic oppression and the persistent refusal - for many years - of the previous South African governments to grant independence to Namibia. An ounce of prevention is better than a ton of punishment. 
Pan-African forum: sources and resources for a culture of peace Year of publication: 2013 Corporate author: African Union The Pan-African Forum “ Sources and resources for a culture of peace” was held in Luanda, Angola, from 26 to 28 March 2013, and was jointly organized by UNESCO, the African Union and the Government of Angola, under the High Patronage of H. E. Mr José Eduardo dos Santos, President of the Republic of Angola. This forum was the result of a close cooperation between UNESCO and the African Union, one of their main objectives being building peace in Africa, through the promotion of a culture of peace based on the intrinsic values of African societies. The Republic of Angola Government, through its President of the Republic H. E. Mr José Eduardo dos Santos, resolutely engaged in this process with major financial and technical support for the organization of the Forum in the Angolan capital city. As indicated in the Action Plan adopted by the participants in plenary (Annex I), recommendations made during the Forum are directed at all components of African society : political leaders, national and regional institutions, civil society, community associations, youth movements and women’s organizations, religious and traditional leaders, entrepreneurs and leaders from the private sector, etc. The implementation of the Action Plan will be continuously monitored by the two institutions that jointly organized the Luanda Forum, the African Union and UNESCO. Representatives from the 55 African countries participating in the Forum will both contribute to the proposal for action by bringing their national experience and take the lead in the follow‐up of the recommendations made at country level. In order to ensure this follow‐up it will be important to link together the participants by the creation of an African Network for the Promotion of a Culture of Peace and Non‐violence. The representatives of African countries will play the role of focal points of the awareness campaign at the national level. Finally, the agenda of the Forum includes a plan to hold a roundtable on the establishment of a multi-stakeholder partnership for action. Organized with the participation of regional institutions, public and private economic actors as well as representatives of Governments and Civil Society, this session will be the occasion to launch a continental and lasting Movement for the promotion of a culture of peace. For this round table and for the Campaign, the stakeholders can now witness the action as their Foundation / Company / Institution / Organization leads to help in building the defence of peace in the minds of men and women and ensure that peace is a reality: "Make Peace Happen". 
Stepping Forward: Parliaments in the Fight Against Hate Speech Year of publication: 2023 Author: Kevin Deveaux | Tim Baker | Mary O’Hagan | David Ennis Corporate author: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) This brief provides an overview of the background, drivers, enablers and the impact of hate speech and identifies strategies to counter it, with a focus on the role of parliaments as a positive force for change. Of particular relevance are the concrete actions parliaments can take to address and mitigate the prevalence and impact of hate speech on those who are most vulnerable in society, including women, minorities and other underrepresented groups. The objective of this brief is to provide meaningful and practical guidance for parliaments and parliamentarians, as well as those who programmatically support them, on steps they can take to reduce and counter hate speech while fostering peace, constructive dialogue and trust. 
Peace Education in the 21st Century: An Essential Strategy for Building Lasting Peace Year of publication: 2024 Corporate author: UNESCO This report provides an overview of the importance of peace education, highlighting the challenges and opportunities for using it in efforts to bring about lasting global peace. It reviews key research and is heavily inspired by the discussions held in the context of the revision process of the 1974 Recommendation concerning education for international understanding, co-operation and peace and education relating to human rights and fundamental freedoms. More specifically, this report draws from the following notes developed by UNESCO in 2022: “Current understandings, and threats to lasting peace”, “New understandings of education’s contributions to peace”, and “The role of non-state actors in the promotion of peace through education”. 
Report of the Global Conference on Promoting Literacy for a World in Transition: Building the Foundation for Sustainable and Peaceful Societies Year of publication: 2024 Corporate author: UNESCO The report presents an overview of the global celebration of International Literacy Day (ILD) 2023 held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France on 8 September 2023. Under the ILD 2023 theme of ‘Promoting literacy for a world in transition: Building the foundation for sustainable and peaceful societies’, the Global Conference explored how literacy and numeracy can be better promoted as part of lifelong learning to achieve more peaceful and sustainable societies as envisioned by the international community through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The global celebration also included the award ceremony of the 2023 edition of the UNESCO International Literacy Prizes with six outstanding laureates from Bangladesh, Dominican Republic, Finland, Pakistan, South Africa and Uganda. 
Reconciliation through Global Citizenship Education Year of publication: 2023 Corporate author: UNESCO This document zeroes in on how concepts of GCED and reconciliation are addressed in current research and practice and aims to provide existing grounds and future considerations for policy-makers concerned with reconciliation through education. 
Summit of the Future Outcome Document: Pact for the Future, Global Digital Compact, and Declaration on Future Generations Year of publication: 2024 Corporate author: United Nations (UN) At the Summit of the Future on 22 September 2024, world leaders adopted a Pact for the Future that includes a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations. This Pact is the culmination of a years-long process to adapt international cooperation to the realities of today and the challenges of tomorrow. The hard work of implementation begins immediately. The adoption of the Pact demonstrates that countries are committed to an international system with the United Nations at its center. Leaders set out a clear vision of a multilateralism that can deliver on its promises, is more representative of today’s world and draws on the engagement and expertise of governments, civil society and other key partners. 
Asia and the Pacific SDG Progress Report 2025: Engaging Communities to Close the Evidence Gap Year of publication: 2025 Corporate author: UN. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN. ESCAP) The SDG progress report 2025 presents the latest data and insights on progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Asia-Pacific region. While celebrating regional achievements, it also highlights persistent challenges—such as climate change, natural disasters, and critical data gaps—that risk leaving marginalized communities behind. By showcasing innovative community-level partnerships, the report explores how local efforts can help bridge the evidence gap, ensuring that progress toward the SDGs is inclusive and leaves no one behind. 
Catalysing Change for Sustainable Peace: KAICIID's Transformative Dialogue Approach Corporate author: International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID) What is transformative about KAICIID's interreligious and intercultural dialogue approach? Since its establishment, the Centre has worked with the understanding that for dialogue to be truly transformative, it must be continuous, responsive, synergetic, and inclusive of all voices, secular and religious. KAICIID achieves this through sustained engagement with, individual, community, national, regional and international stakeholders. The Centre utilises a synergy of convening, capacity development and mainstreaming of dialogue into the policies and practices of relevant institutions. KAICIID brings diverse stakeholders and partners to the dialogue; empowers and catalyses them through information and expertise exchange, resources and support; supporting changemakers in promoting and incorporating dialogue into the policy and practices of institutions and bodies. The Centre's transformative dialogue approach creates a multiplying effect that leads to an enabling environment for dialogue to take place, fostering social cohesion and sustainable peace.