Curriculum and learning for lasting peace

As violence erupts, often the root causes of conflict are ignored. Yet education is the key to preventing and resolving social division and intolerance. Curriculum is an essential part of this process.

One of the ways UNESCO-IBE works to transform education systems is by contributing to global standard-setting and normative frameworks. 

In November 2023, 194 UNESCO Member States adopted the Recommendation on Education for Peace, Human Rights and Sustainable Development at UNESCO's General Conference.

This is the only global standard-setting instrument that lays out how education should be used to bring about lasting peace and foster human development. IBE’s participation in shaping this ground-breaking new Recommendation enshrines curriculum’s role in: 

• Strengthening universal values, fostering a culture of peace and democratic participation as a common ground for learners, educators and communities.
• Social science and history teaching and learning focused on a critical understanding of the relationships between past, present and future. 
• Recognizing a diversity of perspectives and intercultural competencies to become informed local and global citizens. 
• Enhancing the diversity of knowledge systems through the valorization of indigenous and mother tongue languages, and of intercultural dialogue.

By incorporating these elements into the curriculum, education can become a powerful tool for promoting peacebuilding, social cohesion, and sustainable development. It is important to recognize that the impact of education on peace is complex, and requires a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach involving not only curriculum design but also teacher training, community engagement, and good governance.