Human Right to Peace

Overview
Coordinator Comments

In 1997, following up on his commitment to make the culture of peace the priority of UNESCO, Director-General Federico Mayor issued a Declaration on a Human Right to Peace The proposal was supported by the UNESCO Member States from the South and rejected by the UNESCO Member States from the North in a remarkable debate in Commission V of the UNESCO General Conference later that year. It was later removed by demand of these same Member States when it was included in the proposal for the United Nations Declaration and Programme of Action for a Culture of Peace (see the brief history of the culture of peace, page 21). In fact, the U.S. delegate complained that peace should not be elevated to the category of human right, otherwise it will be very difficult to start a war.

The Human Right to Peace has recently been the subject of a book by the eminent Canadian diplomat, Douglas Roche.