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Culture of peace

Background

The project entitled "Towards a culture of peace" was examined by the General Assembly at its fiftieth and fifty-first sessions under the item entitled "Human rights questions" (resolutions 50/173 and 51/101). The item entitled "Towards a culture of peace"(A/52/191) was included in the agenda of the fifty-second session of the Assembly, in 1997, at the request of a number of States. The year 2000 was proclaimed as the International Year for the Culture of Peace (resolution 52/15).

At its fifty-third session, the General Assembly proclaimed the period 2001-2010 as the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World (resolution 53/25), and adopted the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace (resolution 53/243). At its fifty-fifth to sixtieth sessions, the Assembly continued its consideration of the question (resolutions 55/47, 56/5, 57/6, 58/128, 59/23, 59/142, 59/143, 60/3, 60/10 and 60/11).

International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World, 2001-2010

At its sixty-first session, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to explore enhancing mechanisms for the implementation of the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace and to submit to it at its sixty-second session a report on the implementation of the resolution (resolution 61/45).

Holocaust remembrance

At its sixtieth session, under the item entitled "Holocaust remembrance" (resolution 60/7), the General Assembly resolved that the United Nations would designate 27 January as an annual International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust .

At its sixty-first session, under the current item, the General Assembly urged all Member States to reject any denial of the Holocaust as an historic event (resolution 61/255).

Promotion of interreligious and intercultural dialogue, understanding and cooperation for peace

At its sixty-first session, the General Assembly decided to convene in 2007 a highlevel dialogue on interreligious and intercultural cooperation for the promotion of tolerance, understanding and universal respect on matters of freedom of religion or belief and cultural diversity, in coordination with other similar initiatives in this area and to consider declaring one of the coming years as the Year of Dialogue among Religions and Cultures. The Assembly requested the Secretary-General to ensure the systematic and organizational follow-up of all interreligious, intercultural and intercivilizational matters within the United Nations system and overall coordination and coherence in its interreligious, intercultural and intercivilizational dialogue and cooperation efforts, inter alia, through the designation of a focal unit in the Secretariat to handle these matters. It also requested the Secretary-General to report to it at its sixty-second session on the implementation of the resolution (resolution 61/221).

At the same session, the General Assembly decided to hold the High-level Dialogue on Interreligious and Intercultural Understanding and Cooperation for Peace on 4 and 5 October 2007 at the ministerial or highest possible level (resolution 61/269).

The Ethiopian Millennium

At its resumed sixty-first session, in June 2007, the General Assembly recognized the year from 12 September 2007 to 11 September 2008 as the year commemorating the Ethiopian Millennium (resolution 61/270).

International Day of Non-Violence

Also at its resumed sixty-first session, in June 2007, the General Assembly decided, with effect from the sixty-second session, to observe the International Day of Non-Violence on 2 October each year and requested the Secretary-General to take, within existing resources, necessary measures for the observance by the United Nations of the International Day of Non-Violence (resolution 61/271).

Documents
  1. Report of the Secretary-General (resolution 61/221);
  2. Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Director-General of UNESCO on the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World, 2001-2010 (resolution 61/45), A/62/97.
References for the sixty-first session (agenda item 44)

[Source: Annotated preliminary list of items to be included in the provisional agenda of the sixty-second regular session of the General Assembly (A/62/100, Corr. 1 and Add.1)]