FOUNDATION FOR THE CHILD AND THE FAMILY

"MEETING OF ATHENS-DELPHI FOR CHILDREN AND PEACE"
JUNE 2000

An international conference was held in Athens and Delphi within the framework of the UNESCO program for Peace culture and on the occasion of the proclamation of 2000, by the UN, as an International Year for Peace culture and non violence. The congress was entitled: "Meeting of Athens-Delphi for Children and Peace" and was organized by the "Foundation for the Children and the Family" in cooperation with the Peace International Office while it was held under the auspices of UNESCO.

At her opening speech, the UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and President of the "Foundation for the Children and the Family", Mrs. Marianna V. Vardinoyannis, set the two main axes of the congress: "To ensure peace, we must build a Peace culture. And in order to do so, we must start from the very beginning, that is to say the man. Therefore, we must try to form the mentalities that prove to be stronger than the laws. What is the basis upon which we must act? First of all, the family. Because that is where the concepts of democracy, tolerance and solidarity are established. And what are the tools that we will use? The main tool is Education that may form characters and determine life attitudes".

At the opening of the congress those who were present and addressed the audience were: the Minister of National Education and Religion, Mr. Petros Efthymiou, the Minister of Culture, Mr. Theodoros Pagalos, the Mayor of Athens, Mr. Dimitris Avramopoulos, the Permanent Representative of Greece to UNESCO, Ambassador Vassilis Vassilikos, the UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, Mrs. Marisa Berenson and the composer and candidate for Nobel Peace Prize, Mr. Mikis Theodorakis.

Additionally, many personalities from all over the world supported the congress with written messages, wishes for good success and congratulations. Some of them were the following: His Beatitude the Athens Archbishop, Mr. Christodoulos, His Grace the Jerusalem Patriarch Mr. Diodoros A', the President of the Foundation "Palestine Avenir" Mr. Suha Arafat, the member of the European Parliament Mrs. Mary Banotti, the Cypriot Deputy, Mrs. Androula Vassileiou, the UNICEF Director-General, Mrs. Carol Bellamy, the First Lady of the USA, Mrs. Hillary Clinton, the Founder and President of the "Mentoring U.S.A." Mrs. Matilda Raffa Cuomo, the President of the "Fondation pour l'Enfance", Mrs. Anne-Aymone Giscard d'Estaing, the former President of the European Commission, Mr. Jacques Delors, the former Secretary General of the United Nations and Secretary General of the International Organization for the Francophonie, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Gali, the founder of "Robert F. Kennedy Memorial", Mrs. Ethel Kennedy, the President of "Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation" and the honorary President of "Special Olympics International", Mrs. Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the President of the Foundation "France-Liberte", Mrs. Danielle Mitterrand, the UN Commissioner for Human Rights, Mrs. Mary Robinson, HRH Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg, Sir Peter Ustinov, the Ambassador of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Mrs. Jody Williams as well as the Nobel Prize winners, Christian de Duve, Frederik de Klerk, Shimon Peres, Ilya Prigogine, Rigoberta Menchu Tum, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Elie Wiesel.

During the congress, the speakers who were personalities from the world of Letters and Art, representatives from National and the European Parliaments, experts in the field of peace, culture and education, representatives from international peace organizations and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassadors, defined the content and the coordinates of Peace and Non-Violence Culture and exchanged views about the process through which, the peace principles will be incorporated to man's daily life starting from his/her early childhood. The participants presented methods and practices about how the family and school can contribute to Peace consolidation and how women's and children's role can become more substantial.

The speakers put emphasis on the decisive role of art, history, tradition, sports, science and technology in the peace and non-violence education and the establishment of new life attitudes, models and values.

At their last meeting that was held to European Cultural Center of Delphi, the experts under the chairmanship of the President of the University of Europe, Rector Helen Ahrweiler, drew up the Declaration of Delphi for the Children and Peace. The goal of this Declaration is to raise awareness about the responsibility that everyone has vis a vis the children and peace, consolidate the commitment of the countries to provide the conditions required for the development of Peace culture and Non-Violence and the commitment of every citizen to adopt the Peace culture and Non-Violence in his/her daily life.

The text of the Declaration is the quintessence of three basic units:

- the 2000 Manifest for Peace culture and Non Violence, which with the initiative of the UN and UNESCO, was drawn up by Nobel Peace Prize winners, is available all over the world and was signed by simple citizens and personalities,
- the positions and views that were presented and analyzed during the congress
- the written messages-proposals that were sent by Nobel Prize winners and distinguished personalities from all over the world.

David Adams, Director of the UNESCO Committee for the International Year for Peace Culture.
Rector Helen Ahrweiler, Chairperson of the University of Europe
Marisa Berenson, actress and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador
Konstantinos Despotopoulos, Member of the Academy of Athens.
Miguel Angel Estella, pianist and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador
Fredrik Heffermehl, Vice President of the International Peace Bureau.
Rodi Kratsa, member of the European Parliament
Javier Lobo, a thirteen year boy, member of the Colombian Children Movement for Peace
Federico Mayor, President of the Foundation of Peace Culture.
Ioanna Manganara, Ambassador - Consultant of the Ministry of Foreign Affaires on Human Rights Issues
Prof. Anastasios - Ioannis Metaxas, political scientist, President of the Committee for the elaboration of the New Law on Telecommunications
Pierre Marchand, President of the Foundation for Peace Nobel Laureates Appeal for Children
Evelyne Panato, educator and Director of the 'House of Motion and Image' in Paris (elaboration of artistic and cultural school projects)
Michalis Peristerakis, lawyer, President of the 'Independent Movement for Peace'
Maria Barroso Soares, President of the Red Cross of Portugal
Maj-Britt Theorin, member of the European Parliament and President of the Committee of the European Parliament for women's rights and equal opportunities.
Marianna V. Vardinoyannis, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and President of the 'Foundation for the Child and the Family'

Suha Arafat, President of the Foundation "Palistine Avenir"
Yasser Arafat, President of the Palestinian Authority, Nobel Peace Prize
Mary Banotti, Member of the European Parliament.
Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of UNICEF.
Hillary Rodham Clinton, First Lady of the United States of America.
Matilda Raffa Cuomo, Founder and Chairperson "Mentoring USA".
Prof. Christian. de Duve, Nobel Prize in Medicine.
Shimon Peres, Nobel Peace Prize.
Anne-Aymone Giscard d' Estaing, President of the "Fondation pour l' Enfance".
Frederik. W. de Klerk, Nobel Peace Prize.
Jacques Delors, Former President of the European Commission.
Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Secretary-General of the International Organisation of the Francophonie, Former Secretary - General of the United Nations.
Ethel Kennedy, Founder of the "Robert F. Kennedy Memorial"
Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Honorary President "Special Olympics International".
Danielle Mitterrand, President of the Foundation "France - Libertes"
Ilya Prigogine, Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Mary Robinson, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Maria Barroso Soares, President of the Red Cross of Portugal
HRH Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg
Rigoberta Menchu Tum, Nobel Peace Prize
Sir Peter Ustinov
Androula Vassiliou, Member of the Cypriot Parliament
Simone Veil, Former President of the European Parliament
Elie Wiesel, Nobel Peace Prize
Jody Williams, Ambassador of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, Nobel Prize Peace

The meeting closed with Mrs. Marianna V. Vardinoyannis, who congratulated the participants for their significant work and expressed the wish that everyone will be conscious of the fact that:

"The only war that we may declare is the WAR AGAINST WAR".

THE DELPHI DECLARATION FOR THE CHILDREN AND PEACE

MEETING OF ATHENS-DELPHI FOR CHILDREN AND PEACE "We participants of the Athens-Delphi Meeting for the Children and Peace that was convened by the "Foundation for the Children and the Family" on the 2nd of June 2000:

- are importuning all the countries to ratify the Treaty for Children's rights and to respect and apply them everywhere. We are all responsible for the children of the world. Many of them suffer because of war and violence but also from poverty and the lack of the basic material and spiritual goods. It is imperative to promote the safety of the human life in order to ensure food, water, housing and education.
- are stating that we support the Appeal signed by all the Nobel Peace Prize winners for the UN Decade for Peace culture (UN Res A/53/243, 1998), in order to promote this culture and prevent violence for the children of the world. There is an urgent need for incorporating the Peace education in the educational programs,

We consider that the application of the Declaration and Action Plan for Peace culture (UN Res A/53/243, 1999), and the Hague Agenda for Peace and Justice (UN Doc A54/98), will ensure a better future for our children,

We ask that women obtain the full right of participation in the peace process, given that to date, all the peace related decisions have been taken by men,

We urge those in charge of the media, entertainment and advertising to take into account the violence harmful effect to children's attitude,

We express our deep concern about the huge expenses required for the war equipment and the gradual reduction of the funds for the international cooperation with the aim of achieving development and action for peace construction within the UN system. We also express our concern about the fact that the developed countries oversee the commitments stemming from the UN Assemblies (ex. In the field of education, environment, social development, equality between two sexes, agreements on nuclear weapons reduction etc.)

Our aim is to contribute to the social awakening about peace related issues and to launch an appeal to governments, decision makers at national and supranational level, representatives of local and regional authorities, representatives of the civil society, families, professors associations, NGOs, media, all responsible citizens to disseminate and apply, as soon as possible the following Declaration:

Given that children are the future of mankind and our eternity and that children are more vulnerable, we, citizens from different countries, gathered in Delphi, which according to the ancients, was the center of the world, the place of the prophetic word and the first peaceful gathering between the cities:

- consider that it is our duty to serve the peace which is based on justice, violence prevention and mutual respect. Only peace can ensure the prosperity of the youth and guarantee the harmonic coexistence between men, regardless of their age, gender, nationality, religion, civilization and economic, social, physical and spiritual situation of each person.

- are fully aware of the fact that the difficulty does not lie in taking the right decisions but in applying them with everyone's and mostly women's help. We commit ourselves to work by all means at home, work, meeting and entertainment places, to preserve and promote peace in order to offer to our children, in a permanent and continuous way, a spot of affection, a protective and safe environment.

- state that we will try in order to provide to the youth the time that is required for their development and thus enable them to fulfill their material and spiritual needs

That is why we claim from the countries to guarantee to their youth a continuous educational system with a free and thorough education, which will enable them to create a cultural background promoting their artistic or intellectual inclination, to become responsible citizens who are fully aware of their rights and duties and to express their creativity in the fields of their preference.

-must act in order to guarantee to our young boys and girls the right to free expression and to the critical word

Only freedom and democracy (political, social and economic), when applied at all levels by everyone in their public and private life, can create the conditions for the respect of the individual rights, the development of the personality and the equality of sexes.

We are inviting everyone to contribute to our work for Peace."

N.B. The Delphi Declaration for Children and Peace, has been translated in 5 languages -English, French, Russian, Arabic, Chinese- and was printed in a leaflet which was sent to governmental or non governmental organizations in Greece and overseas and to personalities from the world of politics, Letters and Arts.

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