HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	234
TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2011
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

ADOPTING THE United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's Declaration on a Culture of Peace.

     WHEREAS, Hawaii is an important crossroads of culture where the citizens of the world meet and live together; and

     WHEREAS, peace is an important principle among the cultures inhabiting Hawaii; and

     WHEREAS, Hawaii was one of the potential locations to host the meeting to establish the United Nations, and it continues in its quest to be a Geneva of the Pacific where people meet to strive for peace and social justice; and

     WHEREAS, the purposes and principles of the United Nations are based upon universally shared values and goals, and its establishment has been a major development in changing a culture of war and violence into a culture of peace and non-violence; and

     WHEREAS, the task of saving future generations from the scourge of war requires transformation towards a culture of peace that consists of values, attitudes, and behaviors that reflect and inspire social interaction and sharing, based on the principles of freedom, justice, democracy, human rights, tolerance, and solidarity, that rejects violence and endeavors to prevent conflicts by tackling their root causes, to solve problems through dialogue and negotiation, and that guarantees the full exercise of all rights and the means to participate fully in the development process of society; and

     WHEREAS, peace is not only the absence of conflict, but also a positive, dynamic participatory process where dialogue is encouraged and conflicts are solved in a spirit of mutual understanding and cooperation; and

     WHEREAS, there is a compelling need to eliminate all forms of discrimination and intolerance, including those based on race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, property, disability, birth, or other status; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2011, the Senate concurring, that the Legislature adopts the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's Declaration on a Culture of Peace; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature recognizes that the transition from the culture of war to a culture of peace is a priority of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and is promoted at many levels by the United Nations and at the grassroots level in state and municipal governments and civil society; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature calls for the promotion of a culture of peace based upon the principles established in the Charter of the United Nations and upon respect for human rights, democracy and tolerance, the promotion of development, education for peace, the free flow of information, the wider participation of women as an integral approach to preventing violence and conflicts, and efforts aimed at the creation of conditions for peace and its consolidation; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that schools, citizen associations, and agencies throughout the State are urged to implement strategies and actions to achieve the aims of the Declaration on a Culture of Peace; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, United States Secretary of State, United States Secretary of Education, Governor, Superintendant of Education,

Chairperson of the Board of Education, and members of Hawaii's congressional delegation.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

UNESCO; Declaration on a Culture of Peace