“Peoples and cultures do not weigh the same in the balance of globalization. Values, traditions, customs and cultural expressions are moving to the front of national politics. Reconciliation matters in this context, and UNESCO’s role lies here”. UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova

The UNESCO Club Vienna (UCV) promotes through the medium of music and the arts the guiding principle that culture is a bridge not an obstacle to reconciliation and peace in particular through the Decade for the Rapprochement of Cultures as well as UNESCO’s Biodiversity Initiative.

2013 – 2022 Decade for the Rapprochement of Cultures

The International Decade for the Rapprochement of Cultures (IDRC) builds on the strong momentum created by and the achievements of both the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World (2001-2010) and the International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures (2010). Above all, dialogue is bound to play an increased role in the development of a universal global consciousness, free from racial, ethnic and social prejudices.

https://en.unesco.org/cultureofpeace/international-decade-rapprochement-cultures  

2011-2020: United Nations Decade on Biodiversity and UNESCO’s Biodiversity Initiative

The General Assembly declared the period 2011-2020 as United Nations Decade on Biodiversity to promote the implementation of a strategic plan on biodiversity and its overall vision of living in harmony with nature.

The UNESCO Biodiversity Initiative is an interdisciplinary initiative that cuts across the Organization‟s programme sectors. To facilitate the Initiative's design and implementation, an informal UNESCO Biodiversity Initiative group brings together expertise from the Natural Sciences, Social and Human Sciences, Culture, Communication & Information and Education.

Bio-cultural Diversity “It‟s the true web of life: diversity in both nature and culture. It‟s a living network made up of the millions of species of plants and animals that have evolved on Earth, and of the thousands of human cultures and languages that have developed over time. Languages, cultures, and ecosystems are interdependent. They‟re bound together through the myriad ways in which people have interacted with the natural environment. Through a diversity of cultural traditions and practices, in a great variety of natural environments, human communities have acquired invaluable knowledge of how to achieve harmony with nature.

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/special-themes/biodiversity-initiative/ http://www.terralingua.org/

Peace Education Workshop Peace lies in our hands

A series of peace education workshops developed by the UNESCO Club Vienna are planned throughout the 70th anniversary of UNESCO to connect children in Austria and abroad. The workshop „Peace lies in our hands‟, are being implemented with children from diverse backgrounds to explore, in a creative way, what peace is. Furthermore a social media platform is being developed to inspire youth to raise their hand for peace.

The hand can caress, it can mould clay, it can plant seeds, it can bake bread, it can pick up a book and change the world, guide a friend out of the darkness or it can hold a gun. My hand my choice - peace does indeed lie in our hands.

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/events/70th-anniversary-of-unesco/