Masako Toki
Fred Wehling
2002
Group of Experts on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Education meets at the UN 57th General Assembly.
The United Nations Study on Disarmament and Nonproliferation Education will be presented to the First Committee of the General Assembly at its 57th session on October 9, 2002. The UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters recommended a UN study on this issue at the beginning of the year of 2000.[1]
The study culminates two years of work by a Group of Governmental Experts from ten member states (Egypt, Hungary, India, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Poland, Senegal and Sweden) authorized by UN General Assembly Resolution 55/33 E adopted on November 20, 2000, to request the Secretary-General to prepare the study with the assistance of these experts. The study finds that education is a vital but underutilized tool for peace and disarmament and identifies “a pressing need to expand and improve disarmament and non-proliferation education and training in order to promote disarmament and non-proliferation and to strengthen international security and enhance sustainable economic and social development.”[2] The study further concludes that the need for education on nonproliferation and disarmament education has never been greater, especially in the field of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems.[3]
The UN study is the latest result of more than two decades of UN efforts for promoting disarmament education. The Tenth Special Session of the General Assembly declared the urgency of disarmament education in 1978 and emphasized the importance of teaching and research on education. The Final Document of the Tenth Special Session urged governmental, nongovernmental, and international institutions, especially UNESCO, “to take steps to develop programmes of education for disarmament and peace studies at all levels.”[4] Consequently, the Final Document of the UNESCO World Congress on Disarmament Education in 1980 included numerous recommendations for measures to promote both research and education in disarmament. Pursuant to a General Assembly Decision in 1982, the United Nations World Disarmament Campaign was launched on June 7 of that year. The purpose of the campaign was to promote and disseminate the goals of the United Nations in the area of arms control and disarmament. In 1992, the United Nations transformed this campaign into the UN Disarmament Information Program, with the same goals but a reduced budget. In 1999, the United Nations launched the International Year for the Culture of Peace to sponsor peace education, dialogue, and conflict resolution to promote a global culture of non-violence. Somewhat ironically, the year of 2001 was declared “the United Nations Year of Dialogue among Civilizations” in an effort to address the root causes of conflict by promoting communications between peoples and tolerance of diversity.
Goals and Methods
General Assembly Resolution 55/33 E defined the goals for the study:
- to define contemporary disarmament and nonproliferation education and training, taking into account the need to promote a culture of non-violence and peace;
- to assess the current situation of disarmament and nonproliferation education and training at the primary, secondary, university, and postgraduate levels of education, in all regions of the world;
- to recommend ways to promote education and training in disarmament and nonproliferation at all levels of formal and informal education, in particular the training of educators, parliamentarians, municipal leaders, military officers, and government officials;
- to examine ways to utilize more fully evolving pedagogic methods, particularly the revolution in information and communications technology, including distance learning, to enhance efforts in disarmament education and training at all levels, in the developed and the developing world;
- to recommend ways in which organizations of the United Nations system with special competence in disarmament or education or both can harmonize and coordinate their efforts in disarmament and nonproliferation education; and
- to devise ways to introduce disarmament and nonproliferation education into post conflict situations as a contribution to peace-building.[5]
To fulfill these objectives, the Experts Group surveyed disarmament and nonproliferation education programs sponsored by international organizations, governments, schools, and universities, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in UN member states.
The Experts Group worked with the UN Institute on Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), other UN agencies, university educators, primary and secondary school teachers, and representative of civil society in order to assess the progress of disarmament education from a variety of perspectives. The UN Department of Disarmament Affairs collected data for the survey, which includes information from government institutions of 25 states, 72 educational and research institutions, and academic experts, NGO representatives, and museums in 41 states. The experts refined the methodology of the study and discussed preliminary findings at four meetings during the two-year period of the study, held in April 2001 in New York City, August 2001 in Monterey, March 2002 in Geneva, and again in New York City in July 2002.
The survey results found that a variety of resource materials on disarmament and nonproliferation are available to educators, although most of the materials need to be adapted for a broader range of audiences and situations. Revolutionary advances in information and communications technologies have given new audiences and non-traditional students access to disarmament and nonproliferation educational materials through the Internet. This situation was unimaginable only a few years ago. However, since most materials (both printed and online) are available only in English, they must be translated into the UN official languages to reach learners throughout the world.[6]
In contrast with the variety of resource materials submitted in responses from educational and research institutions, responses from only 25 governments out of the all UN member states are not enough to assess the current status of disarmament and nonproliferation education in all regions of the world. More cooperation from the member states is needed for a comprehensive assessment.
Practical Recommendations
The UN study makes 34 recommendations for enhancing the scope and effectiveness of disarmament and nonproliferation education. The practical recommendations focus on three major themes: 1) ways to promote education and training in disarmament and nonproliferation at all levels of formal and informal education; 2) ways to utilize evolving pedagogic methods, particularly the revolution in information and communications technology; and 3) ways to introduce disarmament and nonproliferation education into post-conflict situations as a contribution to peace-building.[7] The recommendations emphasize that at all levels of education, students should be taught how to think, rather than what to think, about peace and security issues, and encourage educators to use a combination of traditional and innovative teaching techniques.[8] The UN study also recommends the use of internships and practical training to supplement and reinforce formal classroom training.
One of the specific approaches recommended in the UN study, which was also highlighted in the Final Document of the World Congress on Disarmament Education, is participatory learning.[9] Participatory learning encourages students to explore subject matter and develop critical thinking skills through experimentation, active use of authentic materials, role-playing, and simulation. These methods can be used at any level of education from elementary through graduate school. For example, in the Arms Control Negotiation Simulation at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, one of the core courses for specialization in nonproliferation studies, students adopt the roles of negotiators representing parties to bilateral or multilateral agreements. The simulation is designed to help students view key issues of nonproliferation and arms control through the eyes of others. MIIS students who pursue international careers have found the arms control simulation extremely valuable for acquiring skills and knowledge that can be applied in actual negotiations.[10]With support from the Compton Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy Nuclear Cities Initiative, CNS has also developed the Critical Issues Forum (CIF) as a program to engage high school teachers and their students in authentic research and dialogue on issues of arms control and nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction. CIF currently involves more than twenty high schools in the United States and Russia and is working to add schools in Japan, Norway, the United Kingdom, and other countries.
New information and communication technologies enable educators to reach new audiences and enhance traditional teaching through online learning.[11] The International Relations and Security Network based at ETH Zurich, the Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute, the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Tech, and the Institute for International Studies at Stanford University and other organizations are exploring the use of distance learning and computer-based training for nonproliferation and disarmament.[12]
Implementing the Recommendations
The UN study notes that fully implementing its recommendations will require cooperation between governments, the UN family of organizations, educational institutions, and NGOs. With this in mind, the government of Mexico submitted a draft resolution on the “Study on Disarmament and Non-proliferation Education,” which includes specific measures to implement the study’s recommendations, to the 57th Session of the UN General Assembly. This draft resolution calls on member states, NGOs, and the media to consider and implement the study’s recommendations and asks the Secretary-General to prepare a report reviewing the results of their efforts. This report will be submitted at the UNGA 59th session in 2004.[13]
The Mexican resolution particularly emphasizes the role of civil society in the promotion of disarmament and nonproliferation education. Each recommendation can be implemented in different environments and requires different amount of resources. Some recommendations will require significant resources and a long preparation period, and results may not be observed even a long time after the implementation. Other recommendations however can be implemented relatively rapidly and at low cost.[14]
For example, one of the recommendations calls on educators to consider a full range of pedagogical methods, including computer-based learning and simulation games. However, in order to fully implement this recommendation, it is first necessary to educate the educators on how to utilize these tools and methods. Lack of instructors at educational institutes in this field is one of the most serious obstacles to promote disarmament and nonproliferation education. On the other hand, the development of online educational materials, such as a clearinghouse of disarmament and nonproliferation education resource sites, can be implemented relatively easily. The Department for Disarmament Affairs has already developed an online resource site for disarmament and nonproliferation education which is in progress. This site includes links to existing resources of UN and other relevant international organizations, research institutes and NGOs.[15]
Implementation of the report’s recommendation in the five states designated as nuclear weapons states (NWS) in the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and United States, which are also the five permanent members of the UN Security Council) may pose special challenges. Because these states were not represented on the Group of Governmental Experts, it may prove difficult to gain political support within these countries for putting the study’s recommendations into effect.[16] This challenge is likely to result in greater emphasis on the activities of NGOs and other components of civil society in the NWS. While NGOs can have significant influence on curricula and educational activities in France, the United States, and the United Kingdom, the NGO sector is much less developed in Russia and has little discernable influence in China. This suggests that special efforts will be required to engage the governments in Beijing and Moscow to act on the study’s findings.
An Agenda for Progress
The UN Study on Disarmament and Nonproliferation Education offers an agenda for national governments and international organizations to take practical steps to promote international peace and security through education. To achieve this goal, the study calls upon UN member states, NGOs, and educators from all regions of the world to create a foundation for sustainable international cooperation in the area of disarmament and nonproliferation education. The report also emphasizes that because disarmament and nonproliferation are mutually reinforcing processes, education and training in these fields should reflect their interrelationship.[17]
While lack of support from the NWS would pose tremendous challenges, the United Nations has overall competence in disarmament and nonproliferation education. The UN study concludes that coordination among United Nations and other international organizations will be the key to successful implementation of the study’s recommendations.[18] Cooperation between member states, all relevant international organizations, and NGOs on disarmament and nonproliferation education offers the best chance to demonstrate how, in the words of Secretary-General Annan, “Education is peace-building by another name.”[19]
Sources:
[1] William C. Potter, “Discussion Paper on Disarmament and Nonproliferation Education,” prepared for the UN Secretary General’s Board on Disarmament Matters, New York, January 31-February 2, 2000.
[2] “United Nations study on disarmament and non-proliferation education-Report of the Secretary General” UN General Assembly First Committee, 57th Session, October 9, 2002.
[3] “United Nations study on disarmament and non-proliferation education-Report of the Secretary General.”
[4] Final Document of the Tenth Special Session of the General Assembly, 27th Session, June 30, 1978.
[5] “United Nations study on disarmament and non-proliferation education,” UN General Assembly Resolution 55/33 E, November 20, 2000.
[6] “United Nations study on disarmament and non-proliferation education-Report of the Secretary General.”
[7] “United Nations study on disarmament and non-proliferation education,” General Assembly Resolution 55.33 E November 20, 2000.
[8] Jayantha Dhanapala and William C. Potter, “Help schools to promote a safer world,” International Herald Tribune, October 3, 2002.
[9] UNESCO Final Document of the World Congress on Disarmament Education, June 9-13, 1980.
[10] William C. Potter, “A new agenda for disarmament and non-proliferation education,” Disarmament Forum, No.3 (2001).
[11] Potter, “A new agenda for disarmament and non-proliferation education.”
[12] CNS web site Learning Resources page.
[13] Mexican draft resolution, “Study on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation” UN General Assembly First Committee, 57th Session.
[14] “United Nations study on disarmament and non-proliferation education-Report of the Secretary General.”
[15] “United Nations study on disarmament and non-proliferation education-Report of the Secretary General.”
[16] Potter, “A new agenda for disarmament and non-proliferation education.”
[17] “United Nations study on disarmament and non-proliferation education-Report of the Secretary General.”
[18] “United Nations study on disarmament and non-proliferation education-Report of the Secretary General.”
[19] “Secretary-General in Address to ‘Learning Never Ends’ Colloquium, Calls Education Investment Which Yields Highest Profit,” press release SG/SM/7125, September 10, 1999.
