Emilie Gaillard – Education à la paix
Expert Group Meeting:
“Truth, transitional justice and reconciliation processes”
Santiago (Chile), November 15th -17th, 2022
Emilie GAILLARD, General coordinator of the Normandy Chair of excellence for Peace,
Peace with the Earth and Rights of Future Generations.
Building a sustainable peace through education
The shism between Occidental people and indigenous people has strong roots coming from a very distinctive way of thinking. Where occidental people think in silos, in expertise fields by fields, the indigenous people think in a systemic and holistic way. Where occidental identify a disruption between Nature and Culture, Indigenous people respect Mother Earth and can heal and identify when she suffers.
Transitional Justice processes have been built through colonised lenses however, we need to integrate a long term vision of sustainable peace. This cannot be done anymore only with the goal to institute a liberal economy in disconnection with Nature and the protection of the integrity of the Earth.
The Normandy Chair for peace is an academic chair which tends to build bridges between cultures in order to promote sustainable peace and Rights of Future Generations. This new vision in terms of Rights of Future Generations is a change of paradigm for occidental people. This can help them be trained in the systemic, complexity and prospective thought. This is what Sciences Po Rennes is doing with the creation of a master degree entitled future generations and legal transitions. We have an ongoing agreement with Upeace, waiting to be signed. They are trained to think within complexity, to break silos, to have a pluridisciplinary approach of any main topic such as energy, agriculture, climate change… this is truly experimental and already a great success as they found jobs!
I would like to share two ideas in order to strenghten the great reconciliation between cultures.
- EDUCATION FOR THE PAST
Within any transitional justice process, time has come to face colonisation and to tell the truth about the past. Many academics and Indigenous People are working on decolonisation of thoughts and of institutions.
The NCP cordially invites the indigenous permanent forum and any other international organisations to ask States to integrate within History books, chapters on colonisation and highlight the racist antropology of past centuries. Only the transmission of the Past without denials can help to build a better future.
The NCP cordially invites all stakeholders, states, NGP to submit a motion to the next IUCN World Congress asking for this as a result of the adoption last year of the motion on the abandonment of the doctrine of the Discovery. Since last IUCN Congress, there is room for indigenous people at the same table as States and as NGO’s, which is unique and important advancement. NCP cordially urges the diffusion of this information through all indigenous communities.
- EDUCATION FOR THE FUTURE
It should also be compulsory to teach about indigenous peoples values at all ages. For example, in France, there is no education about french indigenous peoples. But I can assure you that students, pupils, the current young generations want to know! And that time has come to be proud of each foreign and indigenous roots.
At the time of globalisation of internet, our children grow up interconnected with other children from other cultures. They have new tools of communication.
The NCP cordially proposes to promote indigenous cultures positively, in order to educate children of all Nations to the great richness of Humankind: its diversity, its inheritage, its values of interconnectiveness with mother Earth.
Arts can be a tool, education in all dimension is a major tool to build a better future.
Educate for peace, educate to listen, educate to respect, educate to promote a transgenerational culture of peace.
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