Side Event on “Education for Peace” հeld during the 63rd Session of the Human Rights Council

30 September, 2026

On 30 September, a side event entitled “Education for Peace” was held on the sidelines of the 63rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. The event was organized by the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Armenia to the United Nations Office at Geneva in partnership with the University for Peace (UPEACE), and co-sponsored by the Permanent Missions of France and Bulgaria and the Council of Europe.

The discussion followed the adoption by consensus, on 4 June 2026, of the United Nations General Assembly resolution “Education for Peace,” initiated by Armenia and co-sponsored by around 100 Member States from all regional groups. The resolution recognizes the role of education in promoting a culture of peace and provides a framework for further international cooperation.

Opening the event, H.E. Hasmik Tolmajian, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Armenia to the United Nations Office at Geneva, described education as one of the most important long-term investments in peace. She stressed that lasting peace requires an environment in which respect, dialogue and trust can take root. She also highlighted the intergenerational dimension of education and the mutually reinforcing relationship between education for peace and human rights.

The discussion was moderated by H.E. David Fernández Puyana, Permanent Observer of the University for Peace in Geneva, with the participation of Prof. Philip D. Jaffé , Vice Chair the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child; María Lucía Uribe, Director of Arigatou International; Dr. Sara Clarke-Habibi of the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research (UNU-CPR); and Tobias Drilling of the Council of Europe Advisory Council on Youth. Closing remarks were delivered by H.E. Ambassador Angel Bandjov, Permanent Representative of Bulgaria, and H.E. Ambassador Céline Jurgensen, Permanent Representative of France.

The panelists addressed education for peace from the perspectives of children’s rights and youth participation. They underscored the potential of education to foster mutual understanding and social cohesion, while noting that exclusionary approaches and one-sided narratives can reinforce divisions and polarization. In this context, the UNESCO Recommendation on Education for Peace, Human Rights and Sustainable Development was highlighted as a relevant framework for translating these objectives into practice.

Speakers commended Armenia’s initiative in bringing the “Education for Peace” resolution to the General Assembly and underscored that its adoption by consensus, with broad cross-regional support, provides a universal political mandate for advancing education as a means of fostering a culture of peace and non-violence. The discussion highlighted the need to move from international commitments to practical implementation, including by integrating education for peace and human rights into educational policies and learning environments and through continued international cooperation.

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