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YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS:
Today, the UN Department of Public Information organized a round table discussion on peace and democracy jointly with the Embassy of Federal Republic of Germany, Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Gyumri based NGO "Women for Development".
The event was organized within the framework of the International Day of Peace and the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World (2001 – 2011). The aim of the event was to commemorate Peace and Democracy during the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World (2001 – 2011) and to highlight the achievements of the project "Peace and Conflict Resolution Education in schools" being implemented by the Gyumri based NGO "Women for Development".
Maria Dotsenko, UN Department of Public Information Representative said: "Peace and democracy are core values of the UN and are crucial for human rights. Every year on International Day of Peace, people around the world commit to non-violence, dialogue and harmony among all people and nations. Peace is the United Nations Mission and our day-to-day quest." She also noted that Armenian people perfectly realize the value of peace, and it is symbolic that the Referendum Day of the Republic of Armenia coincides with International Peace Day. Maria Dotsenko expressed hope that all the conflicts of the world will be settled through peaceful negotiations and without use of force.
Gohar Markosyan, President of the NGO "Women for Development", made a presentation on the achievements of the project "Peace and Conflict Resolution Education in schools".
In her presentation she mentioned: "The goal of the project is the formation of the ideas of peace culture and conflict resolution among teachers and schoolchildren. While the project implementation we were able to establish "Peace Education" Centers in 16 schools of Shirak region and Gyumri State Pedagogical Institute; more than 1000 schoolchildren and 150 students have been trained by the Peace Education project."
During the event, school children from Gyumri made presentations on peace education, read excerpts from essays titled "What did the Peace Education Center give me?" and a short video was screened about the project achievements.
The project has been supported by Church Development Service Germany /EED/ and Interchurch Organization for Development Cooperation /ICCO/, the Netherlands.
The event was concluded by the opening of the exhibition "Peace through my eyes".