The Global Debate

"When you are educated... You can understand that war is not the best way out...
because war is about misunderstanding."  - Liberian primary school student

Our report Where Peace Begins sets out our experience and research on the importance of good education to build peace. But we know that there is a wide international community of others who have important experiences and expertise outside our own.

How do we make sure children receive the quality education that will help them build peace? 

We are collecting your views, until September 21, to contribute to a body of evidence around education's links with peace and how it can be included in peace processes.

Where Peace Begins

Read the report designed to kickstart the debate.

Want something shorter?

Read the summary

 

A world in debate 

See how countries across the world are engaging in the global debate. 

How to join the global debate

Can you contribute your expertise or experience to answering one of the questions below?  
 
 

Please send your contribution to the global debate on education and peace to rewritethefuture@save-children-alliance.org  or Rewrite the Future, International Save the Children Alliance Secretariat, Cambridge House,100 Cambridge Grove, London, W6 0LE, UK.

The consultation period runs from 12 March to 21 September 2008. Save the Children will revise or add to the report at the end of 2008 based on the contributions we receive from you and others around the world.

When you submit a contribution to the global debate, you must own all rights to the content of your contribution or provide references to any citations. Your contribution needs to be publicly distributable on our website, and through other media. All contributions used will be fully referenced to you. 

These are the questions we want to answer with your input:

1. If the right sort of education is important to sustain a peaceful society, why is it not included in all peace agreements?
    
2. Who are the key actors (education and others) who peace negotiators engage with when deciding how education is to be included (or not) in a peace agreement, and how do education authorities play a role in this?
    
3. How does the role of education in promoting peace and stability differ between various contexts, for example in fragile states before a conflict, countries in the midst of conflict, and post-conflict situations?
    
4. Do you have evidence that you are willing to share (in the form of case studies or concrete examples) of where quality education has been implemented successfully in conflict situations and has made a difference to mitigating conflict?
    
5. What evidence do you have (perhaps from research or programme experience) that demonstrate which aspects of quality education promote peace?
    
6. Have you observed education systems that have undergone a positive transformation as a consequence of conflict? Please can you describe these and the key factors that transformed a negative situation into a positive situation.