In today’s increasingly polarised world fraught with conflict, war, and natural crises, the role of international cooperation is more important than ever in fostering peace. The UNESCO constitution states that ‘peace must [...] be founded, if it is not to fail, upon the intellectual and moral solidarity of mankind’, underlining the importance of intellectual and academic, artistic, and cultural cooperation. A cooperation based on the ‘solidarity of mankind’ presupposes that all perspectives are heard and respected. This presupposition is not an easy endeavour, as different people have different interpretations of words and concepts such as ‘peace’, ‘climate change vs climate crisis’, or ‘cultural heritage’, which makes context- and culturally-relevant perspectives of marginalised people even more important. How do international organisations engage and harness stakeholders outside of governments for positive change? How are international institutions, most notably the United Nations and its organs, a force for the good in the world? Conversely, how are they failing?
This panel ambitiously seeks to highlight the paradoxical nature of international institutions: envisioned as beacons of global cooperation and peace, yet frequently falling short of their lofty aspirations to truly represent and act for the people they serve. The panel discussion will include space for feedback from our audience, educators and practitioners ‘on the ground’ in its majority, to discuss how they engage in peace education, climate change, and cultural heritage preservation, in order to capture different stakeholder actions.
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