Luanda - The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, on Wednesday called for a greater focus on education for the prevention of conflicts and acts of violence on the continent.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Biennale of Luanda, Moussa Faki considered it essential to invest in the education of men and women as a means to peace and development, aiming to silence the guns by 2030.
He praised the engagement of the President of the Republic of Angola, João Lourenço, in mediating the conflict between Rwanda and the DRC and in building bridges and reflection for the construction of lasting peace at national, regional and continental levels.
The Chairperson of the African Union Commission also referred to several other mechanisms to bring the rebellion and the DRC authorities closer together, for peacemaking in the Tigray region (Ethiopia) and Libya, engaging all parties involved in the conflicts.
He declared that in the international context there are serious threats to peace, that multilateralism is on the verge of collapse, the UN Security Council is blocked, and international humanitarian law is being violated, as in Gaza, Palestine.
A new cold war is brewing to change the international order, so Africa must fight to take its place.
Moussa Faki considered it essential to promote peace education as a key to progress and to the fight against terrorism, which is proliferating negatively.
He pointed out that it is no coincidence that terrorist groups oppose education.
He defended the consecration of 2024 as the year of Education in Africa, adding that global peace depends on Africa, its unity and solidarity.
UNESCO
The Deputy Director-General of UNESCO, Xing Qu, corroborated the idea of the importance of investing in education to prevent the culture of violence.
Angola has known the war and knows how much it costs and is reconciling its past and present.
He also called for attention to climate change in peace-building, as it is also a source of tensions. JFS/ADR/DOJ
