“If we can teach mathematics and science, we can teach empathy and conflict resolution. We must move beyond preparing for war and invest deliberately in preparing for peace.”

Opening Remarks by [Former] Ambassador Rodrigo A. Carazo, Member, Human Rights Committee in Geneva
Delivered at The Light Millennium’s #CompulsoryPeaceICTsEdu, in support of the #EducationDay on Jan. 24, 2026.
In collaboration with the Coalition for the #CompulsoryPeaceICTsCampaign #7
Aligned with the UNESCO 2026 Dedication Theme: “The Power of Youth in Co-Creating Education”
• Booklet (including brief bios of the speakers).

“Education is essential for peace, sustainable development, and resilient societies.“

[LMGlobal.Org] On 24 January, the world celebrates the International Day of Education, proclaimed by the United Nations through Resolution 73/25, co-authored by Nigeria and 58 other Member States including Costa Rica, which I was honored to represent in the General Assembly of United Nations on that day.. This historic decision reaffirmed a simple but powerful truth: education is essential for peace, sustainable development, and resilient societies.

By adopting this resolution, the international community made clear that education is not only a social service—it is a global public good and a cornerstone for achieving all the Sustainable Development Goals. UNESCO, as the United Nations’ specialized agency for education, leads the annual observance of this day in close collaboration with governments, civil society, educators, and learners worldwide.
We must ask ourselves and engage young persons in the answer and definition of a basic question : what kind of education does our world urgently need today and in the years to come?

The Case for Compulsory Peace Education
We live in an age of extraordinary scientific and technological progress, yet violence, polarization, discrimination and war persist. For centuries, humanity has followed the maxim “Si vis pacem, para bellum”—if you want peace, prepare for war. The result has been endless conflict and immense human suffering. Today, we must embrace a new principle:“Si vis pacem, para pacem.” If you want peace, prepare for peace.

Preparing for peace requires more than good intentions. It requires education—systematic, intentional, and universal. That is why a compulsory Peace Education curriculum, integrated with Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), must be implemented from kindergarten through K–12 and extended into lifelong learning.

Such an approach directly addresses global gaps in digital literacy, educational equity, and social cohesion, equipping learners with the skills to resolve conflicts, think critically, and live together in dignity.

Youth Must Co-Create Peace Education
Peace education cannot succeed without the active leadership of young people.
Young people are not abstract beneficiaries of education; they are its primary stakeholders. They experience today’s conflicts firsthand—digital hostility, misinformation, identity-based polarization, inequality, climate anxiety, and new forms of violence. Peace is context-dependent, and only youth perspectives can ensure education remains relevant to these realities.

When young people help define the need, direction, and methods of peace education:
• They develop ownership, not resistance
• Learning becomes transformative, not symbolic
• Students become active peacebuilders, not passive recipients

Peace education cannot be taught through authoritarian or top-down approaches. That would contradict its very purpose. Teaching peace requires dialogue, empathy, democratic participation, and shared responsibility. Involving youth ensures coherence between what we teach and how we teach it.
Moreover, young people bring innovation, peer learning, digital storytelling, creative methodologies, and new languages that resonate far beyond traditional classrooms

Peace as Practice, Not Theory
Peace is not learned through instruction alone.
 Peace is learned through participation, agency, and shared responsibility.
Including young people in shaping peace education strengthens democratic culture, builds trust in institutions, and advances intergenerational justice. It ensures cultural relevance and long-term sustainability, allowing peace education to evolve alongside society.

History offers lessons. After the devastation of two world wars, many European nations chose a path centered on peace, human rights, and cooperation—demonstrating that preparing for peace is not naïve, but profoundly pragmatic. Today we hear once again the drums of war. This raises a fundamental question: what kind of education are our future leaders receiving?

If we can teach children mathematics, science, and history, we can also teach them empathy, cooperation, conflict resolution, and global citizenship. Peace education is not an idealistic luxury; it is a practical necessity in a world facing climate change, migration, inequality, and technological disruption.

On this International Day of Education, let us reaffirm a shared commitment:
 to move beyond preparing for war, to invest deliberately in preparing for peace,
 and to empower young people as co-creators of the peaceful, just, and sustainable societies they deserve.

 If we want peace—let us prepare for peace.

©2026 The Light Millennium Global – www.lmglobal.org