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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, New York
Nigeria’s First Lady, Aisha Muhammadu Buhari, has advocated the mandatory inclusion of peace education in the curriculum of basic education in African schools in order to promote a culture of peace on the continent.
She made the call at an event in New York on “The Role of Young Women and Girls in Advancing Peace and Security: Promoting a Culture of Peace in Fragile Settings”.
The High Level event was organised by the African First Ladies Peace Mission (AFLPM) on the margins of the ongoing 77th Session of the UN General Assembly.
Mrs Buhari, the President of AFLPM, who spoke virtually, said it was necessary to include peace education in the curriculum because of the peculiarity of conflicts in Africa.
“I made a case for the mandatory inclusion of “peace education” as an essential subject in the curriculum of Basic Education of schools in Africa, during the Extra-Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, in May, 2022.
“I am happy to report that the initiative was well received,’’ she said.
Mrs. Buhari called on the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization to do the same as core partners and implementers of the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda (UNESCO).
She stated that she had extended a similar call to UNESCO, in consultation with other entities and partners, to consider developing a universal curriculum on gender, peace, and security education for all schools as a way of putting Resolution 1325 into action.
The Nigerian First Lady noted that the event coincided with the 22nd anniversary since the adoption of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on WPS, and, subsequently, nine other resolutions to advance the WPS framework.
Mrs Buhari added that it was also significant that these historic resolutions on the pre-eminence of women and girls in peace-building, peace-making, and peace-keeping processes were adopted in this great city of New York.
