UNESCO Chair for Peace and Intercultural Understanding
Aim
Explore and highlight the potentials of cultural and, in particular religious, diversity as a resource for peace rather than a barrier; create a critical mass of trained and sensitized peace workers in this particular field; create an integrated regional hub for research, training, information and documentation in the fields of peace, human rights, conflicts resolution and human development sensitive to the issues of structural and cultural diversity; develop a curriculum for Asian and African Universities focussing particularly on the cultural and religious dimension; promote the preservation of public spaces of communally inclusive heritage and cultural practices in India and elsewhere, and sensitize media and civil society about the common grounds between diverse cultures; create and reinforce networks of academic institutions in India and abroad concerned with intercultural peace and intercultural practices, to initiate Masters/PhD programmes for peace and development, and to host an online site for interreligious dialogue.
History
The UNESCO Chair for Peace and Intercultural Understanding was established in 2010 at the Banaras Hindu University.
IRD Activities
- Peace and Intercultural Understanding Activities
In order to explore and highlight the potentials of cultural and, in particular religious diversity as a resource for peace rather than a barrier, the Chair has undertaken many critical activities including seminars, workshops, and training programs. Most of the activities undertaken in this direction are harnessed with the help of academic partners and ongoing research projects. The Chair's critical contribution in this direction has been to project the sacred city of Varanasi as a model of intercultural and communal peace - a track which correspondence well with India's national policies as also with the UNESCO mission.
Main Focus Countries of Activities
India