The Levant Initiative for World Peace" Italian Senate - Rome Sala Zuccari, Palazzo Giustiniani presso /March 7, 2019

Hosted by Senator Lucio Malan
In collaboration with / in collaborazione con:
The Inter-Parliamentary Coalition for Global Ethics
WAAS World Academy of Arts and Science
WANGO World Association of NGO's
ISAACL Institute for the Advance Study of the Culture of the Levant
NY Peace Museum and Journeys for Peace, Mexico
MERCL Middle East Research Center, Washington DC
World Culture Exchange Organization, Australia

Rome Agreement on Education for the Culture of Peace and SDG's
Senate, Parliament of Italy, Rome

March 7, 2019

On the occasion of the Conference on The Levant Initiative for Global Peace held March 7 at the Senate of the Italian Parliament, hosted by Senator Lucio Malan, The Inter-Parliamentary Coalition for Global Ethics (Global Institute and Alliance for Peace Beyond Borders) in association with WAAS, ISAACL, MERCL, WANGO, Journeys for Peace, the NY Peace Museum, MY Way NY, Religions in Dialogue, World Culture Exchange Organization (Australia), OHR, British Arab Network, have gathered in Rome to inaugurate the Institute and Alliance for Peace Beyond Borders through action towards legislation for mandatory education for the culture of peace and SDG's..

The Rome Agreement on Education for the Culture of Peace and SDG's ( ECPS) is hereby proclaimed towards cooperation to devise a model curriculum on the culture of peace for all age levels.

This model is to be presented as an outline to encourage and support national legislation in all UN member states towards mandatory education on the culture of peace and SDG's for all age levels as a means to achieve world peace, combat "violent extremism", hate speech, anti-Semitism and racism of all kinds, and to promote protection of the environment and sustainable development. The outline will be available to parliamentarians, educators, media, religious leaders and decision makers to utilize in accordance with the specific nationals needs and requirements.

The ECPS partners will strive to reach out to the EU, AU, ASEAN, Arab League, Council of Europe, parliamentarians, leading religious and educational organizations and work with relevant United Nations agencies to accomplish this goal.

Greatings from Maria Elisabetta Alberti Casellati, Speaker of the Italian Senate

SEN. LUCIO MALAN

Buongiorno a tutti, welcome everybody.

Thanks to you all for coming—some of you from a very short distance, but most of you from far-away places. We are now in the Senate building, and this is a very prestigious and ancient hall, the ‘sancta sanctorum’ of the building, which bears the traces of our history. Most of you have just had an opportunity to visit the Senate’s main building. This here is a secondary building, but just above this room there is the residence of the Speaker of the Senate, who is—just as in the United States—the Vice President of the Republic, i.e., the second in command after the President. Unfortunately, the Senate Speaker, Mrs Alberti Casellati, could not join us here due to additional engagements on her already busy agenda. As you may know, in addition to the many institutional functions the Speaker has to attend, we have elections—local, not national—coming up soon. But since she is, in a way, the landlady here, Mrs Alberti Casellati sent a message of welcome. Will now read it aloud and the interpreter will translate it for you. The message is as follows:

MESSAGGIO DELLA PRESIDENTE DEL SENATO MARIA ELISABETTA ALBERTI CASELLATI

Autorità, Signore e Signori,

Ho accolto con grande piacere la proposta di ospitare in una delle sale più prestigiose del Senato della Repubblica questo significativo incontro, organizzato in collaborazione con la Interparliamentary Coalition for Global Ethics, per sostenere un impegno globale verso l'educazione obbligatoria per la cultura della Pace.

Desidero congratularmi per questa iniziativa e rappresentare la forte attenzione del Senato alle tematiche che saranno discusse, di cui condivido lo spirito ispiratore nella convinzione che, alla base di ogni azione legislativa o diplomatica, debba essere posta la strategica promozione e diffusione di una cultura universale della Pace.

Educare alla pace significa educare al rispetto delle diversità ed al ripudio per ogni forma di violenza fisica, economica, politica o sociale: significa contrapporre alle guerre, al terrorismo e ad ogni altra barbarie la costruzione di una coscienza globale di valori condivisi, in cui il dialogo e la cooperazione fra i popoli e le Nazioni siano più forti di ogni motivo di divisione o di contrasto.

L'auspicio è che, anche dal dibattito odierno, possano emergere nuovi spunti di riflessione e interessanti proposte per proseguire uniti con sempre maggiore impegno e convinzione verso questo ambizioso traguardo.

Buon lavoro a tutti.
Maria Elisabetta Alberti Casellati

Translation

MESSAGE FROM THE ITALIAN SENATE SPEAKER, MRS MARIA ELISABETTA ALBERTI CASELLATI

Authorities, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I have welcomed with pleasure this opportunity to host this meeting in one of the most prestigious halls of this Senate building. The Italian Senate has agreed to organize this event in cooperation with the Inter-Parliamentary Coalition for Global Ethics. The goal is to express support to a global effort to introduce into the educational system a compulsory component focusing on the culture of Peace.

I would like to convey the Italian Senate’s heartfelt appreciation of the issues you will be discussing today. Let me add that I personally support the spirit inspiring this event, as I am persuaded that the promotion and dissemination of a universal culture of Peace—indeed, a strategic goal—should be the basis for all our endeavors, legislative or diplomatic.

Educating to Peace means educating people to respect diversity and to reject all kinds of violence, be it physical, economic, political, or social. It also means responding to war, terrorism, and other forms of barbarousness by building global awareness of shared values, so that dialogue and cooperation between and among peoples and nations may always triumph over divisiveness and conflict.

Let me conclude by expressing my heartfelt wish that your discussions today may be fruitful as well as thoughtful and interesting, and may renew our determination and encourage us all to proceed together toward this ambitious goal.

Wishing you all a very fruitful work session and a very good day,

Maria Elisabetta Alberti Casellati
Speaker of the Italian Senate

SEN. LUCIO MALAN

Please be assured that I will convey your gratitude to the Senate Speaker for her message. And please allow me to add my own warm welcome to each and all of you. Let’s have a round of applause… Thank you very much.

(Applause)

All of you deserve special thanks, but I wish to express my gratitude in particular to Mrs Shoshana Bekerman—the soul of this meeting—and to my distinguished colleague Fiorello Provera, Member of the EU Parliament, who first introduced me to your outstanding work—the great mission that we will pursue together from now on. And now, let me hand this over to my co-chair.

Translation courtesy Marina Astrologo, Traduttrice-Interprete

Agenda

The goal of this conference is to promote initiatives for legislation in all EU -and UN members states towards mandatory education for the culture of peace and SDG's as a means to achieve world peace and combat "violent extremism", racism, antisemitism and hate speech. We will strive for an outcome which will impact the peace process in the Middle East and the ongoing conflicts in Africa/Asia/, as well as the "violent extremism" on the rise in the EU/North/South/Central America.

3:00 pm - Registration
3:15 pm Welcome address
Senator Lucio Malan, Deputy President of Forza Italia Fraction
Introduction - former Senator/MEP Fiorello Provera

Session I:
The Need and Impact of Education for the Culture of Peace and SDG's for post conflict and prevention of conflict, violent extremism, racism antisemitism and hate speech.
Chair : Senator Lucio Malan / Co-Chair: Dr. Tagledin Hamad, Founder/President WANGO
Panelists:
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Sergio Kopliovitch, Founder Journeys for Peace/NY Peace Musuem
M.P. Jordi Xucla, Dr. Lahoucine Khabid, Dr. Qu, Shoshana Nicole Bekerman (IPCGE), Attorney Richard Hellman

Session II:
Education for the Culture of Peace and SDG's: Learning from the history of the Levant to Prevent Future Conflicts
Chair: Former Senator Fiorello Provera/ Co-Chair - President Emil Constantinescu, Founder Institute for the Advance Study of the Levant
Panelists: Dr. Wafik Moustafa, Dr. Alberto Zucconi, Dr. Lahoucine Khabid , Dr. Gary Jacobs, MP Jordi Xucla, Ms, Jing Qu (World Cultural Exchange Organization)

Session III:
Developing a Model Curriculum for the Culture of Peace and SDG's
Chair: Senator Lucio Malan/Co-Chair: Dr. Gary Jacobs, Chief Executive Officer, World Acadmy of Arts and Science
Panelists, Dr. Tagledin Hamad, Dr. Richard Hellman, Dr. Wafik Moustafa, DR. Alberto Zucconi, Attorney Nadeem Amar, Mrs. Alyona Badalova, Shoshana Nicole Bekerman

Conclusion:
Presentation of Rome Declaration on Education for the Culture of Peace and SDG's

Open Discussion:
Moderator:Attorney Richard Hellman, Founder/President Middle East Research Center/ Global 500 Roll of Honor UNEP
Vote of Thanks