HWPL Presents a Speech at UNESCO on the International Day of Education
On January 24th, at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France, a commemorative event was held for World Education Day, focusing on global peace and sustainable development. The event was jointly hosted by UNESCO’s permanent delegations from Togo, Chad, Suriname, Mozambique, Angola, South Sudan, as well as the National Commissions of Trinidad and Tobago, Ghana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Jamaica.
Under the theme, “International Day of Education, Education Reinvented: Teachers at the heart of transformation for the generation affected by COVID-19,” the event brought together a total of 542 people from 44 countries both in-person and online.
Tanvir Kayani, Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Culture and Heritage remarked, “Education holds the key to unlocking a future of peace and sustainable development. By providing quality education to all, we foster understanding, compassion, and respect. We empower individuals to be active agents of positive change, by making informed decisions and driving sustainable practices. Let us unite our efforts to ensure that education reaches every corner of the globe, dismantling barriers and creating pathways to a brighter, more peaceful and sustainable world for all.”
Marion Amoussou, representative of HWPL in Côte d’Ivoire, emphasized the importance of HWPL’s peace education program focusing on diversity, cooperation, order, empathy, forgiveness, gratitude, and courage. She highlighted HWPL’s efforts in Africa, creating partnerships with 239 schools and universities, as well as Memoranda of Agreement with 13 countries including Comoros, Burkina Faso, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
One of the attending educators, Marie Martinat from the Bilingual International School of Paris, expressed, “I’m proud to have been able to contribute to this conversation and to be part of this global movement to reinvent education. Together, we are the change, and we can truly transform the world through education. In addition to its essential role in social transformation, education plays a crucial role in promoting positive peace. Thank you to HWPL and UNESCO for offering me this unique opportunity to share my vision of education reinvented and its essential role in building a more harmonious, peaceful, and balanced world. Together, we can change the world, one education at a time.”
Anna Gourdikian, a teacher from the Paris Academy, shared her enthusiasm for the event, “I felt sincerity during this event, and I also felt passion. All the speakers, the presenter, and even the MC was really great. I was happy to see that there are teachers who really want to change education. I’m doing this on Instagram and I have around 73K people following me but sometimes I feel like I’m alone in this. This really gave me a lot of hope and I would like to thank HWPL for the invitation. Looking forward to working together.”
A representative of the host country, Awuve Koffi Afetogbo Azilan, First Counsellor of Permanent Delegation of Togo to UNESCO, expressed satisfaction with the event and a desire for continued collaboration with HWPL to support the implementation of peace education in Togo.
