Paz y Cooperacion

Peace and Co-operation School Award 2008

In 1986 the United Nations celebrated the International Year for Peace.
Peace and Cooperation, which had been founded by Joaquin Antuña in 1982, organized in 1986 a great exhibition in La Farga de Hospitalet de Llobregat with the support of this Catalan municipality. It received the United Nations´ Peace Messenger Award. From 1988 Peace and Cooperation has established an annual School Award dedicated to the international issues promoted by the United Nations.

Some Awards have been organized in close collaboration with the United Nations. Good examples are: the 50 th Anniversary of the United Nations (1995) and the World Fair Ideas for Peace “Habitat II” (1996).

Other Awards have been organized with the United Nations in Vienna as the “International Year of the Family” (1994). The Peace and Cooperation School Award has also been supported by United Nations Agencies such as: UNHCR “The refugees” (1991), the FAO “ Food for all. The Right to Food” ( 1977 ), the IWO “Immigrants . The Right to Work” (1993), the WTO “Travel to be Different: The Right to Travel in a World Without Borders” (1998), the UNESCO “International Year of Literacy: The Right to Education” (1990), and UNICEF “Children's Rights, specializing in Girl´s Rights” (1989). The Awards “International Year of Volunteers: Together We Can Do It” (2001), and the already mentioned Literacy Award. Besides, two of the latest Awards, namely Globalization: The Great Challenge of the Millenium” (2002) and “A Better World For Everyone: The Environment” (2003). 2004 Award was launched in coincidence with the Universal Cultural Forum of Barcelona, “Universal Dialogue of the Cultures: Forum Barcelona 2004.

In 2005, under the sponsorship of the Comunidad de Madrid, the school award dealt with a red-hot subject "FOR A WORLD WITHOUT VIOLENCE", remembering the tragic events of March 11-M, and, in 2006 "FOR A PLANET WITHOUT GENDER VIOLENCE"

2008 PEACE AND COOPERATION
SCHOOL AWARD
“Water for All

In the year 2008 it is held in Spain, in Saragossa an Universal Exposition having as main theme the Water. Peace and Cooperation dedicates the XXV Edition of its International School Award to Fresh Water and Sanitation as a Human Rigth. The United Nations alerts that the lack of water is a great obstacle for development. More than a billion people in the world live without access to safe water. The world is thirsty.

For more information consult: http://www.wateryear2003.org. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has focused all its attention on the access to clean water and basic sanitation in order to fulfill the Millennium Development Goals. http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/ There is water apartheid, a great gulf in its consumption. “Water for All” is an aim that we all must reach in order to achieve a prosperous planet of solidarity.

Peace and Cooperation devotes in 2008 its School Day for Understanding and Peace (February 7th, 2008, DEEP) to this burning subject. To increase school children and teachers’ awarness is our main goal; raising world citizens' consciousness about the access to safe water is the specific objective for the 2008 Peace and Cooperation School Award: “Water for All”. Notions such as sustainable development, global warming, and planet safeguard don't only belong to scientists or politicians, but to every citizen of the world, starting with schools. Students and teachers building a new mankind.

The launching campaign and awarding ceremony take place in Madrid every year. However, there have been exceptions. Catolonia,Asturias, Baleares, Castilla la Mancha and even Colombia and Peru have witnessed these ceremonies.

The Award Ceremonies were presided by the Major Officers of these municipalities. Special mention to Vicente Álvarez Areces, Joan Clos, José Maria Álvarez de Manzano, Carmen de Alvear, Beatriz Elorriaga and Federico Mayor Zaragoza. Furthermore, Maria Antonia Munar, President of the Consell Insular de Palma, José Valverde Education Adviser of Castilla La Mancha , Jerónimo Saavedra, President of the Canary Island Government and also distinguished diplomats accredited in Spain. Peace and Cooperation received congratulation messages from the Government's President, Comunidades Autónomas, the Spanish Ombudsman and the International Cooperation Spanish Secretary.

The school press pays special attention to the Award. Some of the articles can be found in reputed publications such as Comunidad Escolar, Escuela Española y Magisterio Español. In “Google” searching engine we can find more than 50 references.

It is essential to mention that the Infanta Cristina signed the School Award poster 2004 and the Jordan Queen Noor along with other First Ladies sponsored the Award dedicated to the “International Year of the Family” (1994).

The Award has also been sponsored by:

the Agricultural, Social Affairs and Public Works Ministries.
Communtites of Castilla La Mancha , Madrid and the Consell Insular de Baleares.
Municipalities of Gijón, Hospitalet, La Molina in Peru and Madrid.
Banco Central Hispano, El Corte Inglés, Spanish Red Cross and International Red Cross, CIPIE, Forum de Barcelona, MPDL and the UN national committees for the international years of Literacy , 50th UN anniversary and Habitat.

The Peace and Cooperation School Award has a history of raising awareness on world issues around schools in all corners of the planet. Teachers and Students become main actors of these important international themes.

The School Award was planned to become universal and since 1986 it has been translated into the 6 languages of the UN.

It can be stated that more than a million students and teachers from 75 different countries have participated in the Peace and Cooperation School Award.

Since 1994, the Award is presented in a Press Conference in the UN headquarters in New York with the patronage of a Spanish delegation and the United States NGO Airline Ambassadors.

Peace and Cooperation obtained the Consultative Status in the UN as an acknowledgement of its dedication to the promotion of a Peace Culture.

On September 21 st, 2004 Koichiro Matsuura, General Director of UNESCO sent a message to the Peace and Co-operation School Award 2004 at the Barcelona Forum where he said that “Peace and Co-operation, an organization that has achieved recognition for its untiring defence of peace and non-violence. One of its most outstanding initiatives has been to recognize, with its “ Peace and Co-operation School Award”, the efforts of those who work towards the ideals of peace, multicultural relations and diversity from all corners of the world”.