Contributions of developmental psychology to peace education

According to Resolution A/52/243 of the UN General Assembly (United Nations, 1998), "The purposes and principles of the United Nations . . . has been a major act towards transformation from a culture of war and violence to a culture of peace and non-violence" (p. 1). A culture of peace is then said to consist "of values, attitudes and behaviors that reflect and inspire social interaction and sharing based on the principles of freedom, justice and democracy, all human rights, tolerance and solidarity, that reject violence and endeavor to prevent conflicts by tackling their root causes to solve problems through dialogue and negotiation and that guarantee the full exercise of all rights and the means to participate fully in the development process of their society" (p. 1). For children, this would mean an actualization of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in which it is stated that the child "for the full and harmonious development of his or her personality, should grow up in a family environment, in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding [while] considering that the child should be fully prepared to live an individual life in society, and brought up in the spirit of the ideals proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations, and in particular in the spirit of peace, dignity, tolerance, freedom, equality and solidarity" (United Nations, 1989, p. 1).