Preventing Violent Extremism through Universal Values in Curriculum

Session Submission Type: Paper Session

Description of Session

The role of curriculum in countering intolerance and extremism is not fully explored or optimally used. Curricula can contribute to the development of equitable, just, and tolerant societies¬—helping to prevent conflict, transform society, encourage civic engagement, and foster economic progress—not least by conveying values essential to such development.

The panel focuses on an initiative of the UNESCO International Bureau of Education (IBE), aiming to identify values that are “universal” and that, if carefully integrated into curricula, could promote peace, dialogue, and mutual understanding. It also explores the different interpretations, tensions, and assumptions that confront the notion of “universal values”.

The panel draws on the extensive personal and professional experiences of leading scholars in the field and their substantial contributions to thinking and writing about inclusion, values, peace education, and human rights in various contexts worldwide. Their dialogue, steered by the IBE, intends to stimulate ongoing debate about the crucial role and potential of the curriculum in the global dialogue on the prevention of violent extremism through education.

Sub Unit

• General Pool

Organizer

• Simona Popa, UNESCO International Bureau of Education

Chair

• Mmantsetsa Marope, UNESCO International Bureau of Education

Discussants

• Felisa Tibbitts, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Doyle Stevick, University of South Carolina

• Shahram Nahidi, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID)

• Nathalie Guillaume, United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC)

• Anar Naghiyev, Baku International Center of Multiculturalism

• Renato Opertti, UNESCO International Bureau of Education