Building World Peace: Some Assembly Required

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Teaching Resource


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Principal Writers:

John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights Coordinators:

Resource Design:

Special Thanks to:

Wayne Lavold, Teacher, Harry Ainlay High SchoolRobert Gardner, Teacher, Harry Ainlay High School

Renee Vaugeois, Executive DirectorCarrie Malloy, Education Coordinator

Leroy Schulz, Frost Bytes Development Ltd.

Honourable Douglas Roche, O.C.Honourable Claudette TardifHonourable Romeo Dallaire, O.C.Gerald Gall, O.C.Joan CowlingLouise De Pape

Larry BooiKiran Choudhry

http://www.frostbytes.ca

EDUCATION

frost bytes

Copyright 2008 John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights. All rights reserved.


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Contents

Building World Peace: Some Assembly RequiredTeaching Resource

Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .How to Use This Resource . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Exploring the Challenges in Achieving World Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .The Nature of Conflict/Evaluating Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Developing an Informed Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Watching a Video Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Responding to a Speech or Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Exploring Possibilities for Citizenship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Human Security vs. National Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Debating Human Rights in Conflict Zones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Role Play Debate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Developing a Conclusion and Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Watching a Speech or Documentary Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Questions About Romeo Dallaire's Speech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Case Study: Children as Instruments of War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Emerging Issues and Challenging Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Simplified Version of the Universtal Declaration of Human Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . .Selected Recommendations from the Building World Peace Conference . . . . . . . .Concluding Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Lesson 1: 3Lesson 2: 6Lesson 3: 8Lesson 4: 9Lesson 5: 11Lesson 6: 12Lesson 7: 14Lesson 8: 16Lesson 9: 18Lesson 10: 19Handout 1: 20

Handout 2: 21Handout 3: 23Handout 4: 24

Appendix 1: 25Appendix 2: 27Appendix 3: 29

Edmonton, Alberta780-453-2638Phone:

http://www.johnhumphreycentre.org


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Building World Peace: Some Assembly Required Teaching Resource


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The John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights

Building World Peace: The Role of Religions and Human Rights, October 2006

The John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights, named in honour of the Canadian-bornprincipal writer of the United Nations' , was established inEdmonton, Alberta in June 2000 as an outgrowth of the Human Rights Education Foundation. Theprimary purpose of the Centre is to educate the public, particularly children and youth, on theUniversal Declaration of Human Rights. The underlying belief is that many social problems such aspoverty, conflict, bullying, racism, civil strife and other ills may be overcome through acommitment to human rights.

In October 2006, the John Humphrey Centre sponsored a conference entitled

. The conference brought together representativesof various faith backgrounds, including Aboriginal, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish andMuslim, to discuss various understandings of faith and spirituality, the origins of conflict and itspotential resolution. Conference organizers argued that

One of the objectives of the conference was to facilitate dialogue and understanding.

Through keynote presentations, panel discussions, workshops and casual conversations, delegateswere able to explore a range of questions about conflict, religion and human rights and to developconclusions about how to bring about peace in the world. The conference concluded with aparticipant-generated statement .

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Building World

Peace: the Role of Religions and Human Rights

Now We Must Change

[t]he need for our Conference stems from recent international events that have harmfullyimpacted various communities. Some of the issues negatively affecting Canadian societiesinclude increased fear of society-wide crime; fear of personal victimization; religiousmisunderstanding; racial, ethnic, and religious profiling; and outright hate-based crime andviolence. Based on this negative social fall-out, it is evident that community and religiousleaders ought to take steps towards promoting peace, harmony, and justice.

From the perspective of religious and human rights leaders, our Conference aims to dismantlepreconceived notions that hinder societal co-operation, to recognize the importance ofeducating our children, youth, and the general public against discriminatory practices, and tobuild social bridges that will enhance life for all.2

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John Humphrey Centre, Building World Peace: the role of Religions and Human Rights, John Humphrey Centre,, (accessed Aug. 19/2007)

Ibid.http://www.buildingworldpeace.com/index.php

Introduction 1

Building World Peace: Some Assembly Required ResourceTeaching


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The purpose of the resource is to assist teachers in meeting some of theoutcome objectives from the Social Studies 10-1 Program of Studies by emulating the generalintent of the October 2006 conference. Teachers may use this resource to guide students throughthe process of identifying issues related to the development of peace and human rights, explorebackground information related to the topic, and to develop decision-making skills enablingthem to take action for change. In this way the resource follows the model outlined by the AlbertaEducation Program of Studies.

The is that global citizenship means working towards theachievement of peace and human rights and that therepresents a foundation for achieving peace in the world. This represents one perspective onglobal citizenship and teachers should ensure that alternative perspectives are also presented.

while religion, by its very nature, is a potentially contentious subject area, it need not

be the focus of lessons relating to this conference. The emphasis should, instead, be on the natureof the issues discussed as well as on the potential for conferences such as this, in which people experts and laypersons alike get together to seek knowledge, understanding and action as wellas to develop a sense of global citizenship in order to find solutions to both local and globalproblems.

This resource is best utilized as students approach the latter portions of the Grade 10 Social Studiescurriculum. It could be used as part of an exploration of Related Issue 4:

In adhering to the pattern of the Program of Studies,students will issues and problems relating to world peace, and casestudies, and possible responses. In the process of working through this resource,students will develop a number of skills and meet several of the Knowledge and Understandingoutcomes identified in the Social Studies 10-1 program.

This resource provides ten classroom lessons for teachers which may be used in part or in theirentirety depending on time considerations or other classroom needs. Generally, the individuallessons are not dependent upon one another, and it is possible to work through the resourceadding or subtracting as required. The resource is thus expandable or contractible in order toaccommodate teacher needs.

Building World Peace


To what extent should I,as a citizen, respond to globalization?

underlying assumption of this resource

Please note:

explore examine analyzeevaluate

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3 Alberta Education, Social Studies Kindergarten to Grade 12; Social Studies 10-1: Perspectives on Globalization (Edmonton:Alberta Education, 2007), pp. 24-25

How to use this resource2



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Objective:

Skills and Processes:

Activity 1: Explore the Problem

Students will consider the prospects and obstacles for achieving sustainable global peace throughthe advancement of human rights. They will develop some questions for inquiry and research, andbrainstorm some possible responses to those obstacles to peace in the context of the UniversalDeclaration of Human Rights.

evaluate personal assumptions and opinions to develop an expanded appreciationof a topic or an issueanalyze current affairs from a variety of perspectivesdevelop inquiry strategies to make decisions and solve problems

develop proficiency in the use of research tools and strategies to investigate issues

While there is some evidence to suggest that the number of wars and civil conflicts has declined inrecent decades, the world is still a considerable distance from the goal of universal or evenwidespread peace, security and prosperity. By some measures, there are more conflicts today thanat any time in the past half-century. Invite students to brainstorm, individually at first, thereasons for conflict and wars in the world and what world peace would be like if it could beachieved. They may do this in point form notes or a mind map in their notebooks, but they shouldbe prepared to share their ideas. Using think-pair-share instructional strategy, have student duospresent their conclusions to each other and then to the rest of the class.

Next, ask students to think about possible strategies or approaches for addressing the obstacles topeace. This is not a proposal for solutions, as that is unrealistic, but some thoughts about how tobegin to work towards finding solutions. Again, have students share.

In a class discussion present these key questions:

S.1.5

S.1.9S.4.2

S.7.4

How can young people of diverse backgrounds and perspectives work together to create aworld community to build peace?

To what extent can a global community be founded on common:

ValuesReligionSpiritualityPolitical perspectivesTraditionsIdeologiesSupranationalismor some other guiding principle?

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LESSON 1: Exploring the Challenges in Achieving World Peace 3


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What challenges exist in finding common ground and in developing common goals when thereare differences between people?

Conduct some on-line research. Learn how the Declaration was developed and the context inwhich it was written. (Find out when it was written. What significant world events had recentlytaken place? Would these have influenced the development of the Declaration in some way?)

What seem to have been the goals of the creators?

Which of the Articles would be easiest to achieve? Which ones would be most difficult or couldlead to conflict?

Who might disagree with some of the Articles?

Are there any thoughts or concerns about how to define or interpret terms or words in any ofthe Articles?

Are there any Articles whose meaning or intent may be interpreted differently now comparedto in the past?

Are all of these rights protected in Canada? Is the protection of human rights only an issue indeveloping countries?

Activity 2: Examine the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Hand out copies of the (see Appendix 1 for an abridgedcopy). Ask students to respond to the following questions:

Ask students to discuss the extent to which the application of the Declaration could serve as astrategy for addressing the obstacles to world peace. If nations and governments adopted theArticles of the Declaration, how close could we get to peace? What obstacles might get in the way?

In order to cultivate class discussion and to clarify thinking, ask students to use a Likert scale toexpress their agreement or disagreement.


If the world adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights there would be global peace.

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9Adoption ofthe Declarationwill not relieveconflict.

Adoption ofthe Declarationwill bring peace

to the peoplesof the world.


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This helps students to explore nuance in their thinking and to focus their ideas. Why might somestudents choose 2 instead of 3, or 9 instead of 7? Many students enjoy making a visualrepresentation of their position on the scale; have them stand and make a line from one end of theclassroom to the other, grouping in numerical order. Ask the students to explain why they placedthemselves where they did in the line with one another.

Ask students to identify any Articles from the Declaration which might be or should beincorporated into every nation's constitution or legal system. Expect and encourage a variety ofperspectives but expect them to justify their opinions. Teachers might refer to the CanadianCharter of Rights and Freedoms here. 4

4 For a youth-friendly reference to the Charter, the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights has published abilingual Youth Guide to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This is available on the website at

.http://www.jhcentre.org

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Objective:


Activity 1: Research current regional conflicts

Students will identify and research three contemporary conflicts, either wars or civil conflicts.Students will examine the origins and nature of the conflicts in order to develop a betterunderstanding of the prevalence of conflict in the globalized world, despite the assumption that,as nations become less independent and people become more interconnected (the global villageconcept), warfare (either internal or external) has not, in fact, become less common.

In addition, students will develop an understanding of how violations of human rights play a largerole in the violence throughout the world and how this makes the solution to conflict difficult toattain.

Ultimately, should the teacher wish to complete this mini-unit in its entirety, this informationwill provide the basis for the role-play debate that concludes the examination of human rights and

world peace.

use current, reliable information sources from around the worlddraw pertinent conclusions based upon evidence derived from researchdevelop, refine and apply questions to address an issueselect and analyze relevant information when conducting researchplan and perform complex searches using digital sourcesassess the authority, reliability and validity of electronically accessed informationdemonstrate discriminatory selection of electronically accessed information that isrelevant to a particular topic

Working in pairs, students will conduct on-line or library research into three current conflicts inthe world that involve the violation of human rights. They should choose three from differentregions of the world that have been in the news recently. A teacher-provided list of conflicts fromwhich to choose might help ensure a wide breadth of regions and types of conflict (civil andinternational). An excellent starting point for both teacher and student research is

. Research may take one or twoone-hour class periods depending on the amount of detail desired.

Ask students to first develop five questions for each conflict that will lead them to a solidunderstanding of the conflict:They will need to be able to explain how these questions will

help them understand the nature of the conflict and how it relates to the violation of human rightsas they understand them. Suggest to them that it is important to go beyond simple factual data.

S.2.9S.7.3S.7.7S.7.8S.7.9S.9.1S.9.5

What information do we need to have in order to understand andmeaningfully discuss the conflict?

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/index.html

LESSON 2: The Nature of Conflict/Evaluating Sources6



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Once they have built their bank of questions, they should apply them to their research throughthe creation and use of a retrieval chart. After their information has been gathered, studentsshould discuss the conflicts that they researched and present a completed retrieval chart for oneof the conflicts.

Students should be reminded that not all websites are equally valuable sources of information.Before the actual retrieval of on-line information begins, students should apply some criticalquestions to their sources.

Based on the students' answers to the questions above, ask students to identify which sites aremost valuable.

What follows is a sample retrieval chart that students may come up with:

Activity 2: Create a chart to reflect information gathered

Website evaluation:

Is this an official website, or an individual's own page?

Is the information on the site referenced for original sources?

Does the site appear to be biased in any way? Why do you believe so?

Has the site been updated recently?

Is there advertising on the site which may influence the tone or content?

Is there enough information to give you a solid understanding?

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???? Where is the conflict and how long has it been going on?

???? What events from the past have contributed to the current situation?

???? Who is involved? What groups are represented or engaged in the fighting?

???? What is the conflict all about? Why is there violence? Why are humanrights being violated????? In what way is this conflict an issue of human rights? Which of the 30 Articles from theare being assailed here?Universal Declaration???? How might a global community based on the prevent this conflict?Universal Declaration



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Objective:


Activity: Create a medium to promote awareness

Students will create a poster, brochure, PowerPoint presentation or other media which effectivelybrings attention to the cause of a war or conflict currently taking place in the world. Studentscould engage in just about any creative act that satisfies the intent of the assignment: a song, ashort film, a newspaper or magazine full-page advertisement.

communicate effectively to express a point of view in a variety of situationsuse a variety of oral, visual and print sources to present informed positions onissuesemploy technologies to adapt information for context (situation, audience and

purpose

Ask students to select a medium of their choice (poster, PowerPoint, brochure, other) and createan expression of the need to address the problems of a particular conflict in the world today. Themedium for presentation must include a description of the conflict with a brief background as tocauses and history, an appeal for public assistance, a rationale for assistance, and a suggestion asto the possible solution to the conflict. Students should share their products with the rest of theclass before handing them in for assessment.

S.8.1S.8.5

S.8.7

LESSON 3: Developing an Informed Position8



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DVD Presentation by Romeo Dallaire

Objective:


Activity: Watch a presentation

Note to teachers:

Students will watch a presentation by a respected former Canadian military leader well versed inissues regarding conflict, human rights and the United Nations. Students will watch carefully andrespectfully, and gather facts and ideas that will inform their decisions and conclusions regardingconflict.

identify main ideas underlying a position or issuedevelop conclusions based upon evidence gathered through research of a wide

variety of sourcesanalyze the validity of various points of view in media messages

Students watch the speech and slide presentation that Senator Romeo Dallaire made at theBuilding World Peace conference. Students may answer a series of questions which follow thenarrative of the presentation and which are intended to help them summarize the main points ofthe speech and think about the information presented. See Handout 3.

Canadian Senator and former military commander Romeo Dallaire presents an explanation andanalysis of war and peacekeeping based on his experiences in Rwanda and other fields of conflict.In his speech, Dallaire offers some frank critique of UN, Canadian and other nations' actions inplaces of conflict and he asks some challenging questions for the audience to grapple with.

This speech runs approximately 70 minutes and includes a number of PowerPoint slides that havebeen integrated into this video. The presentation was made before an adult audience and may bechallenging for some grade ten students. Therefore, it may be useful to break up the running ofthe video into sections played on different days or to skip parts of Mr. Dallaire's speech dependingon the objectives of the lesson or unit plan. It should be noted that some of the content of thespeech is of a grave nature references to Rape Sites in war-torn villages and a couple of

graphic photos of death and human destruction. However, Mr. Dallaire does provide insightfulanalysis of the changing nature of conflict and warfare and makes a compelling call for action onthe part of Canada and other middle powers which students will be able to understand andappreciate.

Handout 1 (Keys to successfully watching a speech or documentary video) may be used to givestudents some strategies and some reminders about how to watch a presentation by an individualspeaker.

S.1.9S.7.2

S.9.2

LESSON 4: Watching a Video Presentation 9



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Handout 2 (Questions to accompany Romeo Dallaire's speech) may be used to assist students infollowing the narrative and main ideas developed in the speech.

* Handouts can be found near the end of this resource.

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Bio

Biography of LGen, The Honourable Romeo Dallaire (Retd), Senator

Lieutenant General the Honourable Romeo Dallaire, (Retd), Senator had adistinguished career with the Canadian military achieving the rank of LieutenantGeneral and becoming Assistant Deputy Minister (Human Resources) in theDepartment of National Defence in 1998. In 1994, General Dallaire commandedthe United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR). His book on his

experiences in Rwanda, entitled, was awarded the Governor Generals Literary Award for

Non-Fiction in 2004.

Since his retirement with the military, Senator Dallaire has worked hard to bringawareness of post-traumatic stress to the general public. He has also worked as avisiting lecturer to various American and Canadian universities and is also aFellow of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, Kennedy School ofGovernment at Harvard University pursuing research on conflict resolution andthe use of child soldiers.

LGen. Dallaire (Retd) was appointed to the Senate effective March 24, 2005. Heis also a member of the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights.

As a champion of human rights, his activities included:

public speaking on issues relating to human rights and genocideprevention;visiting Darfur as a member of Prime Minister Martins Special AdvisoryTeam on Darfur;advocacy for the Canadian Forces mission to Afghanistan;membership in the United Nations Secretary Generals AdvisoryCommittee on Genocide Prevention;leadership in a project to develop a conceptual base for the elimination ofthe use of child soldiers; andleadership in activities aimed at the non-proliferation of nuclearweapons.

Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure ofHumanity in Rwanda

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Source: LGen the Honourable Romeo A. Dallaire, (Retd), Senator Homepage Accessed April 09, 2008.http://sen.parl.gc.ca/SenWeb/welcome/?lang=en&sen=47


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Objective:


Activity 1: Examine a specific case from the conflict in Rwanda

Note to teachers:

Activity 2: Consider questions and issues emerging from incidents of conflict

Students will reflect and deliberate upon some of the important issues that emerge from Dallaire'spresentation.

generate and apply new ideas and strategies to contribute to decision making andproblem solvingrespect the needs and perspectives of otherscollaborate in groups to solve problems

After watching the video of Romeo Dallaire's presentation, hand out the. This is a brief recounting of a particular incident which Dallaire describes in

his presentation. Ask students to share impressions about the ethical dilemma faced by combattroops in this situation. Working in groups of two or three, students should brainstorm possibleresponses to the situation that should be focused on saving as many lives as possible. Impress uponthe students that for soldiers in the village this was likely a no-win situation. The purpose ofthis exercise is to generate ideas and explore possibilities; a wide range of ideas could be acceptedhere.

This case study is an especially disturbing account of the terror, tragedy and madness of war.Discretion should be used if this account is to be presented in the classroom.

Distribute copies of Handout 4 and have students work in groups of three or four to answer thequestions. Invite students to think about their priorities in the decision making process. Whatshould be the most important objective of peace keeping action? What would be the second mostimportant?

S.4.3

S.5.5S.5.6

Case Study: Children asinstruments of war

LESSON 5: Responding to a Speech or Presentation 11



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Objective:


Activity: Assessing recommendations and planning for action

Recommendation 1:

Questions:

Students will examine a number of recommendations that came from the Building World Peaceconference and judge how they might work to achieve these outcomes. Students will brainstormand discuss potential challenges and obstacles to achieving the recommendations and developstrategies for overcoming those challenges.

analyze current affairs from a variety of perspectivesdemonstrate leadership in groups to achieve consensus, solve problems, formulateopinions, and take action, if appropriate, on important issuesgenerate and apply new ideas and strategies to contribute to decision making and

problem solvingparticipate in persuading, compromising and negotiating to resolve conflicts anddifferencesrespect the needs and perspectives of otherscollaborate in groups to solve problems

Provide students with a number of recommendations for actions to achieving world peace.Recommendation 1 is included below in the form of a retrieval chart. Other recommendations arelisted in Appendix 2. Working individually at first, then in pairs, and finally in groups of four,

students should respond to the following questions regarding each of the recommendations forachieving world peace.

This group, representing all faiths and wisdom traditions, would work together to share ideas,improve understanding of each others' beliefs, and promote peace.

(A sample chart is provided to assist students in organizing their ideas.)

S.1.9S.4.1

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S.5.2

S.5.5S.5.6

Faith communities come together to form and fund a multifaith organization in Canada.

LESSON 6: Exploring Possibilities for Citizenship12



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13

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To what extent would this recommendation beeffective in achieving world peace?

(Is the recommendation realistic, purposeful, easily understood, likely to be supported by citizens?)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9Ineffective Highly effective

To what extent would it be possible toachieve this recommendation?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9Difficult Relatively easy

????What obstacles or challenges exist in trying to

implement this recommendation?

???? What might individual students or small groups do to begin toachieve this recommendation?

???? How might these obstacles be overcome?

After working individually, then in pairs, students in groups of four should discuss their responsesto the questions, then collectively record their answers on large poster paper for all classmates tosee and discuss. To what extent is there agreement and disagreement? How might the degree ofagreement affect the potential to take action or to implement the recommendation?



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Objective:

Skills & Processes:

Activity:

Students will examine the issues of human security vs. national security in international relations,United Nations intervention in the domestic affairs of member states, and the promotion ofhuman rights guarantees in all nations through research and jigsaw presentations and the writingof backgrounders.

evaluate ideas and information from multiple sourcessynthesize information from contemporary and historical issues to develop aninformed positionanalyze current affairs from a variety of perspectives

use a variety of oral, visual and print sources to present informed positions onissues

One of the most pressing challenges facing the United Nations in its desire to see a world in whichall governments guarantee human rights to their citizens is the conflict between human securityand national security. Human security is based on the post-Cold War theory that national securityis defined less by traditional issues of defense and military threats, and more by threats toindividuals such as those presented by poverty, disease, environmental destruction and theviolation of human rights.

This issue has been highlighted in recent years by the failure of the United Nations to effectivelydeal with the growing number of intra-state conflicts in which governments are failing to protecttheir own citizens. Examples abound, from Darfur to Rwanda, from Somalia to Myanmar, fromNorth Korea to Iraq.

Previously, the United Nations Charter itself made interventions in the domestic affairs ofmember states almost impossible. Intervention was reserved for inter-state conflicts.

An increasing number of countries, including Canada, and a large number of internationalorganizations, including the United Nations itself, have begun to press for reform of the Charter tomake intervention in these situations easier. They face opposition from a number of countries,including powerful Security Council permanent members such as the United States, Great Britain,Russia and China.

S.1.1S.1.6

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S.8.5

Nothing contained in the present Charter shall authorize the United Nations to intervene inmatters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any state or shall require theMembers to submit such matters to settlement under the present Charter; but this principleshall not prejudice the application of enforcement measures under Chapter Vll.

(UN Charter, Article 2.7)

LESSON 7: Human Security vs. National Security14



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15

With the students, brainstorm arguments and evidence that could be used to support bothperspectives. Use a Venn diagram to visually organize the viewpoints in such a way as todetermine whether or not there is any common ground for the two sides (they will probablyfigure out that the goals are the same security). Make reference to some of the case studies andarguments presented by Romeo Dallaire in his presentation (discussed in Lessons 4-5).

Find some articles that outline different perspectives on the issue. Using a jigsaw format, havestudents in small groups read and discuss the articles and then present their findings to the rest ofthe class.

Some suggestions for sources:

As a class, create a solution to the problem.In their groups, have students write a

'backgrounder' on the issue a concise outline of the issues and arguments surrounding the topic.

These backgrounders can be used as a source to help create positions in the role-play debate(Lessons 8-10).

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The Human Security Report:

Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada:The Human Security Network:

Should the United Nations be reformed to make theprotection of human rights in failing states easier?

http://www.humansecurityreport.info/content/view/24/59/

http://geo.international.gc.ca/cip-pic/cip-pic/humansecurity-en.aspxhttp://www.humansecuritynetwork.org/menu-e.php



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Objective:


Activity

Students will develop positions on a conflict somewhere in the world in preparation forparticipating in a role play debate.

evaluate ideas and information from multiple sourcessynthesize information from contemporary and historical issues to develop aninformed positionevaluate the logic of assumptions underlying a positionanalyze current affairs from a variety of perspectivesparticipate in persuading, compromising and negotiating to resolve conflicts and

differencesacknowledge the importance of multiple perspectives in a variety of situationsintegrate and synthesize argumentation and evidence to provide an informedopinion on a research question or an issue of inquiry

Discuss the nature of the conflicts that students have researched and presented in earlier lessons.As a class, determine which of the conflicts is most pressing and requires the most immediateattention. This will be the subject of a role-play debate.

Create a debate topic based on the following possible template:

As a class, determine who the stakeholders in this debate are (clearly, those students who hadresearched the conflict will lead the discussion) for example, if the students are debating theconflict in Darfur, they might decide that the important stakeholders include:

the Sudanese government

the Sudanese militarythe Janjaweed militiarebel groups such as the Justice & Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudanese LiberationMovement (SLM)the United Nations African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID)Arab civilians from the Baggara tribes of northern SudanBlack African civilians from the Zaghawa, Massaleit and Fur tribes of the Darfur regionThe Canadian mission to the United NationsThe American mission to the United Nations

S.1.1S.1.6

S.1.7S.1.9S.5.2

S.6.2S.7.6

Be it resolved that the United Nations Security Council should act to enforce the adoptionof the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights by the government of

in order to successfully resolve the conflict in that nation.

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LESSON 8: Debating Human Rights in Conflict Zones16



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It should be made clear to students that the debate involves both local issues (the best way to solvethe domestic problems plaguing the nation in question) and international issues (humanrights/security vs. national security).

Brainstorm the base positions (pro/con) for each stakeholder group as a basis for research. Onindex cards, write numbers corresponding to the stakeholder groups and allow students to pullcards in order to randomly distribute the stakeholders among them. Depending upon the size ofthe class, there may be three or four groups that will debate the topic.

It is recommended that the teacher ensures that at least one member of the group that had donethe original research on the debate case study be present in each of the debate groups. Theirresponsibility will be to help provide a basis of understanding about the conflict that will enablethe rest of the group to adequately research their stakeholder positions.

Students should be given at least two class periods to research and develop a position statementfor their stakeholder that will encapsulate his/her perspective on the issue/s (complete with botharguments and evidence) as well as to anticipate and counter opposition viewpoints.

Students will be asked to do the following in preparation for the debate:

Research the background of the conflict, in particular the identity and stance of the rolebeing played which may be an individual and/or organization.Use that research to develop a position statement on one side of the resolution. It shouldinclude, where appropriate:

Background information on the individual's involvement in the conflictBackground information on the organization or group the individual is involvedwith (i.e. goals and methods used to obtain them)

A brief outline and explanation of the organization's stance on both the local andinternational issues (the position on one may need to be inferred from the positionfound on the other). These must be consistent with the background research.Anticipated counter-arguments from those opposing the individual's perspectiveand a plan to deal with them.

Prepare a two-minute introductory statement designed to outline the student's role andposition to be given orally at the beginning of the debate.

Depending on the circumstances, the teacher might decide not to enter into the actual debate anduse the finished position statements as assessment. If so, the debate resolution might act as anessay question and the position statements as finished essays.

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Objective:


Activity:

Debate format:

Students will participate in a role-play debate designed to highlight the issues and perspectivessurrounding the role of human rights in areas of conflict. This is designed to work in tandem withLesson Eight.

communicate effectively to express a point of view in a variety of situationsuse skills of formal and informal discussion and/or debate to persuasively expressinformed viewpoints on an issueask respectful and relevant questions of others to clarify viewpointslisten respectfully to others

Once students have developed their position statements to act as the foundation for their roleplay, it is time for the debate.

The number of debaters depends upon the number of stakeholder positions that have beendeveloped. It is likely that several separate debates will be required in order to enable everyone inthe class to participate. The teacher needs to ensure that all roles are represented.

Observing students should be encouraged to take notes both during and after the debate.

The teacher will act as Chair, organizing the speeches and moderating the debate. TheChair will ensure that the debate stays focused and that all have the opportunity toparticipate.Each debater will present his/her two-minute oral statement of position to the rest of thestakeholders, introducing themselves (in character) and outlining his/her perspective onthe issues.Staying in character, the students will then engage in open debate on the issuessurrounding the resolution.

Assessment, depending on the needs of the teacher and the classroom, could take a number offorms. Using any one of a number of easily accessible debating rubrics, students could be assessedfor knowledge and communication skills during the debate itself. If assessment in written form is

preferred, students might be asked to revise their position statements in light of the argumentsand evidence given at the debate and then hand in the revised copy for grading.

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Objective:


Activity:

Based on the perspectives developed during the role-play debate, students will work in groups todevelop a resolution or concluding statement which could be submitted to government or theUnited Nations or presented for public consumption. The concluding statement will provide somegeneral thoughts about the nature of conflict and how best to address conflict in the context ofadvancing human rights and assuring human security.

demonstrate skills needed to reach consensus, solve problems and formulatepositionsdemonstrate leadership by persuading, compromising and negotiating to resolveconflicts and differences

make meaningful contributions to discussion and group workconsider the needs and perspectives of otherspromote and respect the contributions of team members when working as a teamcommunicate effectively in a variety of situations

Working in groups of four or five, students are to write a single joint statement which will explainthe nature of a particular world conflict (likely the one discussed in the role-play debate) andprovide a suggestion for resolving the dispute(s). The joint statement must reflect the views of allgroup members and must be endorsed unanimously. Thus, compromise and negotiation are keyto the successful completion of the task.

This is an excellent opportunity to discuss the nature of consensus-building and methods forpursuing consensus.

The concluding statement from the October 2006 Building World Peace conference may be used asa sample for students. See Appendix 2.

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Keys to successfully watching a speech or documentary video

For most people, watching a video or listening to a speaker is a much more difficult task thanreading a news article or a book. While that may seem contrary to what our intuition tells us,consider that you cannot stop a speaker in mid-sentence or turn back the page the way you canwith a book. As well, typically a speaker or even a video will offer a huge amount of informationwith fewer words than in a book. Speakers do not expand or elaborate in the same detail that abook does; we need often to interpret a speaker's remarks as they proceed through theirpresentation. With all this in mind, we need to develop strategies for thinking and gatheringinformation that are different from the way we work when reading text.

Give the speaker or the video your complete concentration. Avoid distractions, and do notstop to discuss an idea or concept with a friend or colleague during the speech; you'll simplymiss the next piece of information that the speaker presents.

When taking notes, use only point form or select words to capture ideas. You do not have timeto write full sentences and cannot record enough information quickly enough while thespeech is in progress.

Synthesize ideas and information as you go by constantly thinking about how the informationjust presented fits with previous ideas and content, and what direction the presentationseems to be going. A speech or presentation is like an oral essay: there is an introduction, amiddle, and a conclusion, but it may be difficult to remember that while we are listening.

Watching slides and listening to the speaker requires multitasking. Glance at the slide orpicture then go back to attending to the speaker's words.

Develop questions in your mind as you go along. What would you ask the speaker at the endof the presentation? What information would you like to know more about?

HANDOUT 1: Watching a Speech or Documentary Video20

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Questions to accompany Romeo Dallaire's speech to the Building World Peace Conference

The following questions reflect the order of the content in Mr. Dallaire's speech. Some questionsask you to simply recall the information presented, and other questions ask you to interpret themeaning of Mr. Dallaire's remarks, so listening carefully is essential.

What is the purpose of Mr. Dallaire's speech at this conference?

What is Mr. Dallaire's view of the United States?

What are the revolutions of the 1990s? What is the nature of today's revolution?

What will be our tasks of the future?

How did we eliminate the human side of our institutions?

What was the Old World Order? Why was there a perceived reduced need for security after1990?

How has the concept of conventional warfare changed? What example does Dallaire use?What dilemma exists for soldiers in the field?

In what way might classic war be obsolete?

How has traditional peacekeeping changed?

What is an imploding nation?

Summarize the New World Disorder.

How is war and conflict shaped and influenced by:

povertyfearnationalismcitizen militias

Why did so little information about the genocide in Rwanda get to TV viewers in North

America?

What are the causes of genocide?

What is the era of new extremes? Give an example.

How have children been affected by new forms of conflict after the end of the Cold War?

Why is it difficult to get NGOs to work together?

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HANDOUT 2: Questions About Romeo Dallaires Speech 21

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According to Dallaire, why did the United States pull out of Mogadishu (the Black Hawk Down

incident)? Are you convinced of his analysis? What questions would you ask Dallaire or othersabout the case? What was the U.S. explanation for the withdrawal?

What is the difference between the Mission and Task verbs of the Cold War era and currentpeacekeeping and combat objectives?

What are the considerations of governments when deciding whether or not to intervene inother countries in crisis?

Summarize Dallaire's key arguments for taking greater action in the world.

According to Dallaire, what are the options for future involvement in world affairs?

What is Dallaire's process or plan for conflict resolution in the world?

How might the middle powers better provide leadership in the world?

What strengths and advantages does Canada have as a middle power?

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In the speech, Mr. Dallaire recalls a disturbing case of Canadian UN soldiers on patrol in a village inRwanda that underlines the difficult challenges and dilemmas faced by peacekeepers in themodern age of combat.

United Nations soldiers were on patrol through various villages surveying the destruction, seekingout injured civilians, survivors of violence, and others in need of assistance. The UN troops cameacross a church where, inside, there are about one hundred people hiding from local militiamen.It is unusual to find people still alive in a church because the militiamen typically misled thevillagers into believing that seeking sanctuary in a church will provide safety. In fact, this is aploy to gather villagers in a single enclosed place to easily kill them. Upon the discovery of thevillagers, the sergeant of the patrol radioed the nearby UN camp headquarters for the arearequesting transport trucks to move the villagers to safety. As the peacekeepers and villagers leftthe church to prepare for the coming trucks, militiamen suddenly opened fire on the group. Atone end of the village were the militias child soldiers of ages nine to sixteen - firing automatic

rifles at the unarmed civilians and the UN peacekeepers. At the other end of the road was anothermilitia group also firing weapons. This second group is actually standing behind and firing overthe shoulders of a human shield of young girls, some of them pregnant.

In this terrible moment, the UN soldiers are faced with an impossible dilemma. Do they returnfire on a group of child soldiers? Should they shoot at the young girls to disable or kill theattackers? Many child soldiers are themselves victims of war because they have been abductedfrom their villages and forced to serve in the militia. Many are often under the influence of drugsand only somewhat aware of their actions.

Should UN peacekeepers kill children who kill?

HANDOUT 3: Case Study: Children as Instruments of War 23



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HANDOUT 4: Emerging Issues and Challenging Questions24

???? What is the best way for the United Nations' or Canadianpeacekeepers to deal with child soldiers?

???? How can we promote power sharing and cooperationbetween former enemies and combatants?

???? Should we negotiate with criminals in orderto resolve problems and secure peace?

????To what extent do we in Canada or the United Nations

have a right to interfere in the internal affairs ofanother sovereign country?

???? Which should take priority, national independenceand self-determination or human rights?



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Simplified Version of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights5

Summary of Preamble

A summary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The General Assembly recognizes that the inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights ofall members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,human rights should be protected by the rule of law, friendly relations between nations must befostered, the peoples of the UN have affirmed their faith in human rights, the dignity and theworth of the human person, the equal rights of men and women and are determined to promotesocial progress, better standards of life and larger freedom and have promised to promote humanrights and a common understanding of these rights.

Everyone is free and we should all be treated in the same way.

Everyone is equal despite differences in skin colour, sex, religion, language for example.

Everyone has the right to life and to live in freedom and safety.

No one has the right to treat you as a slave nor should you make anyone your slave.

No one has the right to hurt you or to torture you.

Everyone has the right to be treated equally by the law.

The law is the same for everyone, it should be applied in the same way to all.Everyone has the right to ask for legal help when their rights are not respected.

No one has the right to imprison you unjustly or expel you from your own country.

Everyone has the right to a fair and public trial.

Everyone should be considered innocent until guilt is proved.

Every one has the right to ask for help if someone tries to harm you, but no-one can enteryour home, open your letters or bother you or your family without a good reason.

Everyone has the right to travel as they wish.

Everyone has the right to go to another country and ask for protection if they are beingpersecuted or are in danger of being persecuted.

APPENDIX 1: Universal Declaration of Human Rights 25

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5 Amnesty International, First Steps: A Manual for Starting Human Rights Education (London: Amnesty InternationalSecretariat, 1997). Available online at Human Rights Education Association Simplified Version of the Universal Declarationof Human Rights, (accessed Aug. 19/2007).http://www.hrea.org/feature-events/simplified-udhr.html



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Everyone has the right to belong to a country. No one has the right to prevent you frombelonging to another country if you wish to.

Everyone has the right to marry and have a family.

Everyone has the right to own property and possessions.

Everyone has the right to practice and observe all aspects of their own religion and changetheir religion if they want to.

Everyone has the right to say what they think and to give and receive information.

Everyone has the right to take part in meetings and to join associations in a peaceful way.

Everyone has the right to help choose and take part in the government of their country.

Everyone has the right to social security and to opportunities to develop their skills.

Everyone has the right to work for a fair wage in a safe environment and to join a trade union.

Everyone has the right to rest and leisure.

Everyone has the right to an adequate standard of living and medical help if they are ill.

Everyone has the right to go to school.

Everyone has the right to share in their community's cultural life.

Everyone must respect the 'social order' that is necessary for all these rights to be available.

Everyone must respect the rights of others, the community and public property.

No one has the right to take away any of the rights in this declaration.

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Selected Recommendations from the Building World Peace ConferenceOctober 2006

Recommendation 2

Recommendation 3

Recommendation 4

Recommendation 5

Recommendation 6

Recommendation 7

Faith communities press governments to pass legislation to implement UN covenants.

The Canadian government should work toward reconciliation with Canada's First Nations

people.

Canada and other countries which accept large numbers of immigrants should explicitlyaddress issues of racism and subtle discrimination.

Women should be encouraged to assume stronger roles of political leadership.

Governments need to ratify the treaty banning nuclear testing and strongly encourage othergovernments to do so.

Individuals should become actively involved in directing public discourse.

The UN covenants should form the basis for ending violence in the world. Faith communitiescould create the political will to legislate and enforce those covenants at home and around theworld.

Canada should work to create peace, cooperation and inclusion at home a well as abroad.

Education should be the tool for overcoming fear of other people and ideas. Governments need tosafeguard the rights of all individuals in workplaces and communities.

Women and children are most affected by violence and war. Governments need to make changes,to fund development, and bring women into the decision making process.

Nuclear weapons represent the ultimate evil, and ridding the world of these weapons is a political

and religious responsibility.

Public discourse is the practice of bringing people together to share ideas, exchange plans andwork to take action. Politicians, students, workers, activists, religious leaders, educators andmany others all have an obligation and responsibility to work toward global peace. Individuals

APPENDIX 2: Selected Recommendations 27



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average citizens need to become more involved in setting the agenda for peace and gettinginvolved in shaping policy.

Individuals in their daily lives need to live the principles of peace, support all people in theirefforts to enjoy freedom and to fight injustice.

Recommendation 8

Individuals should take personal action to make peace a reality.

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Concluding Statement from the Building World Peace ConferenceOctober 2006

Sadly acknowledging that hate and violence have taken place in the name of God, religious leaderstoday must speak out to protect human rights everywhere and build the conditions for peacethrough an alliance of civilizations. This was a dominant finding in the conference, whichbrought together representatives from many faiths and cultures: Aboriginal, Buddhist, Christian,Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and others.

Religions of the world should provide a powerful example in their common rejection of violenceand defence of universal values of respect for life and the dignity and human rights of allindividuals as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. At this critical juncture ofhuman history, when differences threaten not simply to divide but actually destroy all life on theplanet, religions must unite across boundaries to instil non-violence as a way of life.

In short, religions must affirm that violence can never be justified in the name of God andcondemn terrorism and extremism of any form as well as attempts to justify them by religion.This responsibility is shared by every individual in society.

In the words of Federico Mayor, Co-chairman of the Alliance of Civilizations Commission, nowwe must change. With the existence of 27,000 nuclear weapons as but one example of thewarring posture of nations, religions must work to transform the world from a culture of war to aculture of peace. Religions must change their present complacent attitude and enter the modernworld in a humble and co-operative mode, reaching out to help heal a suffering humanity.

The conference recognized that respectful dialogue among civilizations is a prerequisite to thehealing qualities of reconciliation and forgiveness. This dialogue should take place not only

internationally but also locally. It must occur not only within religions but also among religionsand, further, between religions and secular society. To this end, the conference examined ways toimprove peace education, media relations and inter-faith programs. Human rights learning mustbe the foundation of this dialogue. Telling our own stories to one another is important. Increasedattention must be paid to the needs of women and children who, overwhelmingly, are the victimsof war and economic and social discrimination.

Canada, composed of a pluralism of religions and cultures, has a special responsibility tocontribute to the human security agenda: e.g., by doing much more to stop the killings in strife-torn areas, including Darfur; promoting the Nuclear Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty; achievingthe Millennium Development Goals; protecting the world from further global warming and otherenvironmental despoliation.

All this, and more, is the practical work of building peace in the 21 century. Religions mustproject the values of peace or be left behind in these turbulent times.

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APPENDIX 3: Concluding Statement 29



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Edmonton, Alberta780-453-2638Phone:

http://www.johnhumphreycentre.org

Building World Peace: Some Assembly Required

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