How would you define the work currently being done to support peace culture?

Without a shadow of a doubt I can say that everything that is being done to contribute towards, constitute and/ or consolidate a true and authentic peace culture deserves our recognition, and, in principle, I believe that we must understand that it is good. As Kant would say “it is necessary, but not sufficient”. In our socio-political and cultural beliefs we possess important reference points for our quest for peace, both on micro and macro levels. Even so, and given my day to day work as researcher into Philosophy for Peace, I understand that there are great socio political, economical, cultural and educational inequalities between different parts of humanity. Therefore, it is clear that the different paths that we have developed and continue to forge may well be “good” (necessary?), but are most certainly “insufficient”.

All the work that has been carried out globally under the name of Peace Studies or Peace Research has marginalised the specific human reality of functional diversity (better known as “disability” or “dependence”). This means that we not only must continue to work on the current lines in search of peace, but we must also find “new paths” that will redirect current pacifist sentiment into new action. 

What state are we in?

Professionals and researchers working for peace know that this is not always an easy job to do. And yet, it is our great challenge, not only to work to obtain peace culture, but rather to put our efforts into working from a place of peace. This is an extremely important time for functional diversity. At the end of 2006 the United Nations recognised the need to constitute an International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (functional diversity), as a reference point to develop a whole range of legislation and/ or policies with a social focus on independent living. Consequently, the Peace, Human Rights and Independent Living Institute that I preside over sees very clearly that one of the ways to achieve authentic peace culture is through the constitution and consolidation of an “Independent Living Culture”.

Peace Culture must be liberating, and in order for it to be sustainable, it must be based upon and constantly guided by “Human Rights Culture” (Amongst which we find the human right to live independently. Art. 19 International Convention. UN). Thus all the voices that are “silenced” by dominant postures must be incorporated into peace culture discussions and practices. These different, and often distant voices often originate from social groups that do not fit into the norm due to specific human qualities (or more precisely, human diversity).

One example of this is the important contributions made by feminism towards peace (there is, in fact a very interesting line of research into the relationship between the Feminist Movement and the Pacifist Movement). This must also occur between the world Independent Living movement and the Pacifist Movement). This is what the work of IPADEVI is mainly about.

What work does society still have to do in this area?

To start with, the state must work with civil society to totally eradicate Disabled Culture (Violent Culture) that uses multiple forms of discrimination and/ or violation of the Human Rights of many men and women with different kinds/ levels of functional diversity. As UNESCO recognizes, one excellent tool that is at our disposal to consolidate peace culture is through Peace Education, or more specifically through (Educational) Philosophy for Peace. UNESCO has also developed an interesting line of work into so-called “Inclusive Education”, which is based on working to integrate and normalize people with functional diversity into mainstream educational and academic contexts, as far as is possible. This is how it has been done up till now. However, I still believe we need to re-conceptualize our understanding of “education”…, given that education has to be for everyone, without exception, or it cannot be truly considered EDUCATION.

We must draw the area of philosophy known as “Critical (or liberating) Pedagogy” (Paulo Freire, Henry Giroux or Peter McLaren) into our discussion on functional diversity. Inclusion must be based upon this line of thinking, and our concept of it must therefore be rebuilt. As such we must undergo a process of conceptual and methodological transformation in order to abandon the foundations used to underpin “special education”, because it stems from the previously mentioned handicapped culture.

“Independent Living Culture”, which empowers men and women with all kinds/ levels of functional diversity by recognizing their different abilities; and “Human Rights Culture”, which indiscriminately recognizes each individual’s inherent dignity and status as citizen, both constitute educational-pedagogical and philosophical areas that are absolutely essential within the process of achieving peace culture. IPADEVI understands that new areas of action-research must be opened up in order to continue to transform (deconstruct in order to reconstruct) all power structures that perpetuate inequalities, in order to create new spaces of equality.

What is the Peace, Human Rights and Independent Living Institute?

IPADEVI (Instituto de Paz, derechos humanos y vida independiente) was born in 2009 as a “Peace Culture, Human Rights and Independent Living” work group within the UNESCO centre in Madrid. However, given its state and international transcendence, an independent Institute was constituted in 2010. Thus, IPADEVI now leads an international peace project, which for the first time puts people with functional diversity and their Human Rights (UN International Convention, December 2006) at the very centre. At the same time it identifies the world Independent Living Movement as a new Active Non-Violent Movement, and its activists as Peace Builders (Ed Roberts, Judy Heummann, John Evans, Bente Skangard, Adolf Ratzka, Manuel Lobato, Javier Romañach…).

IPADEVI constituted an international work group, and in 2010 at the World Education Forum it presented the Compostola 2010 World Declaration about the contribution made by people with functional diversity towards Peace Culture.