Children of the North Caucasus want to live in peace

© UNICEF

25 July 2006 Derbent, Dagestan

 

130 children from four republics of the North Caucasus – Chechnya, Ingushetia, North Ossetia and Dagestan, participated in a ten day event called Summer Camp “Plus”, organised by UNICEF in close cooperation with the Ministries of Education, Science and Youth Policy of all republics and hosted by the Ministry of Education, Science and Youth Policy of Dagetsan in a summer camp “Golden Sands”, a well-equipped children’s resort centre located in a purest Caspian see area in Derbent, a city in Dagestan. The objective of the event was to improve intercultural communication between children of the North Caucasus and train them to the basics of Peace Education and Tolerance Building.

Carel de Rooy, UNICEF Area Representative in the Russian Federation and Belarus, Dr. Rashed Mustafa, Head of Office, UNICEF, North Caucasus and Murad Shishkhanov, Education Project Officer, UNICEF, North Caucasus visited Dagestan to meet with the gathered Government representatives and children.

“This a very important moment”, said Carel de Rooy during a festive closure of the Summer Camp, addressing the gathering comprised of top government officials from four North Caucasus republics, children and local media. The officials included Aleksey Gasanov, the Minister of Education, Science and Youth Policy of Dagestan, his Deputy Muslim Telyakavov, Abdulla Dadaev, Assistant to the Minister of Education and Science of Chechnya, Roza Ozdoeva, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ingushetia, Boris Haymanov, a representative from the North Ossetia and others.

“Together we are making a history. It is great pleasure to witness children from the Caucasian republics taking the lead in developing friendship and respect for the wealth of diversity in the North Caucasus”, Mr. de Rooy added.  

© UNICEF

One of the important outcomes of the Summer Camp “Plus” was a Declaration compiled by children in which they announced the day of 25-th of July (a day of closure of the Summer Camp) a Day of Children’s Peace. Also through the Declaration children addressed to the decision-makers in the Russian Federation to include Peace Education component into school curriculum.

UNICEF, in its capacity as inter-agency coordination focal point for the Education sector in the North Caucasus, and in partnership with federal and local authorities, educational institutions, schools and the civil society in the region, has undertaken a well-coordinated and comprehensive initiative to promote peace education and culture of tolerance across four republics in the North Caucasus. Summer camp “Plus” has been organised within the framework of Peace Education and Tolerance Building Programme developed to target  children and adolescents in the region.

“By learning about each other, previously hostile groups discover other sides of their own problems and can observe their former opponents from a different perspective”, said Rashed Mustafa.

“Thus, most of the deeply entrenched stereotypes are likely to be overcome, and then, a new – peaceful communication pattern is built on. Such events greatly help to bring together people and facilitate a dialogue”, he added.

During the closure of the camp children prepared a concert in which each republic demonstrated their national dances, cited poems, showed performances and sang national songs. A masked ball continued the concert. Each child had a mask and it was very difficult to recognize each other. But it was not important to know who was who, because they all were one friendly family dancing together hand in hand in a cordial atmosphere of mutual understanding. 

“We, children, want to live in peace”, said Zabi Gaitukieva, a 14-year-old participant from Ingushetia. “I should never have thought before coming to this camp that I would ever like Ossetians. But now I see that I was mistaken. A 12-year-old Zarina from North Ossetia, whom I met here, is my best friend now and nothing could ruin our friendship”, she added.