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The Recommendation to Learn the Experienes and Knowledge
of the Asia/Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU)
in the field of Education and Culture of Children
http://www.accu.or.jp
The Asia/Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU), a non-profit organization
working for mutual understanding and cultural cooperation in Asia and the Pacific,
in the fields of culture, book development and literacy promotion is one of the
most active organization in Japan which has devoted themselves in elevating and
enriching the children culture of Asian countries.
It is really marvelous accumulation of the knowledge and exeriences of their
activities in the above mentioned children education and culture.
I, as one of the outsider cooperaters of this organization, mainly in Noma
Concur for Picture Book Illustrations, would like to recommend the organization
as the rich storage of the elevation and enrichment of children culture through
their activities of the seminar, exhibitions and sending experts of this children
education.
Masao Abe Editor,
"Japan-Arab News"
http://www.japan-arab.org
e-mail : masao-abe@hi-ho.ne.jp
The fields which have been developed by ACCU is marvelously varied and rich,
so I introduce just some illustrative activities. As for the details and actual
information, please open their fantastic home-page and ask ACCU to obtain booklets
etc. directly.
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Cooperation to Invigorate Individual Cultures
ACCU cooperates in preserving and promoting unique characteristics of local cultures,
and promoting literacy education in Asian and Pacific countries.
Books are the primary medium to carry information and knowledge, and
also convey emotion and ideas. The key to human resources development is to
provide every child and adult with high quality reading materials. ACCU
actively conducts various programmes for book development in Asia and the Pacific
in cooperation with UNESCO, related organizations in the UNESCO Member States
and book experts.
ACCU implements various regional literacy programmes to promote
literacy education and to contribute to achieving EFA (Education for All) in Asia
and the Pacific, in cooperation with UNESCO Principal Regional Office for Asia
and the Pacific (PROAP), government agencies and NGOs in the Member States of
UNESCO
Co-production and Dissemination of Children's Books
Well-organized cooperation with writers, artists and editors in Asia and the Pacific
creates attractive books for every child in the region.
Production of Audio-Visual Materials on Music and Dance
For the purpose of promoting mutual understanding among cultures in the region
of Asia and the Pacific, as well as for documentation, ACCU co-produces videos
and cassette tapes of traditional music and dances of the region.
Animated Cartoon Videos of Asian Folktales
Animated cartoon videos based on folktales from Asia are interesting and full
of fun, with beautiful images and attractive sound. They make old folk stories
more appealing to children in the modern world.
Noma Concours for Picture Book Illustrations
This Concours encourages activities of artists in Asia and the Pacific, Africa,
the Arab States, Latin America and the Caribbean, who have few opportunities to
publish their works.
The safeguarding of cultural heritage, book development and reading promotion,
and literacy education - all are important challenges for the region of Asia and
the Pacific, and are also fields in need of steady human resources development
activities.
ACCU implements various training programmes aimed at young personnel and experts
in the fields mentioned above.
The encouragement of artistic activities through the organization of contests
is also one of the objectives of human resources development. etc
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The NAGASAKI Peace Declaration
Today, the modern buildings and houses of Nagasaki's verdant cityscape make
it difficult to imagine what happened here at the end of the Second World War
on August 9 at 11:02 AM, fifty-eight years ago. An American aircraft dropped a
single atomic bomb that was detonated at an altitude of about 500 meters over
the district known as Matsuyama-machi. In an instant, the resulting heat rays,
blast wind, and radiation descended upon Nagasaki and transformed the city into
a hell on Earth. Some 74,000 people were killed, and 75,000 injured. Many of those
who were spared from death were afflicted with incurable physical and mental wounds,
and many continue today to suffer from the after-effects of the atomic bombing,
and from health problems induced by the stress of their experience. We have ceaselessly
called for the eradication of nuclear weapons and the establishment of world peace,
so that such a tragedy is never repeated.
Nevertheless, in March of this year, the US and the UK launched a preemptive
attack on Iraq, whom they accused of possessing weapons of mass destruction. In
the ensuing war, waged in the absence of a United Nations resolution, the lives
of many civilians were sacrificed in addition to those of soldiers. We deeply
regret that this conflict could not be averted, despite our appeals for a peaceful
resolution based on international cooperation, and a rising worldwide anti-war
movement.
In January of last year, the United States government conducted a nuclear
posture review, recommending the development of mini-nuclear weapons and the resumption
of nuclear explosions for test purposes, and openly proposing the use of nuclear
weapons under certain circumstances. At the same time, following nuclear tests
by India and Pakistan, the disclosure by North Korea that it too possesses nuclear
weapons has served to heighten the tension of international society. International
agreements supporting nuclear disarmament, nuclear non-proliferation, and the
prohibition of all nuclear weapons testing now appear to be on the verge of collapse.
Mother Theresa, when she visited Nagasaki, commented as she viewed a picture
of a boy whose body had been burnt black in the atomic bombing, "The leaders
of all the nuclear states should come to Nagasaki to see this photograph."
We do indeed invite the leaders of the US and the other nuclear weapons states
to visit the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum, so that they may witness with their
own eyes the tragic outcome of these instruments of destruction.
We also urge the government of Japan, the only country to have sustained
a nuclear attack, to stand at the forefront of efforts to eliminate nuclear weapons.
In response to concerns voiced both domestically and internationally over the
possibility of Japan's remilitarization and nuclear armament, the government must
uphold the principle of an exclusively defensive posture, and the Three Non-Nuclear
Principles (stating that Japan will not possess, manufacture or allow nuclear
weapons into the country) must be passed into law, thus demonstrating the sincerity
of Japan's intentions. The Korean Peninsula Non-Nuclear Joint Statement must be
realized in cooperation with other nations, and, based on the spirit of the Pyongyang
Declaration, work must begin on the establishment of a Northeast Asia nuclear-weapon-free
zone.
It is our hope that younger generations may continue to work for the advancement
of science and technology in pursuit of human happiness. May they also consider
what has been wrought upon humanity when these have been misused, and learn from
the events of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. May they turn their eyes to the wider world
around them, consider what must be done to bring about peace, and join hands in
concerted action.
Here in Nagasaki, the hibakusha atomic bomb survivors, growing increasingly
older, are continuing to earnestly retell their experiences of the atomic bombing,
and large numbers of young people are actively engaged in peace promotion and
volunteer activities. Nagasaki City will persevere in providing opportunities
for learning and reflection, that the experiences of the atomic bombing may not
become lost and forgotten. In November of this year, we will host for the second
time the Nagasaki Global Citizens' Assembly for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons,
an international gathering of peace-supporting NGOs and individuals, held in advance
of the 2005 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation
of Nuclear Weapons, calling to the peoples of the world for the abolition of nuclear
weapons.
Today, on the 58th anniversary of the atomic bombing, as we pray for the
repose of those who died and recall to mind their suffering, we the citizens of
Nagasaki pledge our commitment to the realization of true peace in the world,
free from nuclear weapons.August 9, 2003
Iccho Itoh, Mayor of Nagasaki
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Peace Declaration(August,6,2003)
This year again, summer's heat reminds us of the blazing hell fire that swept
over this very spot fifty-eight years ago. The world without nuclear weapons and
beyond war that our hibakusha have sought for so long appears to be slipping deeper
into a thick cover of dark clouds that they fear at any minute could become mushroom
clouds spilling black rain.
The nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the central international agreement guiding
the elimination of nuclear weapons, is on the verge of collapse. The chief cause
is U.S. nuclear policy that, by openly declaring the possibility of a pre-emptive
nuclear first strike and calling for resumed research into mini-nukes and other
so-called "useable nuclear weapons,"appears to worship nuclear weapons
as God.
However, nuclear weapons are not the only problem. Acting as if the United
Nations Charter and the Japanese Constitution don't even exist, the world has
suddenly veered sharply away from post-war toward pre-war mentality. As the U.S.-U.K.-
led war on Iraq made clear, the assertion that war is peace is being trumpeted
as truth. Conducted with disregard for the multitudes around the world demanding
a peaceful solution through continued UN inspections, this war slaughtered innocent
women, children, and the elderly. It destroyed the environment, most notably through
radioactive contamination that will be with us for billions of years. And the
weapons of mass destruction that served as the excuse for the war have yet to
be found.
However, as President Lincoln once said, "You can't fool all the people
all the time." Now is the time for us to focus once again on the truth that
"Darkness can never be dispelled by darkness, only by light." The rule
of power is darkness. The rule of law is light. In the darkness of retaliation,
the proper path for human civilization is illumined by the spirit of reconciliation
born of the hibakusha's determination that "no one else should ever suffer
as we did."
Lifting up that light, the aging hibakusha are calling for U.S. President George
Bush to visit Hiroshima. We all support that call and hereby demand that President
Bush, Chairman Kim Jong Il of North Korea, and the leaders of all nuclear-weapon
states come to Hiroshima and confront the reality of nuclear war. We must somehow
convey to them that nuclear weapons are utterly evil, inhumane and illegal under
international law. In the meanwhile, we expect that the facts about Hiroshima
and Nagasaki will be shared throughout the world, and that the Hiroshima-Nagasaki
Peace Study Course will be established in ever more colleges and universities.
To strengthen the NPT regime, the city of Hiroshima is calling on all members
of the World Conference of Mayors for Peace to take emergency action to promote
the abolition of nuclear weapons. Our goal is to gather a strong delegation of
mayors representing cities throughout the world to participate in the NPT Review
Conference that will take place in New York in 2005, the 60th year after the atomic
bombing. In New York, we will lobby national delegates for the start of negotiations
at the United Nations on a universal Nuclear Weapons Convention providing for
the complete elimination of nuclear weapons.
At the same time, Hiroshima calls on politicians, religious professionals,
academics, writers, journalists, teachers, artists, athletes and other leaders
with influence. We must establish a climate that immediately confronts even casual
comments that appear to approve of nuclear weapons or war. To prevent war and
to abolish the absolute evil of nuclear weapons, we must pray, speak, and act
to that effect in our daily lives.
The Japanese government, which publicly asserts its status as "the only
A-bombed nation," must fulfill the responsibilities that accompany that status,
both at home and abroad. Specifically, it must adopt as national precepts the
three new non-nuclear principles - allow no production, allow no possession, and
allow no use of nuclear weapons anywhere in the world - and work conscientiously
toward an Asian nuclear-free zone. It must also provide full support to all hibakusha
everywhere, including those exposed in "black rain areas" and those
who live overseas.
On this 58th August 6, we offer our heartfelt condolences to the souls of all
atomic bomb victims, and we renew our pledge to do everything in our power to
abolish nuclear weapons and eliminate war altogether by the time we turn this
world over to our children.
Tadatoshi Akiba
Mayor
The City of Hiroshima
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