John Paul Szura is one of the Augustinian representives with the NGO. The Augustinian NGO has made the Culture of Peace its primary focus.
The Culture of Peace is a movement developed in a series of documents sponsored by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and endorsed by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
As part of that involvement, the Augustinian NGO has a of schools program as one of the ways to promote the Culture of Peace. About 7,000 schools are involved worldwide and they have communication links, sharing best practice, under the guidance of the U.N.
John Paul Szura said there were about forty five schools in Australia who were members but no Augustinian schools. He has been visiting Augustinian schools in Australia to encourage them to become involved in the program, promoting the Culture of Peace.
The enthusiasm he encountered in Brisbane among students at Saint Augustine's secondary school at Springfield and Villanova secondary school at Coorparoo was encouraging.
Although the program of action for the Culture of Peace declared the years 2001 to 2010 as the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World, John Paul Szura said the aim was achieve permanent systemic change.
The Augustinians are associated with the United Nations as a non-government organisation (NGO) with the Department of Public Information.
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