UNESCO director, Irina Bokova, accorded an interview to the Figaro magazine, following her recent visit to Iraq, in which she underlines the following are key highlights:
The Middle East is at a turning point. After long years of peaceful co-existence among a variety of ethnic & religious minorities (Christians, Jews, Yazidis, Shabaks, Turkmen, Kurds …) the arrival in force of the Islamic State
(Daesh) has imposed a drastic end to this harmonious cohabitation.
Millions of these ethnic minorities are chased, massacred or forced to flee the area which is undergoing a "cultural ethnic cleansing" never witnessed before.
The risk of such a situation could be a multiplication of closed "micro-societies" or ghettos, where people lose confidence in the ability to live together. Peace and Stability cannot exist under such conditions. The only viable solution is EDUCATION in order to give Hope, Confidence and Courage to those who suffered manipulation, violence and abuse.
The Middle East is the birthplace of Christianity and home to millions of Christians. However, since 2003, the number of Christians living in Iraq, has been reduced from 1,500,000 to 400,000. The cultural heritage built by Christian communities through the ages, forms a major part of the Iraqi cultural contribution to Western Civilization. The example of the Nineveh monasteries illustrates the great impact which the transmission of manuscripts (translated from Greek to Arabic) had on the western world.
Unfortunately, "Education in times of crisis" lacks sufficient funding even though it is the real "hidden crisis" within a global humanitarian crisis. UNESCO is doing its best in this challenging context : building schools inside refugee camps in Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon.
There is no military solution for this type of crisis as bombs cannot fight fanaticism. Cultural and educational dimensions must be taken into consideration when implementing global responses to similar humanitarian crisis.