Dr. William Soto | Installation Act of the Session Educational, CUMIPAZ 2018

A cordial greeting to Dr. Oscar Hugo López, Minister of Education of the Republic of Guatemala, and in his name, to all those who are part of the table of honor.

Distinguished friends, ladies and gentlemen: Good morning.

On behalf of the Global Embassy of Activists for Peace, I want to thank you the effort you all have made to be present at this event, and especially the Ministry of Education of Guatemala for your important support in the organization of the Peace Integration Summit - CUMIPAZ.

In the Summit, we give special emphasis to education, because it is a fundamental right and an important tool that allows human beings to grow in an integral way, and it is a power that transversally impacts all spheres of society and influences the different fields in which human beings interact.

If people have access to education, we will see advances in the protection of the planet Earth, in the economic and social development of a country, in the strengthening of health, and in the reduction of violence, among other essential fields, such as consolidating respect for human rights. That is to say, education is the basis for the well-being and improvement of individuals, for the development of the peoples, and the preservation of the life of the human being and of Mother Earth.

Our current global context is changing in such a way that education –as well as the way knowledge is transmitted– must work in favor of an education for the hearts of people, based on values ​​such as respect for human dignity, solidarity, and love for others. Education is a power that can transform hearts and minds; consequently, it can change the world. However, that transformation must start from within people.

It is necessary to always remember that the center of the educational system is the "human being,” and is based on his or her essence, on the very reason of his or her existence, on his or her life purpose, to trace the objectives of an education that recognizes the integrality of the person, that dedicates its efforts to educate the mind and develop physical skills, but above all to strengthen the heart, for educating must be more than the simple transmission of knowledge to train experts in certain areas, because the adequacy of a professional should be measured by their ability to positively transform their interior and then their environment, by the way they manifest values ​​with their neighbors and not only because of the accumulation of knowledge they acquired.

For the Global Embassy of Activists for Peace, education must aim at the bettering, peace, and happiness of the people, through a teaching based on the recognition of the integral formation of the human being and involving all the actors of education.

We live in an era where the right to quality integral education, for the peace and happiness of the human being, has become a fundamental premise that must be addressed by governments as a priority in the National Development Plan of all countries.

Politicians and teachers, as actors of education, have the responsibility to assume the challenges for a paradigm shift in education and to guarantee all citizens the right to a formation for peace.

Education is an important tool, that when approached comprehensively, can become a power so great it is capable of positively transforming all the systems of a country, such as the judicial and political, it can also change the world of science and technology, as well as the economic and business sector, because it has the ability to reach the hearts of people who exercise leadership in all fields, and there sow principles and values ​​that will form the foundation for these professionals in the decision-making process that will influence society and planet Earth.

Dear politicians and teachers, you have the transforming power of education in your hands! You can change the hearts and the minds of the leaders that will impact the way of life of the human family. Everything depends on the education they receive.

Have a success day and may the proposals developed in this Session contribute to the strengthening of a comprehensive education for peace and happiness of the human being.

Thank you.