This policy paper offers a comprehensive framework for stakeholders in education, such as policymakers, school leaders, teachers, researchers, youth1 and members of civil society, to promote sustainable peace in Cyprus through an education founded in human rights and democracy, intercultural solidarity, social justice and compassion, non-violence, anti-racism, gender equality and sustainable development. This policy paper builds on the previous policy work of the AHDR as well as on its accumulated expertise, both in Cyprus and abroad. It proposes recommendations which take into account existing opportunities and challenges, and require coordination and cooperation between authorities, institutions, and organisations in the formulation and implementation of policies. For the purposes of the paper, a three-stage consultation process was used that synthesised experts’ insights from a range of disciplines. Experts were asked to evaluate the current status of education in Cyprus, its challenges and opportunities and to propose a comprehensive course of action. The process has made it possible to identify new trends in education, draw connections with today’s local, regional, and global trends, and suggest the best possible policy recommendations for Cyprus. The policy recommendations are based on the vision, mission, and the future priorities of the AHDR, current trends in education in conflict/post-conflict and post-colonial societies, the three-step consultation-driven procedure followed for the production of this paper, and the relevance to local curricula and to educational challenges.

In this paper, sustainable peace is understood as both a goal and a process with policies and activities aimed at the prevention of all forms of violence and the cultivation of cultures of peace – a vision that is reinforced by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the United Nations in 2015. Specifically, Sustainable Goal 4.7 of this Agenda is to ensure that by 2030 “all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development . Sustainable peace, therefore, is understood not only as the absence of violence or conflict but as “a positive, dynamic participatory process where dialogue is encouraged, and conflicts are solved in a spirit of mutual understanding and cooperation