On 12 September 2002, President George Bush announced that his nation wished to return to UNESCO at a speech in front of the United Nations General Assembly . UNESCO is now proceeding with the procedure for welcoming the USA’s return to the organization, while the USA government is rearranging their expenditure in order to raise the 60 million dollars affiliated money. The increased budget arising from the USA’s return enables UNESCO to conduct wider activities for the world peace.

Soon after hearing Bush’s announcement, Meguro UNESCO Association expressed　their happiness to welcome the USA’s return to UNESCO, in order to meet the　needs to work for world peace in close cooperation. Meguro UNESCO Association has repeatedly requested the early realization of the USA’s　return to UNESCO. The USA’s return to UNESCO was realized by responding to　the request of Koichiro Matsuura, the former Japanese ambassador to France and the first Director-General of the UNESCO office chosen from Asian countries. In light of this background, Meguro UNESCO Association is absolutely glad with the USA’s return to UNESCO.

Bush’s announcement concerning the return to UNESCO was held on the day just a year after the disastrous terrorist incident on 11 September 2001. The announcement was made amongst public opinion calling for the nation’s revenge for the terrorist incident. As most of the speech stressed the necessity for retaliatory action, not a few members of the audiences might have missed hearing the words "As a Symbol of Our Commitment to Human Dignity,the United States will return to UNESCO. " At best, many in the audience might suspect the true message of the announcement.

It is very important for us, as those committed to the local UNESCO movement, to understand the significance of the USA’s return to UNESCO. This is chiefly because the USA is an overwhelming military country and enjoying its power among the world competition.

We, as those committed to the UNESCO movement always keep the statements of the Constitution of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in our minds. Now we can truly understand the statement written in the latter part of the preface of the constitution; ‘that a peace based exclusively upon the political and economic arrangements of governments would not be a peace which could secure the unanimous, lasting and sincere support of the peoples of the world’. World War II began from the human beings’ silliness, which could not learn from the regrettable experience of World War I.  However, on a day during World War II, some intellectuals including representatives of the Ministries of Education from several European countries gathered to London under the blackout, in order to draw up a blueprint for building world peace. Soon after, this blueprint became a starting point of the foundation of UNESCO. Due to the historical background of the foundation of UNESCO, its members were registered as individuals during the early days of the organization. However, soon after, the organization came to consist of governmental representatives, and by this, the organizational movement became influenced by political intentions of each country. It is said that the USA’s withdrawal from UNESCO might be caused by their irritations towards being given only the same voting rights as the newly appearing African countries. Despite its movement possibly being influenced by political intentions of the countries, UNESCO keeps its position as an important UN organization, which can deal with the matters of world peace.

The Constitution of UNESCO mentions that it is the conscience of human beings that realizes the true peace. We should deeply understand that it is not by the political and economic arrangements of governments, as mentioned in the preface of the constitution of UNESCO. ‘It is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed.’ We should confirm what this belief implies. Recently, the NGOs conduct their excellent activities beyond the fields the governmental authorities cover. Some NGOs started with small grass-roots movements and now have developed their capabilities to worldwide bases beyond the boundaries of nations. It is clear that local UNESCO movements have been expected to function since the foundation of UNESCO. It is important for us to have peace in our minds, convey our wishes for peace to loving neighbors, and make effort to build up world peace in cooperation. UNESCO’s intentions should be conveyed to our loving neighbors in America, and those in Iraq.

Those committed to the UNESCO movement always feel anger towards conflicts and are knocked down by sense of inefficacy because of not being able to stop such conflicts. And now, we know that war cannot be stopped by another force. Peace would recede as the sympathy from the advantaged to disadvantaged would be lost. Our wishes for peace could come true when all people and all the nations in the world keep mutual understanding towards the diversity of culture, religions and races, and respect justice and freedom, and face reality through repeated discussion based on the UNESCO’s intentions. It is the duty of individual human beings to convey UNESCO’s intentions to their neighbors. Such individual attempts would raise a big wave and bring world peace into reality. The Constitution of UNESCO tells us that this is not an unachievable dream and expects us to do individual duties for this achievement.

The preface of UNESCO’s constitution tells; ‘the peace must therefore be founded, if it is not to fail, upon the intellectual and moral solidarity of mankind.’ The starting point of peace would exist here.