UNESCO chief says schools must fight extremism

PARIS — The head of the UN education agency says schools are ground zero in the fight against anti-Semitism and extremist violence.

Audrey Azoulay says she’ll push world leaders meeting in New York this week to invest more in teaching tolerance.

“No one is born a violent extremist,” Azoulay said in an interview ahead of the UN General Assembly, which was set to open Monday.

“Education is the best rampart against discrimination and racism.”

Azoulay’s own organization — the Paris-based United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the first UN body to admit Palestine as a member — has long been riven by sectarian anger, divisions she has worked to mend since taking the helm last year.

At the UN, she will co-host a meeting on fighting anti-Semitism and other discrimination through teaching about different religions and cultures.

UNESCO has drawn up madeto-measure guides for educators in different countries, notably addressing anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim attitudes.

But the UN body can’t force governments to use them, and it is especially difficult in poor countries to ensure uniform teaching messages.

Diplomats at UNESCO praise Azoulay’s efforts to overcome Arab-Israeli tensions within the organization, and some say her Moroccan-Jewish heritage has helped her earn respect on both sides.