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For the first time ever, 31 have signed a joint letter to world letters. And their focus is to world leaders to urgently provide education for children in conflict zones. The signatures appended to the letter, , include those of former US president Jimmy Carter, South Africa's former president F. W. de Klerk, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama, the Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel.

All but one of Northern Ireland's Nobel Peace Prize winners have signed the letter. John Hume, Mairead Corrigan Maguire and Betty Williams have added their signatures to the appeal. The signature of Northern Ireland's former First Minister is absent. (Before reading too much into that absence, it's worth nothing that a number of other very well-known figures are also absent, for whatever reason, from the list of signatories, including Al Gore, Kofi Annan and Nelson Mandela.)

The signatories call on "governments and other parties to armed conflicts to respect and promote schools as places of peace and safety" and direct their appeal specifically as follows:

• Ensure all children have access to quality education despite ethnicity, religion or language.
• Ensure all children can learn free from fear of recruitment into armed forces, violence or intimidation.
• Ensure all children receive an inclusive and relevant education that promotes an openness of thought and is accountable to children's families and communities.
• Ensure that quality education is made an integral part of every peace process.

Read the full letter .

of those Nobel Peace Prize winners who signed the letter.