| University for Peace | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1980 |
| Type | Graduate |
| Rector | Ambassador John J. Maresca, Rector |
| Admin. staff | 80 |
| Students | 192 |
| Location | Ciudad Colón, Costa Rica |
| Website | http://www.upeace.org |
The University for Peace (UPEACE) was established in Costa Rica in 1980[1] "to provide humanity with an international institution of higher education for peace and with the aim of promoting among all human beings the spirit of understanding, tolerance and peaceful coexistence."[2]
At present, the UPEACE Costa Rica campus has 192 students from 55 countries, making it one of the most diverse universities in the world for its size.
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The university was established as a treaty under its own Charter, and approved by the United Nations General Assembly. It is an observer to the United Nations General Assembly. UPEACE is not part of the UN family and as such is not subject to UN regulations[3] and is directed by its own Council of renowned personalities with expertise in peace and security matters. This has allowed the university to move rapidly and to innovate, focusing its new, rigorous academic programme on the fundamental causes of conflict through a multidisciplinary, multicultural-oriented approach. The Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-Moon is the honorary president of the university.
The wider mission of the university should be seen in the context of the worldwide peace and security objectives of the United Nations. The central importance of education, training and research in all their aspects to build the foundations of peace and progress and to reduce the prejudice and hatred on which violence, conflict and terrorism are based is increasingly recognized. The Charter of the university calls for UPEACE "to contribute to the great universal task of educating for peace by engaging in teaching, research, post-graduate training and dissemination of knowledge fundamental to the full development of the human person and societies through the interdisciplinary study of all matters related to peace".
Funding of UPEACE programs comes from donors such as governments, foundations and institutions who believe in the mission of the university. Fundraising for an endowment fund is in progress.
The vision of UPEACE is to become a network of collaborating UPEACE centres and activities in different regions, guided from its headquarters in Costa Rica and cooperating with a large number of universities, NGOs and other partners on education and research for peace. Since 2008 UPEACE has also been a full member of the National Accreditation System of Costa Rica (SINAES) and the Central American Higher Education Accreditation Council (ACAP).
In 2006, UPEACE launched its UPEACE Centre for Executive Education, offering short courses to non registered students, on subjects that include Nonprofit Leadership, Corporate Social Responsibility, Entrepreneurship in the Social Sector, and Educating in the 21st Century.
The Costa Rica campus of UPEACE sits on more than three square kilometres of beautiful land some 30 kilometers southwest[4] of the capital, San José. The campus includes protected primary forest and a peace park, donated by the host government.
UPEACE has eight one-year masters program at its Costa Rica campus: International Law and Human Rights, International Law and the Settlement of Disputes, Gender and Peace Building, International Peace Studies, Peace Education, Environmental Security and Peace, and Media, Peace and Conflict.
UPEACE offers a dual graduate program at the Master's level with American University in Washington D.C. After two years of academic work, these students receive an MA in International Affairs from American University's School of International Service and an MA in Natural Resources and Sustainable Development from UPEACE.
In addition to its Costa Rica headquarters, the UPEACE system includes offices in Geneva and New York City, the Africa Regional Program office in Addis Ababa, the Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Program office in Costa Rica. Other regional program in Asia and the Pacific, and Central Asia are in development, as are other international centers.
The university's Centre for Executive Education, is offering short courses to professional audiences who come to Costa Rica for an intensive week. Its workshops and seminars are now being offered internationally, most recently in Washington, D.C. for a two-day seminar on Nonprofit Leadership and in London for a Corporate Social Responsibility course. Customised programs have also been designed and delivered for Harvard Business School's Social Enterprise Club, Arcadia University, and the University of San Diego.
The U.S. Association for the University for Peace is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 2006 to advance the University for Peace and the practice of education for peace in the United States. UPEACE/US projects include DCPEACE, an initiative to empower teachers, youth, and families with the skills and knowledge necessary to effectively serve as peacebuilders in their communities and PeaceRooms, a program that connect classrooms of middle school students from Costa Rica and Washington D.C. through the use of innovative virtual networking technology for the purpose of developing core concepts of global citizenship and peace education.UPEACE/US website
The UPEACE Sharing Knowledge for Peace Program (SKP) is a distance learning initiative which ensures that those unable to attend courses in Costa Rica or in one of the other UPEACE locations are reached through state-of-the-art dissemination methods.
The Peace and Conflict Review[5] is a free, fully peer reviewed open source academic journal published by the University for Peace.
Articles featured in the review cover aspects of peace and violent conflict with a view to informing students, policymakers, non-governmental organizations and other interested parties of relevant analysis, empirical findings, policy options, and areas for further research. A number of interdisciplinary and multicultural papers are published every year, as well as some review articles of books and conference proceedings. Submissions can be sent online.