Recognising India as a key player in global efforts
for maintenance of international peace and security, University of Peace
(UPEACE), UN mandated university based in Costa Rica seeks potential
partnerships with Indian institutes. To invite different constituencies in India to engage more actively with
UPEACE as the academic wing of the UN, a high level delegation led by the
Rector of the University was here in New Delhi recently and had meetings in the
ministry of human resource development and ministry of external affairs.

Talking to FE during his first visit to India, Dr
Francisco Rojas Aravena, rector of the University, said, “We presented a
concept note to the government for sponsoring 30 students from India and from
SAARC countries or Least Developed and Small Island Countries to study at
UPEACE. We met with the minister of human resource development Prakash
Javdekar, Rakesh Ranjan (JS for International Cooperation in the HRD ministry),
Manish Chauhan (JS, MEA) and JS of UGC Sandhu .”

Aravena was accompanied by Mihir Kanade, head of the
Department of International Law and Human Rights, and India Coordinator of
UPEACE, Syed Ali. In this regard, it
is also pertinent to mention that since India is a state party to the
International Agreement Establishing UPEACE, Indian students benefit from an
automatic 30% tuition waiver for their studies at UPEACE.

During meetings with Vice Chancellors of various
Universities including Jamia Millia, OP Jindal, and Ashoka Universities and the
president and vice-presidents of South Asian University the delegates explored
options for dual degree programmes, student exchanges, faculty exchanges and
joint research.

Being a leader in South-South Cooperation, the
government has placed significant importance to higher education, a field that
lies at the heart of the mandate of UPEACE. Since the launch of the
revitalisation programme in 2000, over 40 students from India have graduated
from the University.  Despite this, the
engagement of Indian students and scholars in the academic wing of the UN has remained
low as compared to several other countries. As a result, in 2015, UPEACE
launched the ‘India Initiative’ focusing on greater engagement with students,
professionals and universities in India.

“The initiative includes the establishment of a
summer school programme for Indian students at its main campus in Costa Rica,
the first of which was successfully offered in June, 2016. This initiative also
seeks to explore the potential areas of collaboration and cooperation within
India with relevant constituencies including universities, think -tanks,
foundations, and professional organisations,” said Mihir Kanade, UPEACE’s very
first doctorate degree holder.

The UPEACE is the academic wing of the United
Nations mandated to award Master and Doctorate degrees in fields related to
peace studies. It was established as a Treaty Organisation with its own Charter
in an International Agreement adopted by the General Assembly in resolution
35/55 of 5 December 1980.

Headquartered in Costa Rica, it has Centres in Addis
Ababa, The Hague, Vienna, and New York. China has committed to establishing a
Centre in Beijing from 2018. The secretary general of the UN is the honorary
president of the university.

Though the true potential of relationship with
UPEACE remains untapped, India acceded to the International Agreement
Establishing the University for Peace on 3 December 1981. The studio of the
University is also entitled ‘The Mahatma Gandhi Studio’. In the past faculty
members from Benaras Hindu University, Islamic University of Science and
Technology in Srinagar, and Jamia Milia University, on International Peace
Studies have been trained.

As per Article 15 of the Charter, UPEACE is mandated
to offer programmes focusing on the study of peace, education for peace and
human rights, leading to Master’s degrees and doctorates. Since the
Revitalisation Programme for the University initiated by former secretary
general Kofi Annan in 2000, UPEACE has expanded its work programme
substantially.

The university is offering one year master’s degree
programmes in several disciplines, including MA in International Peace Studies,
Gender and Peace building, International Law and Human Rights, International
Law and the Settlement of Disputes, Environment, Peace and development;
Responsible Management and Sustainable Development ; Peace Education; Media,
Peace and Conflicts ; online course in sustainable peace in the contemporary
world.