The Executive Committee of the Council of the University held its Fifteenth Session on 4 February 2008 in Geneva, Switzerland. In the absence of Dr. Julio María Sanguinetti, President of the Council, the session was chaired by Ambassador Mohamed Sahnoun, Vice President of the Council of the University.

A meeting to discuss the Latin America Programme was also held in Geneva on 5 February 2008. Members of the Council of the University, and other invited guests participated in this session to further develop a UPEACE Programme for Latin America and the Caribbean, to be presented at the next session of the Council in July 2008. The following participants attended this session, which was chaired by Ruth Dreifuss, Chancellor of the University: Mohamed Sahnoun, Francisco J. Aguilar-Urbina, Luiz S. Dulci, John J. Maresca, Georges Tsaï, Víctor Valle, Germán Bula Escobar, and Roberto Domínguez Lassus

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Board meeting of the Alliance for the University for Peace

On Friday, 1 February 2008 the Rector and the Executive Vice Rector attended the meeting of the Board of the Alliance for the University for Peace, in The Hague.

The Alliance for the University for Peace Foundation was created in 2002 in the Netherlands to support the activities of the University and acts as an intermediary for the grants received by UPEACE from the National Postal Code Lottery which UPEACE has been receiving since 2002 (www.allianceforupeace.nl).

During the meeting, the Alliance Board informed UPEACE that they have received the contribution from the National Postcode Lottery for 2008 (view picture). It was agreed that the Alliance will also support UPEACE’s fundraising efforts in the European Union.

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UPEACE alumnus featured in the New York Times

Dan Juma, UPEACE alumnus of the class of 2006 in the MA in International Law and Human Rights is currently Acting Deputy Director of the Human Rights Commission in Kenya. He was featured in an article by the New York Times on the current conflict in his country.

To see the complete article please go to: >http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/21/world/africa/21kenya.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

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Farewell picnic
by Ericka Hartwick

Thanks to all who came out Friday, 15 February afternoon after class for the final farewell to our Manila colleagues! The UPEACE Peace Park filled with laughter and reminiscing as around 50 students, friends and family came together to celebrate a beautiful afternoon and the final day of classes at the UPEACE Costa Rica campus for the International Peace Studies (IPS) Dual Campus Program students. After a feast of a great diversity of foods ceased, each of the IPS and Dual IPS student representatives gave a quick speech thanking everyone for the great experience shared and reminding us all that this isn't "goodbye," it's just "see you later." More than 28 “UPeacers” boarded a flight out of San Jose early Monday 18 February morning to head back for their final semester and subsequent internships that will take place in Manila, The Philippines. For anyone who wasn't able to come out to the picnic in Peace Park to say your final farewell, it's not too late to make contact with your Dual Campus Colleagues. Most all of the Dual Campus students are on Facebook and Erika Hartwick has collected contact information in addition to the information provided on the UPeace directory for anyone interested. Please contact her at ehartwick@student.upeace.org.

UPMUNC 2008

The sixth annual University for Peace Model United Nations Conference (UPMUNC) took place from 31 January to 2 February 2008 at the University for Peace headquarters in Costa Rica. With around 70 participants representing countries, international organizations or non-governmental organizations, acting as media representatives, and the whole board of organizers, UPMUNC turned out to be an action-packed three-day conference with fantastic results.

The uniqueness of UPMUNC lies in the fact that the participants were, in reality, from around the world. Yet participants mostly represented countries different from their own, which implied a great amount of research and preparation. This preparation is not only collecting information. Since the participants are asked to role play, it is necessary for them to understand not only the positions and policies of their assigned country, but the culture and traditions that lie behind these policies. To better understand the world we are living in is a huge step towards global understanding, towards a culturally sensitive world that will be able to manage conflicts and the differences amongst us.

Hence, in line with the UPEACE mission of “promoting among all human beings the spirit of understanding, tolerance and peaceful coexistence, to stimulate cooperation among peoples and to help lessen obstacles and threats to world peace and progress, in keeping with the noble aspirations proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations”, the three day event was launched. Participants simulated sessions of three different UN bodies, the Security Council, the Human Rights Council, and the Peacebuilding Commission. They tackled issues such as: Iran and nuclear proliferation, torture in conflict situations, and post-conflict Afghanistan. UPMUNC provided the environment to work on issues that affect us all, creating a learning environment and multicultural fora that emulate the real world. UPMUNC created the opportunity for participants to recognize the challenges that international relations pose, but especially the challenges of working in the United Nations.

The event was possible due to the aid of UPEACE, its students and staff, a variety of governments, including The Netherlands, Canada, United Kingdom, Japan, Korea and the United States of America, as well as the Council of Europe, the United Nations Development Programme and the International Migration Office. The event also counted on the participation of guest speakers such as David Marginson, who enlightened us on the issue of biological warfare; Keiko Mori, who brought a sense of reality to the atomic bomb phenomenon; and our Keynote Speaker, Dr. Reza Eslami, visiting professor and human rights scholar.

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Julia Marton-Lefèvre has been granted the Légion d'Honneur.

Julia Marton-Lefèvre, former Rector and Council member of UPEACE will be receiving the Légion d'Honneur. She has been appointed by the President of the French Republic as "Chevalier de l'Ordre national de la Légion d'Honneur" in recognition of her outstanding career, in particular her role in the protection of the environment worldwide. This is the highest honour granted by the French Government.

News from our alumni
Tomoko Ohtsuki (GPB '06)

I can't believe it is already more than a year passed since I graduated from UPEACE and left Costa Rica. It seems like only yesterday. Those memories of my UPEACE days have been my sources of inspiration and encouragement, yet I get UPEACE-sick chronically.

In July, Soon Jung (Peace Ed '06) visited Japan with her boyfriend, and so Yuko, Junko, and I came together for a reunion (the picture attached was taken then). I'm also fortunate enough to meet Koe quite regularly in Tokyo.

After I graduated from UPEACE, I've been working at a community-based NGO (headed by a woman) in Tokyo supporting people living with HIV/AIDS and raising awareness of the issues concerning HIV/AIDS. This is a kind of work I really wanted to do, and in fact I very much enjoy it. I am also going to take part in a government-sponsored research project on HIV/AIDS from next spring (I am sure I will bring gender perspectives there!).

And after it is settled for the time being, I would like to go back to school for my second Master or Ph.D. somewhere in Asia or South Africa (hopefully) to study civic grass-roots movement for peace.

In my spare time, I volunteer at other NGOs working for human rights and supporting gender/sexual minorities. It is always fun to network with someone who is brilliant and passionate. I also feel that recognition of UPEACE and its missions has been really increased in Japan compared to a few years ago. :) And surprisingly enough, I managed to continue studying Spanish in a local study group (we have a Peruvian native Spanish speaker as our advisor).

Well, that's a short update from me.
Sincerely yours,

Tomoko Ohtsuki (GPB '06)