(AGENPARL) – mar 06 agosto 2024 University Presidents for Peace Declaration
We, the University Presidents for Peace, gathered here in Hiroshima, Japan, today for the University Presidents for Peace Conference, chaired by Mitsuo Ochi of Hiroshima University.
Education is essential to peace and the door to the future. Recognizing the international disputes and the challenges of sustainability that our world faces today, the universities bear the responsibility to secure a peaceful and sustainable world for future generations through education. Education fosters understanding of our identities and promotes communication across our differences. Diversity should not divide us but should be a source of learning and mutual growth. We affirm the fundamental importance of education from early childhood and throughout life in building a more peaceful culture and support all national and international developments that promote peace education.
Our gathering in Hiroshima holds profound significance. This city, a symbol of both the horrors of conflict and the resilience of the human spirit, offers a powerful context for our mission. We urge students to visit Hiroshima and learn from the physical experience of being here, understanding firsthand the importance of peace.
Peace is more than the absence of war. It requires respect for human dignity, individual tolerance, and inner harmony. It also demands the eliminating of hunger and thirst in a world of abundance. We understand peace as the end of all violence and the creation of the conditions for every person to thrive. We recognize that peace and sustainability are mutually reinforcing, and that one cannot be realized without the other.
We pledge to promote international exchange and foster people-to-people connections through our university programming and educational offerings. By creating a collaborative network of universities, we aim to achieve more effective outcomes and provide better opportunities for students and researchers. This network will enhance academic excellence, share resources and expertise, and make joint effort in securing funding for such programs. Our goal is to prepare future leaders and innovators who can address global challenges and contribute to building a sustainable and harmonious world. Consequently, we recognize and commit to honor the importance of the following goals and actions:
1. Creation of University Partnerships to advance peace and sustainability:
• Form strong collaborations among universities to create a platform of people and knowledge exchange, share resources, expertise, and best practices to enhance educational outcomes.
2. Explore and Build Opportunities for Student and Young Researcher Exchanges in peace and sustainability:
• Develop programs for student exchanges and young researcher exchanges that transcend national borders.
• Encourage students and researchers to pursue their educational goals, achieve academic excellence, and gain international exposure.
• Facilitate connections through student clubs and extra curricula activities to broaden their experiences beyond the classroom.
• Develop lifelong learning paths to strengthen cultural exchange and international exposure.
3. Identify Avenues and Opportunities for Collective Efforts to Secure Funding to enable the goals above:
• Work together to identify and secure funding sources that will support the initiatives.
Through these commitments, we, the University Presidents for Peace, aim to build a global network of educated, empathetic, and proactive individuals who will lead the world towards peace and sustainability. We will broadly share this commitment with the international community.