The inclusion of young people in peacebuilding is vital in achieving long-term sustainable peace, but they are often under-represented, particularly young women, in peace processes, peacebuilding and mediation initiatives. This project aims to provide opportunities for young men and women to gain the knowledge, skills and experience that will enable them to participate more effectively.
The British Council believes that universities can contribute further to positive social change and peacebuilding in Sudan by providing high quality, experiential peace education for their students. In doing so, they will support a generation of young university graduates, particularly women, who can participate more effectively in peacebuilding as students, as active citizens at local, national or regional levels, and as professionals in their future careers, thereby contributing to building lasting peace.
University Partnership for Peace Education and Research in East Africa is a three-year project managed by the British Council and funded by the European Union and the British Council. The project enables collaboration with peacebuilding organisations and students on peace education curriculum development, trains university faculty in participatory teaching approaches, supports local researchers to focus on context-specific issues related to peace and link this to teaching, and creates the basis for sustainable high quality peace education courses and research through regional and international cooperation and knowledge exchange.
The project has five main areas of activity:
• Peace education courses for young men and women in universities
• Context-driven and gender-sensitive peace research
• Support for communities of practice in peacebuilding through collaborative activities and research with universities
• National and regional cooperation in peace education across Africa
• Equitable international partnerships in peace-related subjects between universities in Ethiopia and Sudan, and universities in the EU/UK
The project engages with a range of stakeholders, with a focus on undergraduate students, especially female students, in universities; university teachers and researchers, particularly women; civil society organisations, women’s organisations and other peacebuilding actors, especially those working in communities at local level; and national, regional and international centres for peace research. We partner with national government authorities in Ethiopia and Sudan responsible for higher education and peace.