ABOUT UPEACE
Created by UN General Assembly Resolution 35/55, the University for Peace has been training leaders for peace for the past 38 years. It is the world’s leading educational institution in the field of peace and conflict studies in its pursuit of the mandate given to it by the UN General Assembly in 1980, namely "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, 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 University continues its pursuit of academic excellence through the systematic and critical study, understanding, and analysis of the causes of multiple problems affecting human and global well-being. Through its rich Faculty body of Resident and Visiting Professors, UPEACE trains future leaders for peace to explore and formulate strategies and practices in various contexts to address such problems and contribute to the processes of peacebuilding and peace formation. The UPEACE experience is experiential and unique, empowering, transformative and cultivates critical thinking in its students.
OUR CAMPUS
UPEACE’s Rodrigo Carazo Campus, located in Costa Rica, is named after its founder, a former Costa Rican President whose vision and passion for training future leaders for peace materialized with the creation of the University for Peace in 1980. It consists of 300 hectares located within a secondary forest reserve, home to mammals such as monkeys and deer, over 300 species of birds, and more than 100 species of trees. It is truly an example of Costa Rica’s biodiversity, and can be enjoyed by both members of the UPEACE community and outside visitors, as it includes hiking and mountain biking trails, three lakes, a lookout point, playground areas, a soccer field, and a restaurant.
PROGRAMMES
M.A. in Environment, Development and Peace
The Master of Arts Degree in Environment, Development and Peace provides comprehensive training in issues of sustainable development, environmental governance, natural resource management, and environmental conflict management from both ecological and social perspectives. It includes themes like Food Systems, Water Management, Forestry, Coastal Resources, Climate Change, Urban Ecology and Social Movements. Within this programme, the following specializations are offered: Sustainable Food Systems, Climate Change Policy, Environmental Security and Governance, and Sustainable Natural Resource Management.
M.A. in Responsible Management and Sustainable Economic Development
The Master of Arts Degree in Responsible Management and Sustainable Economic Development emphasizes economic and management perspectives of peace while focusing on the concepts of sustainability and responsibility. Its creation was based on the belief that, to better contribute to the promotion of sustainable peace, it is imperative to explore what role the economy plays in the world today and its impact on our environment and societies' wellbeing. Issues of rural and urban poverty, growing inequalities and disparities, environmental degradation, financial crises and globalization are challenging political economic stability and social cohesion in all societies. Modern society faces the growing challenge of sustainability and that of finding solutions that will maintain and protect social systems for future generations. Students from the RMSED Programme will become responsible managers with a strong emphasis on sustainability, who will be able to work in the corporate sector, public sector or social sector, both in industrialized and developing countries.
