Evidence for Policy Design (EPoD)’s Post

What is the role of peacebuilding education in the reintegration and rehabilitation of children involved in conflict? I am ecstatic to have received a distinction in my final Masters assignment exploring this question. The final line of my feedback read: "This is an outstanding essay". My title: "The power of pedagogy: a critical analysis of the role of peacebuilding education in reintegrating children associated with armed forces and groups in South Sudan." I wanted to explore: 💡Why, when so many treaties, laws and programmes exist to protect children's rights to safety, freedom and peace, have more than 300,000 children globally been recruited into conflict since 1998*? 💡Where does funding for peacebuilding programmes come from, and where does it get spent? Is funding sustainable, and if not then why? 💡Who benefits from children's involvement in conflict, and in what ways do they enable it? 💡In what ways does education perpetuate conflict, and to what extent can it be a resolution? 💡Do current peacebuilding programmes consider not just the impact of direct conflict, but the implications of structural and cultural violence? 💡Following on from the above, does 'international aid' help or hinder peacebuilding? What are the motives of Western governments and NGOs in providing funding and programmes? How does the aid sector truly decolonise? I am overjoyed to read feedback on my assignment including: 🖊"Your essay demonstrates an outstanding grasp of the academic field of Education, Conflict and Peace" 🖊"Your work is characterised by a lucid critical awareness of the issues in the context" 🖊"You offer insights which are critical" 🖊"You have applied your research thoroughly and meticulously to the context and demonstrate an outstanding grasp of the relevant existing scholarship" I am spending the summer researching potential dissertation topics for my final year of my MA in Education, Gender and International Development at IOE - UCL's Faculty of Education and Society. My current areas of exploration are #MHPSS #humanitarianmentalhealth #peacebuilding #conflict #children #education #peace #criticalpeacetheory #educationinemergencies #EiE #DDRprogrammes in #Africa and the #MiddleEast. I'd be grateful if you could tag people or organisations working in these fields who may want to collaborate on original research, or repost to your networks! *UNICEF, (2019)

If you are working on or interested in #EducationSystem, #WarInUkraine, #InstitutionalResilience, check our NESET AdHoc report for DG EAC based on qualitative research Iryna Nechitailo and I conducted in Ukraine, Poland and Luxembourg between late-2022 and early-2023. Share your comments and questions, as we intend to continue working on situation of the Ukrainian schoolchildren impacted by the Russian aggression. The research is part of #Horizon project #PIONEERED and supported by Living Conditions Department of Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER).

An article co-authored by AUBG President Dr. Margee Ensign and the Executive Director of the Center for Information, Democracy, and Citizenship, Dr. Jacob Udo-Udo Jacob, was selected as one of the five essential reads in The Conversation's article titled "Education has a huge role to play in peace and development: five essential reads." You can read their article, "Disasters Interrupt Schooling Regularly in Parts of Africa: Here's a Solution," below:

A Unique Perspective on the Israel-Hamas Conflict 1. Shifting the Focus: Instead of framing it as the Israel-Palestine Conflict, this perspective views it as the Israel-Hamas Conflict. 2. Understanding HAMAS: HAMAS, short for "Ḥarakah al-Muqāwamah al-ʾIslāmiyyah" or Islamic Resistance Movement, is a key player in the conflict. 3. Radical Ideology: HAMAS, guided by its charter, seeks the removal of Jews not only from Israel but from the entire world. 4. Complex Leadership: Ismail Haniyeh, the head of HAMAS, leads a lavish lifestyle in Qatar, far from the conflict zone. His family enjoys privileges in Israel, raising questions about his commitment to the cause. 5. Financial Power: HAMAS boasts an annual income of $700 million, according to Forbes, sustaining its activities and influence. 6. Recurring Cycle: The conflict perpetuates as HAMAS launches rockets from civilian areas, triggering Israeli retaliation, resulting in civilian casualties. International aid follows, funding reconstruction efforts. 7. Paradoxical Dependence: While HAMAS publicly opposes Israel and Jews, it relies on them to sustain its existence and financial resources, leading to contradictory statements and actions. 8. War Economy: The arms industry thrives on the conflict, ensuring a continuous flow of resources and funding. 9. Smuggling Networks: Conflict and blockades maintain smuggling operations, contributing to the ongoing cycle of violence and instability. 10. Economic Impact: Construction and real estate sectors benefit, profiting from the need for rebuilding efforts after each round of conflict. 11. Discrepancies in Leadership: HAMAS leaders' children reside in Europe, enjoying wealth accumulated through the conflict, while the people in Gaza suffer the consequences. 12. Strategic Considerations: Israel weighs tactical and strategic pros and cons in its approach to the conflict. 13. Targeting Education: Schools are often used as launch sites, leading to their destruction and hindering the education of Palestinian youth, fostering radicalization and unemployment. 14. Sustaining Conflict: The conflict fuels various industries, prompting intellectuals to produce content that perpetuates the cycle, ensuring their own vested interests. 15. Global Patterns: Similar dynamics are observed in conflict zones worldwide, where education, peace, and prosperity are perceived as threats to industries dependent on conflict. 16. Unmasking the Real Enemies: Incidents like the burning of schools in Kashmir reveal how enemies of education perpetuate conflict for their gain, emphasizing the need to break this cycle for lasting peace and progress. [Read more] (https://lnkd.in/dQnfXhMD)

Check out the great work that professors and students in these two universities in Sudan, in the midst of conflict, are doing with communities to build peace - supported by our Enabling University Peace Education project: https://lnkd.in/dDmbgrqG

Education can be an effective long-term preventative tool that protects, builds and sustains peace before, during and after conflict. That’s why today’s International Day of Education puts education at the centre of our commitment to peace, calling for a renewed drive to empower learners with the knowledge, values, attitudes and skills and behaviours that will enable them to become agents of peace in their own fields and communities. The UN’s six dedicated research and training institutes and entities play an important role in making this a reality, using research, analysis, learning and capacity building to bolster the foundations of a lasting peace: United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute: UNICRI - United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute is a research and training institute that works in both traditional and emerging areas of justice, crime prevention and the rule of law. United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research: UNIDIR — UN Institute for Disarmament Research, is an autonomous institution within the United Nations that conducts independent research on disarmament and international security issues. It provides knowledge, ideas, dialogue, and advice that help to build a more secure world. United Nations Institute for Training and Research: United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) provides innovative learning solutions to individuals, organizations and institutions to enhance global decision making and support country-level action for shaping a better future. United Nations Research Institute for Social Development: UNRISD is an autonomous research institute within the United Nations system that undertakes interdisciplinary research and policy analysis on the social dimensions of contemporary development issues. United Nations System Staff College: #UNSSC serves the personnel of the United Nations system and partner organizations through learning, training and knowledge management. United Nations University: Through collaborative research and education, United Nations University contributes to efforts to resolve the pressing global problems of human survival, development and welfare that are the concern of the United Nations, its Peoples and Member States. #Learning #Peace #EducationDay #UnleashYourPotential #lifelonglearning

On International Day of Living Together in Peace, Mario Novelli asks important questions - what is peace without justice, and where does education fit in? Read his excellent blog: https://lnkd.in/dkZytzPN

Dear friends, in the world ripped apart by civic and international conflicts, there is no priority higher than peace. We have seen in the last two years that the civic society can do little when wars are in the full fledge - but social leaders can do a lot to foresee and prevent future conflicts, and to foster conditions for "positive peace". Can collective learning for peace become our salvation and a pathway forward? Join us for two conversations that focus on a global initiative to promote youth-led local peacemaking initiatives across Global South. On 25 January 16-17.30 UTC in collaboration between Global Education Futures and Learning Planet Institute, we hold the session "Moving towards a Peaceful Future". The session will explore some of the world's leading projects nurturing "positive peace" through transformative education, championed by Candice Mama, Catalina Cock Duque, Aart Bos and Mandar Apte. It will also invite participants to co-create ideas for the program on Peaceful Futures. The session is held during the UNESCO-supported LearningPlanet Alliance festival, and you can register here if you want to attend: https://lnkd.in/eqpWwK_G For those of you interested in "philosophical foundations" of peace-based society, join us for the conversation "Are conflicts necessary for human evolution?" happening immediately after the session described above, on January 25 17.30-19 UTC. Conversation DAOlogue engaging Alexander Laszlo, Ph.D., Samuel Guarnaccia, Vincent Brown, PhD, Mischul Brownstone, Roopin Hanspal, Max Andreas Stehle, Kimberly Chapple and many others - including you! - will delve into the complex role of inside/outside conflict, in nature and society–exploring its potential to be both a source of destruction and impetus for transformation. Your link to register for the session is: https://lnkd.in/ekVqE96x

This is how the East African Community (EAC) builds a sustainable future for itself: through social capital. In a couple of weeks, young people from all EAC countries will meet in Burundi and debate on “EAC integration, peacebuilding and youth participation”. The objective of the EAC University Debate is to enhance youth participation in the EAC integration agenda and processes. The debates and subsequent sensitization activities create an enabling environment for not only students and youth to play an active role in the integration process but offer space that enables them to learn more about the benefits, challenges and opportunities from the EAC integration. https://lnkd.in/eedBgZmP #africarising #regionalintegration

🌐✨ Empowering Futures: ProRef at Europa-Universität Flensburg in Germany 🎓 Are you a refugee with dreams of pursuing higher education? 🌟 The Program for the Academic Preparation and Integration of Refugees (ProRef) at Europa-Universität Flensburg is here to make those dreams a reality! Read more bout the ProRef program and what it offers. https://ow.ly/uyGV50QsUQ4