A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the The Conference of Italian University Rectors(CRUI) and the Permanent Secretariat of the World Summit of Peace Laureates.
This is an important agreement through which Italian universities – already part of the Rete delle Università italiane per la pace (RUniPace, the University Network for Peace) – will be able to strengthen their commitment to peace and develop activities in research, education and the third mission together with the authoritative and prestigious collaboration of the Permanent Secretariat.
The Permanent Secretariat of the World Summit of Peace Laureates was established in 2006. It is an independent non-profit, non-governmental organization which has its head office in Piacenza and works on a permanent basis to reinforce humanitarian, non-violent thinking to support human values by promoting the legacy, knowledge and work of Nobel Peace Laureates.
The Permanent Secretariat represents a PEACE HUB, an ecosystem for peacemaking that promotes the path to peace in all countries and with all people. It fosters international dialogues on global and local issues as well as educational programs on peace. Its main event is the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates (WSNPL) which has reached its 17thedition. It was founded in 1999 as an initiative of former USSR President and Nobel Peace Laureate, Mikhail Gorbachev.
RUniPace is the newest member of the CRUI network that, to date, 59 universities adhere to with the commitment of promoting Peace Studies starting from recognizing the value of knowledge and research on peacebuilding through peaceful means that already exist in Italian universities, raising awareness and creating cooperation between students within individual universities and in collaboration with other universities in an interdisciplinary perspective.
The agreement between the CRUI and the Permanent Secretariat of the World Summit of Peace Laureates is related in particular to the Leading by Example program created by the Permanent Secretariat with the aim of educating the generation of future leaders in the art of peacemaking.
Leading by Example develops peace education and peacebuilding projects with the involvement of Nobel Peace Laureates for university students.
Over 7,000 youths and more than 550 universities from around the world have participated in the program and discussed important issues such as Peace, Human Rights, Sustainability and Leadership.
Other collaborations within the MoU include the development of joint leadership education programs, organizing joint events hosted by Italian universities with the participation of Nobel Peace Laureates, establishing a delegation of young activists, students and academics from Italian universities and youth organizations to participate at the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, and organize a workshop or PeaceLab to be held at the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates.