New class of Rotary World Peace Fellows announced
an article by Rotary International
Press Release of 1 July 2007

Amid today’s headlines of war, suicide bombings and ethnic and religious violence emerges some welcome positive news: Rotary International has named a new class of World Peace Fellows to study peacemaking and conflict resolution at the six Rotary Centers for International Studies.

Launched in 2002, this innovative approach to world peace is a master’s level program aimed at equipping the next generation of government officials, diplomats and humanitarian leaders with skills needed to reduce the threat of war and violence. The Rotary World Peace Fellows are selected every year in a globally competitive selection process based on their professional, academic and personal achievements.

The Rotary Centers are located on the campuses of leading universities in five countries: International Christian University, Japan; Universidad del Salvador, Argentina; University of Bradford, England; University of Queensland, Australia; University of California, Berkeley; and — in a shared arrangement — Duke University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Like the members of the five classes preceding them, the 60 students in the 2007-09 class are a diverse group, representing 32 countries and a wide array of professional and cultural backgrounds. Their interests and areas of expertise include public health, education, international law, public policy, economic development, journalism, and social justice. "Both as researcher who seeks to understand the origins of violence in order to prevent it, and as practitioner who seeks to work at grass-root level in conflict situations, I want to be involved in bringing about a more peaceful world," says Luke Fletcher, who since embarking on his thesis about the Rwandan genocide has become an active volunteer with the Rwandan and Burundian Association raising funds for genocide orphans.

"You have only to pick up a newspaper to realize how vitally important it is that our world leaders be skilled in the arts of conflict resolution and peaceful negotiation," says Luis Giay, chairman of The Rotary Foundation. "Everything we do through our Rotary Clubs — from fighting poverty to eradicating polio — is intended ultimately to promote world peace. What better way to contribute to that effort than by helping to develop future world leaders committed to achieving peace and understanding."

The program is already showing results. Dozens of Rotary Peace Fellow alumni are making a difference in jobs within the United Nations, the World Bank, governmental agencies and international non-governmental organizations where their skills are tipping balance in favor of peace and conflict resolution.

Rotary is the world's largest privately-funded source of international scholarships and has more than 30,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographic regions. For more information about the Rotary Centers for International Studies, please visit the Rotary website or contact Sandra Prufer at +1-847-866-3208.

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SCHOOLS AND PEACE EDUCATION

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In addition to the Rotary Peace Fellowships and the six Rotary Centers for International Studies, please take into consideration the University of Peace in Costa Rica as described in the CPNN report, Advocating for UPEACE at the UN.

This report was posted on July 27, 2007. The moderator is CPNN Administrator.

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