COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course introduces and explores the critically important notion of sustainable development and the implications that the sustainable development agenda has for education, learning and change. Sustainability embraces ecological mindfulness and competence but also equity, social justice (intragenerational and inter-generational), peaceful relationships and action for change/transformation. The aim of the course is to develop a sound understanding and appreciation of the scope and complexity of sustainability issues and their significance; an understanding of the role of education, and of the kinds of learning and education needed to help realize a safer and more liveable future at local, national and international scales; and to encourage a personal engaged response to these issues.

Key themes include:

Exploring the concept of sustainable development (SD), key SD ideas and their contemporary significance; responses to sustainability at personal, organisational, and community level including barriers and drivers; where sustainability ideas emerged from; the role of worldviews and perception in relation to addressing sustainability issues; ecological perspectives and Gaian thinking; systems thinking and sustainability intelligence; exploring futures scenarios; re-thinking education for our times; transformative learning and sustainability pedagogy; sustainability literacy; the role of the Earth Charter; the transition movement, resilience, design and strategy for change.

Students will be participating ‘passengers on a learning journey’ which will encounter some of the most important issues facing our societies. These issues are typically characterised by complexity, challenge and uncertainty, and lack of simple answers. However they are also associated with social learning and new ideas and initiatives: students are invited to be part of this exploration over the two-week period and make their own contribution to our learning community.

The worlds of ‘working for the betterment of society’ and ‘private enterprise’ are often seen as incompatible. This course will attempt to breakdown that perception in order for participants to see the social sector as a place of opportunity, both to ‘do good’ but also to innovate and build a financially sustainable social enterprise, whether non-profit, for-profit, or some combination of the two. The course suggests that in order to get a socially beneficial idea off the ground, effectively grow it, and make it financially sustainable, social entrepreneurs need to think creatively beyond models of traditional non profits or for-profits.

This hands-on and dynamic course will expose participants to a number of cases of social entrepreneurs who have converted their desire of building a better world into a reality. The course will include a field-based case where participants will experience first hand a social enterprise in Costa Rica. The course hopes to inspire participants with an entrepreneurial spirit, help gain an understanding of the challenges of the start-up process, and think about the complexities of growing and managing it.

The cities are symbol of the rapid pace of social change in many societies, and represent a critical problem in development discourse and practice. The tensions between economic growth, social equity and political legitimacy are manifest in cities around the world. These tensions must find some resolution if urban development is to be not only sustainable but humane.

Women and men are not just workers or homemakers but have a range of social roles in the household, market and community. The concept of gender helps to uncover the constructed, of these social roles, it also directs attention to the interaction between the organisation of work and other social relationships. The consequence of this interaction for many women is a burden of multiple responsibilities for both social reproduction and economic production, many of which are unremunerated and thus invisible in national accounts and other data used for planning purposes.

The course will address issues of gender mainstreaming, if gender mainstreaming has to become a reality in individual cities, the global initiatives related to urban development have to also face this challenge and gender and women’s participation as a cross cutting issue should be discussed. This course will address as well issues of City policy on gender equality, and whether Public consultation policies include women. Such policies should integrate policies on violence against women and women’s safety, and gender analysis in all city policies, including the analysis of city budgets, and city administrative structures and mechanisms etc.

The course will look on how urban governance need to be gender-sensitive if it is to be equitable, sustainable and effective. Participation and civic engagement are critical determinants of good governance, a concept which addresses issues of social equity and political legitimacy and not merely the efficient management of infrastructure and services. How men and women participate in and benefit from urban governance are significantly shaped by prevailing constructions of gender norms. The course will examine gender norms and gender division of labour and ascribed gender roles.

The course will examine the gender-sensitive approach to urban governance which has two principal objectives; firstly, to increase women's participation in human settlements development and, secondly, to foster gender-awareness and competence among both women and men in the political arena and planning practice.

More over the course deals with the themes of participation and partnership in urban governance, a concept which refers to both government responsibility and civic engagement. It will look broadly at the improvement in women's representation in political structures, and women active participation in organisations outside of government, i. e advocacy.

There is also a genuine and growing appreciation of the value and achievements of women, particularly in local development. The course will look at issues of engendering the practice of urban governance, with direct questions of diversity and civic engagement.

The destructive role that media can play has been amply demonstrated during conflicts from Nazi Germany to Rwanda. Their (potentially) more constructive role when it comes to fostering a culture of peace, preventing escalation or adding to processes of reconciliation and peace-building, however, has received comparatively scarce scholarly attention.

The Course consists of modules designed to provide participants with the basic knowledge, skills and attitudes required in conflict areas.

• KNOWLEDGE: UNDERSTANDING CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION AS A CONCEPT, FRAMEWORK & PROCESS
• SKILLS: GAINING CONFLICT ANAYSIS TOOLS & STRATEGIES DESIGN
• ATTITUDE: DEVELOPPING PERSONAL APPROACH TO CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION & WHAT WE MAY BE 

All the modules should enhance desirable personal attitudes, stress the importance of the active involvement of the host society, and promote a reflective and critical approach with regard to the complex issues of civilian crisis prevention and management when implementing concrete projects in the field, i.e. skills that are practiced in direct interaction with people.

Participants will also be provided with an overall picture of different specific functional tasks needed in the field and how they are interrelated. They will get the chance to participate in a real life scenario in a simulation that will allow them to put in practice the skills learned.

Particular stress is put on the development of a co-operative attitude towards representatives and approaches of governmental and inter-governmental actors involved in peace-building, peace-keeping, development co-operation and humanitarian assistance and the mainstreaming of a conflict- and gender-sensitive approach.

The most important rationales, central elements and objectives as well as the methodological proceedings of a conflict transformation strategy shall be treated in detail, put into relation with other possibilities of conflict management and compared systematically.

By using practical examples, real life scenario, personal experience of the participants, the preconditions for a successful conflict transformation will be discussed and hopefully integrated.

This course analyzes the nature and evolution of systems of governance to address climate change at the international, national, and local levels, charting the changing history of climate policy from the issue's initial introduction into political discussion to its recent ascension to become the new "master concept" of environmental governance generally.  The roles of various stakeholders in the negotiation, including transnational institutions, nation states, nongovernmental organizations, private businesses, and municipal governments, will be examined, as will the efficacy of different mechanisms (state-led, market-based, hybrid, etc.) for enacting climate policy.  The potential impact of climate policy on particular environmental issues (e.g., hydroelectric and nuclear power) and social groups (e.g., women, minorities, indigenous peoples) will be discussed as well.  Case studies will examine specific instances of climate policy and negotiation, including recent UNFCCC conferences, Costa Rica's own payment for environmental services (PES) and "Peace with Nature" climate neutrality initiative, and the emerging debate over proposed REDD (Reduced Emissions through Deforestation and Degradation) mechanisms.

At their core, the fields of health and human rights have a similar objective, namely to advance the well-being of individual and populations.  This course will be taught in two sections, each by a different professor.  The first section provides an overview of the field of public health and public health research and serves as the foundation for the second section of the course. 

This course is an introductory skill-building course in negotiation, conflict management and resolution. First, participants will learn to improve their own negotiation skills, helping them to act consciously and skillfully in tough situations. We will learn and practice techniques designed to help us negotiate successfully despite the other party’s lack of skill, trust or good intentions, and to help ourselves manage situations in which we ourselves are parties to conflict in a beneficial manner. This introduction will also help us understand how negotiations fall apart, and how conflict forms. Next, we will explore the spectrum of third-party intervention methods, showing how these processes are implemented and institutionalized on the inter-personal level as well as in the international sphere. We will dedicate time to understanding and experimenting with the process of mediation, in which a third-party, lacking decision-imposing power, uses his / her negotiation expertise, his / her creativity and his / her relationship with the parties, in order to aid them in reaching agreement and transforming their relationship. By understanding the design and management methods of the mediation process, participants will be able to bring their improved negotiation skills to bear in assisting others to negotiate and resolve conflicts peacefully.

The course focuses on the development of practical and conceptual tools for the transformation of conflict from the macro- to the micro-level.  Taking the perspective that all participants will be involved in both conflict and resolution of different sorts and in different capacities throughout their future professional lives, the aim of this course is to engage with these processes through various simulations, project development activities, and other activities.  These situational learning exercises provide an opportunity for the practical development of ‘skills,’ but more importantly, of conceptual tools relating to negotiation, mediation, conflict analysis, program development, and peacebuilding.  By creating situations and a classroom environment where students can put these concepts into use, the goal is to move from ideas to practices and back – that is, to close the dialectical loop between theory, research, and practice that is the necessary basis for reflective conflict transformation.  The series of readings for the course are of two sorts:  1) guidelines and research on practice; and 2) in-depth essays that develop specific analytical concepts that deepen and enrich the understanding of practice.  The course offers a chance to develop, synthesize, and reflect on ideas and skills learned throughout the year.  It brings together material from various programs and courses in an active environment, and is a time for people to examine what those ideas mean for them as individuals in their future careers as peacemakers and builders.

The course focuses on the development of practical and conceptual tools for the transformation of conflict from the macro- to the micro-level.  Taking the perspective that all participants will be involved in both conflict and resolution of different sorts and in different capacities throughout their future professional lives, the aim of this course is to engage with these processes through various simulations, project development activities, and other activities.  These situational learning exercises provide an opportunity for the practical development of ‘skills,’ but more importantly, of conceptual tools relating to negotiation, mediation, conflict analysis, program development, and peacebuilding.  By creating situations and a classroom environment where students can put these concepts into use, the goal is to move from ideas to practices and back – that is, to close the dialectical loop between theory, research, and practice that is the necessary basis for reflective conflict transformation.  The series of readings for the course are of two sorts:  1) guidelines and research on practice; and 2) in-depth essays that develop specific analytical concepts that deepen and enrich the understanding of practice.  The course offers a chance to develop, synthesize, and reflect on ideas and skills learned throughout the year.  It brings together material from various programs and courses in an active environment, and is a time for people to examine what those ideas mean for them as individuals in their future careers as peacemakers and builders.

This course seeks to overcome the economic and livelihood stresses, resulting from climatic, physical, and social stresses that are encountering urban areas. The main topics on which this course focuses are the increased urban poverty, urban livelihoods in a globalizing world economy, urban agriculture, and the Urban Millennial Development Goals. The courses exposes students to practical methods of promoting income generating activities and measures that may help overcome the constraints resulting from zoning and allowing for mixed land uses, which can be part of a general strategy for housing the poor and promoting of peri-urban agriculture. The course exposes students to practical ways in which urban community-based organizations (CBOs) can be involved in developing their self-help programmes and in improving livelihoods of slum dwellers and other urban poor. It provides students with success stories of partnership between urban CBOs, NGOs, government and the private sector in negotiating, conceptualizing, and implementing the Millennial Development Goals. The course also gives examples of partnership between urban dwellers and peri-urban producers in the form of community-supported agriculture and other similar partnerships that may be replicated elsewhere.

This course will cover the following topics:

• Understanding underlying causes of the problem your program is addressing
• Understanding how your program works: Program Theory
• Process Monitoring: are you reaching your target audience?
• Outcome Monitoring: what changes is your program producing?
• Putting things together: developing your program monitoring systems
• Using data to make changes to your program

This course will cover the following topics:

• Emotional Intelligence Explored/Defined
• Where does EQ “show up” in the virtual world? Defining the virtual space and our communicative experiences
• Neuroplasticity: Exploring our own EQ and strategies for growing self-awareness, self-management, empathy, and skilled relationship building

The course will provide students with an introduction to the world of human rights and indigenous peoples.  The instruction will cover the cultural, historical and legal struggle of indigenous peoples to maintain themselves as distinct peoples and to gain respect and recognition from dominant, market-based systems of today’s world.  The course will delve into the “just war” that has been performed against indigenous peoples in order to advance a Western approach to “civilized society” and morality.  Instructions and readings will cover the growth of contemporary international law and the failure to address the human rights of indigenous peoples until very recently. The role of globalization and transnational corporate activities will be discussed as well as the clashes caused by the modern economic society and the traditional indigenous society.  Students will also learn about differing international norms and mechanisms available to assist in promoting and protecting indigenous rights. 

The Independent Studies Paper (ISP) is pursued with concentration in the second semester, under the supervision of an advisor either in residence at the University or as otherwise determined by the Department. The Department Faculty will coordinate the process of mentoring the students’ research and writing, to assist students in producing a work of quality and insight. Although Faculty will be involved at each stage of preparation of the paper, it is stressed that students are expected to work on their own.

The UPEACE MA Programme in Gender and Peacebuilding requires that students write an Independent Research Project  (IRP) which is worth 8 credits.  The format for each programme has some variations, but this document will explain some common guidelines.

Students are encouraged from the first day of classes to choose a research topic that: is compatible with their own professional goals; they feel confident to find information; is innovative and enhances their learning process and could serve as a guide for generating further projects.  It is expected that the IRP integrates the knowledge and skills acquired in different courses offered by the Programmes. In cases where research topics are not covered in the courses offered during the first semester, students are encouraged to consult with their research professor, the resident faculty, and the department head for consultation or referrals to other resident or visiting professors with relevant expertise.

The IRP is a document of a minimum of 14,000 words and a maximum of 20,000 words (it does not include Appendices, Footnotes, Survey Questions, etc.). Students are encouraged to start collecting information and material earlier during the academic year.

During the first semester, all students will take a course on Research Methods to learn about various research methodologies. At the end of the first semester, the Proposal for the IRP should be finalized and should be approved by the Research Methods professor.

At the beginning of the second semester, each student will be assigned an advisor. The Head of the Department, in coordination with students, will select advisors who will continue guiding students in the production of the IRP.

The UPEACE MA Programme in Peace Education requires that students write an Independent Research Project  (IRP) which is worth 8 credits.  The format for each programme has some variations, but this document will explain some common guidelines.

Students are encouraged from the first day of classes to choose a research topic that: is compatible with their own professional goals; they feel confident to find information; is innovative and enhances their learning process and could serve as a guide for generating further projects.  It is expected that the IRP integrates the knowledge and skills acquired in different courses offered by the Programmes. In cases where research topics are not covered in the courses offered during the first semester, students are encouraged to consult with their research professor, the resident faculty, and the department head for consultation or referrals to other resident or visiting professors with relevant expertise.
 
The IRP is a document of a minimum of 14,000 words and a maximum of 20,000 words (it does not include Appendices, Footnotes, Survey Questions, etc.). Students are encouraged to start collecting information and material earlier during the academic year.

During the first semester, all students will take a course on Research Methods to learn about various research methodologies. At the end of the first semester, the Proposal for the IRP should be finalized and should be approved by the Research Methods professor.

At the beginning of the second semester, each student will be assigned an advisor. The Head of the Department, in coordination with students, will select advisors who will continue guiding students in the production of the IRP.

This online course will cover the following themes:

This online course (test UCEE-001) will cover the following themes:
• Educating in a Fast-­-Changing World
• Pedagogies for the 21st Century
• Positive Education
• Design Thinking for Innovative Teaching and Learning
• Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship
 

Adam Baird is from the UK and has a PhD, MRes and MA from the Peace Studies Dept at the University of Bradford. He is a specialist in urban insecurity and has worked substantially with gangs and processes of male youth inclusion. He has over a decade of experience in Latin America and is currently writing a book on urban violence prevention. In 2011-2 he was a Drugs, Security and Democracy postdoctoral fellow with the Social Science Research Council / Open Society Foundation. He is currently Assistant Professor at the University for Peace in Costa Rica.He is contributing editor to Paz Paso a Paso: Una mirada desde los Estudios de Paz a los Conflictos Colombianos (2012). He is also an ‘Associate Expert to the UNDP in the area of Crisis Prevention and Recovery’ in Latin America and the Caribbean. A selection of his academic publications include:

BAIRD, A. (2012 - forthcoming) ¿Héroes Olvidados? Activismo de la sociedad civil y las políticas de juventud en Medellín en BAIRD, A. & SERRANO, J.F. Eds, Paz Paso a Paso: Una mirada desde los Estudios de Paz a los Conflictos Colombianos, Pontifica Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá

___________ (2012). “Negotiating Pathways to Manhood: Rejecting Gangs and Violence in Medellín’s Periphery”. Journal of Conflictology, 3 (1), 28-39. Campus for Peace, UOC

___________ (2012) Youth, Masculinity and Violence Reproduction in Medellín’s Periphery, Safer Communities, 11 (4), London

___________ (May 2009) Methodological Dilemmas: Researching Violent Young Men in Medellín, Colombia. IDS Bulletin. Violence, Social Action and Research, 40, 72-77.

Alvaro Sierra has been a journalist for more than 25 years and has worked for the past years as a senior editor and editorial adviser of the daily El Tiempo, Bogota. He was president of the board of Medios para la Paz (Media for Peace), a major Colombian NGO of journalists that designs and teaches courses and seminars for journalists working in conditions of armed conflict. For the past eight years he has designed courses and trained local journalists in Colombia, and also in Haiti, Mexico and Ecuador. He teaches for the Knight Center of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin courses on conflict coverage and on coverage of the drug business. He has extensive experience covering armed conflicts both as a local reporter and a foreign correspondent. In the past 20 years he has worked in Nicaragua, the former Soviet Union, Russia, the Baltic States, Ukraine, Central Asia, the Caucasus, China, Hong Kong and Colombia, among other places. He’s fluent in Spanish, French, Russian and English. From 2008 and 2010 he was Associate Professor at UPEACE, in charge of the MA on Media, Peace and Conflict Studies. Since January 2011 he’s back in Colombia, where he works as chief editor at Semana, the main newsweekly in the country.

Ameena Alrasheed Ph.D candidate at Leeds University the UK, worked as Teaching Assistant at the Department of Political Science, Khartoum university, Sudan, TA at Leeds University, Middle Eastern Studies, Trainer and consultant with the UN and international organizations in Kosovo, Iran, Indonesia. Researcher on women’s refugees and immigrants in the Netherland and women and domestic violence in the UK at the National probation centers, West Yorkshire.

Dr. Abdalla is Professor and Vice Rector at the United Nations-mandated University for Peace (UPEACE).  Before arriving at UPEACE, he was a Senior Fellow with the Peace Operations Policy Program, School of Public Policy, at George Mason University, in Virginian, USA.   He was also a Professor of Conflict Analysis and Resolution at the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences in Leesburg, Virginia.
 
Both his academic and professional careers are multi-disciplinary.  He obtained a law degree in Egypt in 1977 where He practiced law as a prosecuting attorney from 1978 to 1987.  He then emigrated to the U.S. where He obtained a Master's degree in Sociology and a Ph.D. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University.
 
He has been teaching graduate classes in conflict analysis and resolution, and has conducted training, research and evaluation of conflict resolution and peacebuilding programs in several countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas.  He also authored, and co-authored, several research and evaluation teaching manuals including: Doing What You Want With Your Data, A Step-by-Step Guide to Planning and Implementing Evaluation Strategies, and Qualitative Evaluation: The What and Why.

He has been an active figure in promoting effective cross-cultural messages within the Islamic and Arabic-speaking communities in America through workshops, T.V. and radio presentations.  He has also been actively involved in inter-faith dialogues in the United States.  He pioneered the development of the first conflict resolution training manual for the Muslim communities in the United States titled (“…Say Peace”).  He also founded Project LIGHT (Learning Islamic Guidance for Human Tolerance), a community peer-based anti-discrimination project funded by the National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ).
 

Associate Professor in Media, Peace and Conflict Studies Master Programme, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies
Daniela Ingruber is a war researcher, specialised on war photography, film and the ethical aspects of media-production, and a journalist and editor. She also works for the Diagonale – the Austrian Film Festival (web, catalogue, film discussions), as a political consultant as well as a writer for film productions.

Besides her position at UPEACE she is a faculty member of the UNESCO Chair for Peace at the University of Innsbruck/Austria and the Ramkhamhaeng University in Bangkok/Thailand.

MA in Education, University of Texas, at Austin, USA; BA in Mathematics, Alverno College, Milwaukee, USA; BA in Teaching, National University of Education, Peru. Training: in Human Right and Gender Studies at the International Institute of Human Rights, Rene Cassin, Strasbourg, France. Certificate: Building Capacities for Peacekeeping and Women’s Dimensions in Peace Processes, European Union-Latin American Office, Santiago, Chile. Director of the Educational Area:  Inter-American Institute of Human Rights, San Jose, Costa Rica. Director: Center for Educational Resources (IIDH), San Jose, Costa Rica. Consultant; Secretaria de Estado do Planejamento, Brasilia, Brazil. Programme Officer, Ministry of Education, Lima, Peru. Disciplines: Human Rights Education, Gender and women’s Studies, Education for Peace.

Eva Dalak, highly experienced facilitator, works in diverse, dynamic and complex programs with multicultural teams, implements activities in conflict transformation, third party intervention and Gender issues. Over 15 years work experience in a multitude of capacities for international institutions, intergovernmental organisations and non governmental organisations in design and management of various programs in the area of conflict transformation, peace building, and gender related issues.

Juan Carlos Sainz-Borgo is Associate Professor and Head of the Department of International Law and Human Rights at UPEACE. He is also Associate Professor of International Law at the Universidad Central de Venezuela in Caracas since 1998. Professor of Humanitarian International Law at the Universidad Sergio Arboleda in Bogota since 2009; he was Fulbright Visiting Professor at the Washington College of Law at the American University in 2008-2009. He served as Jurist to the Regional Delegation of Venezuela and the Caribbean of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Juan Carlos Sainz-Borgo has a Law Degree, Master in International Law and Doctorate (Cum Laude) from the Universidad Central de Venezuela in Caracas and a Master Degree from Oxford University, UK. He has published four books on international law and international relations and a numerous articles in different publications in the field.

Assistant Professor, in Human Rights, Media, and Peace; Vice Rector Office
Ph.D., University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2009. LL.M. in International Public Law at Amsterdam Law School, 2007, and M.Sc. in International Relations and Communication Science, University of Amsterdam, 2005.

Before obtaining her first Master’s Degree, Julia Hoffmann studied Media Management at the Institute for Journalism and Communication Science in Hanover, Germany, and Political Philosophy at Hong Kong University.

She has been working as an academic lecturer since 2006 and as a free-lance consultant, speaker and trainer for a number of NGOs in the field of media, human rights, peace and conflict.
 

MSc. Marije van Lidth de Jeude (1972) is master in Cultural Anthropology and Bachelor in Commercial Economy. She has a professional record of more than ten years in rural and urban sector development, in particular with multi- and bilateral donor-agencies, governmental institutions, producer cooperatives, small enterprises and other civil society stakeholders. She has worked for organizations like Oxfam - Novib, UN organisation IFAD – RUTA and the Centre for Rural Development (CDR). Her expertise was established as program officer and during research and consultancy assignments related to all phases of the project-cycle, with a specific focus on formulations and evaluations. Thematic specialisations include gender, natural resources; socio-economic vulnerable groups (esp. migrantes and indigenous people); financial, technical and business development services for small – and medium enterprises, remittances.

Mihir Kanade is the Director of the UPEACE Human Rights Centre and is an Academic Consultant to the Department of International Law and Human Rights at UPEACE. Prior to the present position, Mihir practiced for 6 years as a lawyer in the Supreme Court of India and the Bombay High Court, focusing on issues of fundamental human rights violations. He holds a LL.B. from Nagpur University and a Master’s degree in International Law and the Settlement of Disputes from UPEACE. He has served as a legal advisor to many human rights organizations in India and has represented them before different courts and tribunals in criminal, constitutional and labour cases. His principal area of academic research and study is Human Rights and International Trade Linkages, on which he has also worked as a consultant with the United Nations University, Tokyo.

She is the Executive Director of the Earth Charter Internacional Secretariat. Mirian has been promoting the Initiative internationally since 1996, which has involved working with NGOs, Universities, Local Communities and Government officials. The project was originally done in collaboration with the National Councils for Sustainable Development initiative. She has lead and facilitated numerous international workshops and seminars on values and principles for sustainability. She has also participated in several annual meetings of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, as well as Preparatory Conferences to the World Summit on Sustainable Development and the Johannesburg Summit itself. In that process she dealt with a number of governments' officials and non-state actors participating in such events. Prior to her work with the Earth Charter, Mirian worked for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) for two years in preparation of the 1992 UN Earth Summit and a year in UNCTAD - United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. She moved from Geneva to Costa Rica in 1993 to join in the establishment of the Earth Council, an NGO established to follow up the Earth Summit agreements and promote the establishments of National Councils for Sustainable Development. Mirian holds a Master Degree in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where she was an Edward Mason Fellow and a B.Sc. with focus on International Trade.

Director of the UPEACE Centre for Executive and Professional Education and a faculty member at UPEACE. Prior to this position, he served as Education Programme Manager of the Earth Charter Initiative, an international nonprofit organization. Before his 4-years in the non-profit sector, he worked both in the private sector and also as a high school teacher in Ecuador. He has a Bachelor's degree from Stanford University and his Master's from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Oliver Richmond is a Research Professor in the Humanitarian and Conflict Research Institute and the Department of Politics, University of Manchester, UK. He is also International Professor, School of International Studies, Kyung Hee University, Korea. His publications include A Post Liberal Peace (Routledge, 2011), Liberal Peace Transitions, (with Jason Franks, Edinburgh University Press, 2009), Peace in IR (Routledge, 2008 & 2012), and The Transformation of Peace (Palgrave, 2005 & 2007). He is the editor of the Palgrave book series, Rethinking Conflict Studies.

Docteur en droit, University of Strasbourg, France. Specialized studies (political sciences and constitutional law) in the Center for Constitutional Studies, Madrid. Former Alternate Representative to the United Nations (Geneva). Former Legal Director, Ministry for Foreign Affairs (San Jose, C. Rica). Professor at the University of Costa Rica since 1984. Publications in the field of international and constitutional law. Former Viceminister of Interior, Costa Rica.

Assistant Professor of Natural Resources and Sustainable Development in the Department of Environment, Peace and Security at UPEACE. He holds a Ph.D. in Sociocultural Anthropology from the University of California at Santa Barbara with an emphasis in Global Studies. Dr. Fletcher has conducted ethnographic research in Chile and Costa Rica concerning the cultural dimensions of ecotourism as a strategy for environmentally-sustainable economic development. In addition, he has worked for many years as a professional ecotourism guide and planner in a variety of locations

PhD candidate, Department of International Peace and Conflict Studies

Saumava Mitra holds a Master’s degree in Journalism and Media within Globalization specializing in conflict reporting (2010) from Swansea University, UK, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands and University of Aarhus, Denmark under the Erasmus Mundus Masters programme of the European Union for which he was awarded a scholarship. Before starting his PhD programme at the University for Peace, he had worked as a journalist for international news organizations like Associated Press and Bloomberg. Most recently he was working as the Chief Editor of a newsweekly and as a communication consultant for a Dutch NGO working in strategic information intervention, in Tanzania. His bachelors (hons.) degree is in English Literature (2006).

Instructor of the Responsible Management and Sustainable Economic Development (RMSED) program. From 2006-2008 she served in India as Director of the Valencian Government Foreign Trade Office and from 2004-2006 she was International Trade Advisor at the Commercial Office of the Embassy of Spain in New Delhi (India) gaining broad experience in international commerce and cooperation.  

She holds an MA in International Peace Studies from the University for Peace (Costa Rica), a postgraduate degree in Design of Sustainability from the Open University of Catalonia (Spain), she is an Expert in Mediation from the University of Alicante (Spain) and a BA in Business Administration from the University Cardenal-Herrera CEU (Spain).